New treatment for rosacea seems promising

March 27, 2005 (PRLEAP.COM) Health News
"In the western hemisphere (rosacea) has not been addressed as a parasite, but as a bacterial infection," Lepage said. "Doctors here did 30 years of research and found that this parasite exists in the (facial skin’s) hair follicle. The parasite lives under the skin and feeds off the oil found inside the hair follicle.
"The redness appears when the parasite chews its way through an oil gland," he added. "The pore becomes enlarged and then plugged with bacteria and that’s when acne develops."
Another myth associated with rosacea is that it’s hereditary. According to Lepage, that’s just not true.
"People usually get (rosacea) through close contact with others when they are babies, such as mothers breastfeeding their children," he said. "The parasite can live under the skin and not appear for years."
The National Rosacea Society has found that the most common triggers for rosacea are sun exposure, emotional stress, hot or cold weather, wind, alcohol, spicy foods, heavy exercise, hot baths, heated beverages and certain skin-care products. In other words, almost anything that is potentially stimulating can be bad news.
If a person with rosacea is treated for a bacterial infection, Lepage said their skin will clear up while they are on medication, but the rash will come back because the parasite has not been treated. That’s where FaceDoctor comes into play. The company has developed a soap with a special ingredient that kills the parasite – seabuckthorn oil.
"The oil in the soap is clinically proven to destroy 80 per cent of the parasite on people with normal skin," Lepage said. "For people with rosacea, it allows their skin to return back to its normal skin tone."
Studies have found that seabuckthorn oil has a nourishing, revitalizing and restorative action that can be used not only for acne but for dry, itchy skin, eczema, burns, cuts and postpartum pigmentation, as well.
For more information on the FaceDoctor soap, visit: www.facedoctor.ca