Hi Skin Geeks, My mock finals are in a week with my finals shortly after. I've got my head in my notes but can't seem to differentiate between identifying couperose and rosacea.

They both seem to be incredibly similar in appearance, although rosacea is apparently not curable.

I have got my college notes and a couple of text books plus have looked at deffinitions and images on the web. My difficulty is actually differentiating
between the two. Any suggestions please?

When you see skin with Rosacea you will instantly know that it is more irritated looking than couperose skin.

Couperous skin basically means skin that is red in colour. It will be a skin with widespread broken capillaries, high colored and may feel tight and irritated. Imagine a british farmer who has been exposed to the elements all his life or someone who has fair skin and lives in a cold climate.

Skin with Rosacea can be couperose, this is why you are finding them similar, but it also has lumps and bumps and looks more like an acne skin (but the redness will be not just where the lumps are it will be more wide spread) this is why it was in the past called "acne rosacea" which is no longer the correct term for it as it was misleading. It can form over the cheeks and nose in a butterfly pattern. It is easily irritated and can become more enflamed with an acidic or spice laden diet or with the consumption of alcohol.

Hope this is of some help!

Oh Weezie, you are a hunnie ! Now why couldn't my tutor explain it to me like that and I have asked her a few times! The text books don't describe it this way either and your description has really helped.

I am going to print this off and paste it in my notes . Thank you, lol xx

You're welcome, I actually learnt more by seeing both skins on clients and also rosacea on an acquaintance than I did at college.

Very well explained
x