Rosacia

I just found out I have rosacia. I discovered red ness on both my cheeks which I ahd earlier thought to be dry skin. After about two years- i showed the Doctor and he said it looked like rosacia. So far I am using a topical application gel, with results. Please can someone explain how this came about in the first place. And, what causes it.

I constantly have an itchiness and red around my nose, eyes, cheeks and chin. I always thought it was bad acne. I recently had the worst outbreak I have ever come across. My face was bright red all over, it itched like crazy, and unfortunatley no moisturizers or vitamin E did anything for me. I blamed it on constant stress and 50 hours a week of working in hot, greasy kitchens. My friend told me it was rosacia and to look up symptoms on the computer. To me it looks like noone knows what the hell is making me so ugly.

Acne rosacea; acne erythematosa; vascular and follicular dilation involving the nose and contiguous portions of cheeks: may vary from very mild but persistent erytherma to extensive hyperplasia of the sebaceous glands with deep-seated papules and pustules of the affected erythematous sites.

My eye doctor told me I have Rosacia. He Rx me with
tetracycline 250mg caps, 1 per day (antibiotic) also
I must bathe my eyes with a washcloth soaked in very hot water for a few minutes each AM and then, with a
Q-tip and a liquid called »Ocusoft« scrub the lids.
It must be working because I am not tear-ing as
much and the red is less but he says I will have to keep on doing it for-ever or it will come back...

I hear you, I also drink caffiene and smoke and have flare ups near my cycle the med's make my face clear up a little but I hate the light sensitivity I get with it.