Shortly after Carol Smillie hit 40, she developed white-heads on certain areas of her face, which looked rather like a rash. She believed they were linked to her menstrual cycle, and at first, she simply tried to camouflage the spots using make-up. They didn’t disappear of their own accord, however, and became raised, lumpy and painful.
The actress and presenter have since been quoted as saying that one of the aspects of the condition most difficult to deal with was people’s reaction to her skin. Apparently, people would enquire about her ‘rash’ or even deduce from the redness of her skin that she was prone to excessive drinking.
Rosacea can have a serious impact on people’s confidence, for precisely these reasons. People do not always know much about the condition and may fail to recognise it. It is, however, important to address the situation as early on as possible.
While the spots can be bad enough, some severe forms of rosacea can cause the irreversible swelling of the nose and cheeks, drastically changing someone’s appearance. Rosacea treatment varies, with laser treatment being effective for those who suffer particularly from the reddening of the skin, as it targets and denatures the blood vessels that cause excessive colouring.
