Meaning & use
rosacea
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Meaning
noununcountablemedical
A long-lasting skin condition that makes the cheeks, nose and forehead look red and flushed, sometimes with small bumps or visible blood vessels.
Grammar: No plural and no article for the condition in general: she suffers from rosacea.
Patterns
- suffer from rosacea
- treat rosacea
- rosacea on something
Her doctor said the constant redness on her cheeks was rosacea, not an allergy.
Spicy food and hot drinks can make rosacea flare up in some people.
He uses a gentle cream every morning to keep his rosacea under control.
Common combinations
- suffer from rosacea
- My aunt has suffered from rosacea since her forties.
- a rosacea flare-up
- Stress triggered a rosacea flare-up just before the wedding.
- treat rosacea
- Some antibiotics are prescribed to treat rosacea.
- rosacea triggers
- Alcohol and strong sunlight are common rosacea triggers.
- mild rosacea
- With mild rosacea, you may only notice a slight pink flush.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flushing
- Flushing describes the temporary reddening of the skin, which is only one symptom, whereas rosacea is the lasting condition behind it.
- acne rosacea
- This is an older, now less favored name for the same condition, and it wrongly suggests a link to ordinary acne.
- redness
- Redness is a general everyday word for any red skin, while rosacea names a specific diagnosis.
Word family
- rosaceous adjective
- belonging to the rose plant family, a separate botanical use
- rosacea-prone adjective
- likely to develop rosacea, as in rosacea-prone skin
Commonly confused: rosacea or eczema? rosacea or acne?
rosacea vs eczema
Eczema causes dry, itchy, scaly patches anywhere on the body, while rosacea mainly causes redness on the central face.
rosacea vs acne
Acne involves blocked pores and spots, often in teenagers; rosacea usually appears in adults and centers on persistent facial redness.
Practice
The dermatologist said that the constant flushing across her nose and cheeks was caused by ____.
Choose one answer.
Rosacea is the condition marked by lasting facial redness. Eczema is a tempting wrong answer, but it causes itchy, dry patches rather than central facial flushing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rosacea”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.