Eczema, Psoriasis, & Rosacea: What's the difference?

Dec 9, 2024

4 min read

As the winter season hits, and the weather starts dropping degrees, your skin experiences depletion in water levels. This dehydration can lead to a dryness. In order to maintain your natural skin barrier, you need the right amount of moisture. If dry skin is not treated or cared for, it can lead to adverse effects such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea. These skin conditions may have similar appearances, symptoms, and causes, but they all vary in major ways. I will also provide ways to avoid inflammation in order for you to experience a cozy, perfect winter (with fresh skin!).

Eczema

According to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, eczema is an inflammatory, non-contagious, and chronic skin condition. It is usually caused by allergies, hypersensitivity, and/or extremely dry or hot weather. Keep in mind that symptoms may develop in your childhood and last until adulthood. Some symptoms include dry, bumpy, itchy, red, and scaly skin (rashes). A family history of asthma, hay fever, allergies, and general dermatitis can put you at a higher risk of eczema. Eczema can appear in the form of cutaneous lesions which differ based off of your individual skin tone. Darker skin can experience purple, brown, or gray lesions. Lighter skin rashes can look pink, red, or purple. If the case is severe, the lesion may be swollen and thickened.

General ways to treat this condition would be to use gentle & sensitive skin washes/moisturizers, topical creams/oral medications to avoid the spread of the disease, and moisturize the areas that usually tend to flare up with petroleum jelly or mineral oils. Some triggers that you can avoid would be allergens/irritants (soaps, detergents, woolly fabrics, dust, etc.), extreme temperatures, chemicals found in fragrances, and/or foods that are high in dairy or wheat.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis can be characterized as a skin condition where the skin reproduces skin cells in the epidermis at an alarmingly fast rate. The skin can then form textures of thickness and scaliness. Similar to eczema, psoriasis is triggered by the environment as well as stress and, in some cases, drugs. The main cause of this condition is not known, but scientists seem to think it is caused by the Immune System when it unintentionally starts attacking itself. About 80%-90% of the people have plaque psoriasis. You may notice patches of thick, often raised skin (plaques), a scaly, white coating, inconsistent sizes, and conjoint plaques. Another common form of this disease is Guttate psoriasis. You may notice small salmon-colored dots which clear out in a few months without treatment.

Some ways to treat this condition would be topical cream therapy/oral medications, phototherapy. Topical creams would include retinoids, corticosteroids, salicylic acid, etc. Oral medications would include steroids or methotrexate. Please remember to always consult with a dermatologist first before using any of these medications. For alternate, Ayurvedic therapies you could use aloe extract cream (reduced itching + inflammation), fish oil supplements (improves scaling), or Oregon grape/barberry (reduces inflammation).

Rosacea

Rosacea can be described as the chronic redness that makes a display on your face, typically the cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose. It is caused by small blood vessels slowly making their way up the surface of your skin where they dilate, and become visible as telangiectasis. It may resemble the common Acne condition, but this mainly occurs in middle-aged adults (specifically women). It is most prevalent in fair skinned populations as it can range from 2%-22%. Common causes of this condition include spicy foods, hot drinks, extreme temperatures, stess, exercise, drugs used to dilate blood vessels, alcohol, etc. Rosacea can show up as a permanent flush with yellow-headed pimples. Unlike Acne, it does not scar.

Some ways to treat rosacea would be through antibiotics such as metronidazole, diathermy, or laser surgery. Common triggers to watch out for would be easily burnt skin, ages between 25-50 years, or family history of smoking/rosacea.

Vocabulary

I will provide a short description of the italicized words above to get a better understanding.

Hay Fever: It is also called allergic rhinitis which causes cold-like symptoms. However, this disease is not caused by a virus.
Dermatitis: A condition where the skin becomes swollen, red, itchy which causes irritation by blisters.
Cutaneous Lesions: A change in your skin's appearance: discoloration, lump, or blister.
Epidermis: The outermost layer of your skin.
Immune System: A body system that takes role in protecting you from pathogens and cell changes.
Plaques: A term used to describe solid, elevated (1 cm.) lesions in your skin.
Phototherapy: The treatment of skin diseases by light.
Corticosteroids: Synthetic prescription medications that reduce inflammation in your body.
Salicylic Acid: It breaks down thick, swollen layers of skin.
Methotrexate: An oral medication that treats arthritis and psoriasis. Please make sure to consult with your doctor before use!
Telangiectasis: Also known as spider veins, these small, damaged blood vessels, appear in red, pink, or purple lines. (think of maps on your skin).
Metronidazole: A synthetic drug used to treat inflammorty infections. Please make sure to consult with your doctor before use!
Diathermy: A procedure in which a tissue needs to be heated in order to mitigate abnormal cells.

Wrapping Up

For the longest time my family and I thought my sister had severe eczema--even her dermatologist said so. Eventually, through careful diagnosis, we found out she had an autoimmune disease known as Lichen-Planus. Therefore, the purpose of this blog was to help people distinguish the difference between three very similar skin conditions. Hopefully, after being educated on them you can enjoy your winter with fresh, moisturized skin. Feel free to share some health topics you are curious about to provide me with some blog ideas. Subscribe to my blog to be updated on more posts + blogs to come! Thank you!

xoxo,

Haley 💗