Any Patient Who Presents a Red Face

[Guide]

One of the physicians who serves on the RRDi Mac, Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, wrote, "Rosacea is probably a collection of many different diseases that are lumped together inappropriately." This statement is absolutely true. There are so many skin conditions that mimic rosacea that to differentiate them is quite the task for a dermatologist to accomplish. You may receive a diagnosis of rosacea but discover later you have a different skin condition/disease. Reports in RF have reflected such cases many times. The new phenotype diagnosis classification should improve diagnosis and treatment. A recent article reports the following: 

"Facial erythema (the "red face") is a straightforward clinical finding, and it is evident even to the untrained eye; however, a red face does not represent a single cutaneous entity. It may be due to a plethora of distinct underlying conditions of varying severity, including rosacea, demodicosis, dermatomyositis, lupus erythematosus, allergic contact dermatitis, drug-induced erythema, and emotional blushing. In clinical practice, dermatologists do not encounter only one type of facial erythema but rather a number of different shades of red. This review presents the clinical spectrum of facial erythemas and addresses the question of what lies beneath a red face by discussing the key clinical and histopathologic characteristics."

The "red face": Not always rosacea.
Clin Dermatol. 2017 Mar - Apr;35(2):201-206
Dessinioti C, Antoniou C