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No one really knows the cause of rosacea but there are many theories. "Rosacea is a skin disease with an obscure and complicated pathogenesis." [1] Watch two videos on this subject regarding theories on the cause of rosacea.
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The current most popular theory is that rosacea is a disorder of the innate immune system. For over twenty years the vascular theory was held as the most promising. What is interesting is at the heart of the innate immune system theory is that this includes an overproduction of cathelicidin (a cytokine killer of microscopic organisms that is at the cellular level found in white blood cells and also found in cells on the skin) which is transported in the vascular system, so we have come full circle. Other cytokines have been implicated.
Some consider the nervous system as the root cause of rosacea, and the list goes on with many other theories worth considering (one theory is the Trigeminal sensory malfunction theory) but a good place to start your research is our post on Theories Revisited. Are you aware that virus has never, ever been ruled out with rosacea?
Do you want to do something about finding the cure? That is what the RRDi is all about, a grassroots non profit organization for rosacea patient advocacy.
End Notes
[1] Dovepress
Rosacea and Helicobacter pylori: links and risks
Elizabeth Lazaridou, Chrysovalantis Korfitis, Christina Kemanetzi, Elena Sotiriou, Zoe Apalla, Efstratios Vakirlis, Christina Fotiadou, Aimilios Lallas, Demetrios Ioannides