By Dr. Jerry Tan, Windsor dermatologist, President Acne and Rosacea Society of Canada and Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Ontario.
Rosacea is a condition that afflicts so many but few know much about it.
If you think you have rosacea, the first step is to ensure you truly have rosacea and not a mimic based on facial redness or pimples (the 2 most common presenting features). The second step is to determine what features of rosacea you have.
Over the past 2 decades more treatment options have developed along with the knowledge that these are specific to the individual features of rosacea – such as redness, blood vessel lines, pimples, skin thickening, or eye dryness/irritation.
To ensure that people with rosacea are provided updated options for each of these features, a patient decision aid (PDA) for rosacea has recently been developed for Canadians.
If you have rosacea, we invite you to explore this aid to learn about the different features of rosacea, triggering factors, treatment options including pros and cons, and what might be most suitable for you based on your values and your preferences. This patient decision aid was developed for you to engage and discuss options with your doctor further.
The PDA for rosacea is available at https://www.informed-decisions.org/rosaceapda.php
Dr. Jerry Tan, is a Windsor, Ontario dermatologist who practices at Healthy Image Centre. He is the current president of the Acne and Rosacea Society of Canada and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Ontario.