Objectives:

Rosacea is a common recurrent and inflammatory dermatosis characterized by transient or persistent central facial erythema, visible blood vessels, papules and pustules. Though the cause of rosacea remains unknown, several factors are implicated in the pathogenesis. It is wellknown that rosacea patients are more susceptible to irritants, but little is known about allergy. The aim of our study was to find out if contact allergy plays a role in the pathogenesis of rosacea.

Methods:

Twenty-five patients, aged between 23-77 years with rosacea of the face were enrolled to our study. The control group consisted of 20 healthy individuals with matching ages and socioeconomic status. The patient and the control groups were patch tested with European Standard Series and Cosmetic Series. Patch tests were read after 2, 4 and 7 days.

Results:

Eight (32%) patients showed positive reactions to 1 or more allergens in the European Standard Series and 8 (32%) patients to 1 or more allergens in the cosmetic series. Eight (32%) individuals in the control group showed positive reactions to 1 or more allergens in the European Standard Series. None of the individuals in the control group showed positive reaction to any of the allergens in the cosmetic series.

Conclusion:

In our study contact allergy in rosacea was found to be more frequent than normal population. Contact allergy might play a role in the pathogenesis of rosacea. Further enlarged studies are needed to assess the relation between rosacea and contact allergy.

Keywords: Rosacea, contact allergy, patch test