The rate of rosacea misdiagnoses among people with darker skin

On Behalf of | May 28, 2021 | Failure To Diagnose

People in New Mexico can find themselves dealing with a wide range of potential ailments. One problematic condition is rosacea, which causes pain and discomfort. Unfortunately, it’s also something that many medical professionals misdiagnose. Here’s a closer look at rosacea and why it’s so often misdiagnosed.

What is rosacea?

The exact cause of rosacea is unknown. However, medical experts define this ailment as something that typically causes redness of the skin. Rosacea can also cause someone to experience feelings of warmth and a tingling sensation on the skin, typically around the nose and cheeks.

Rosacea usually affects a higher number of women than men. However, men living with rosacea often experience more severe symptoms than women. If you’re living with rosacea, try to avoid heat, excessive alcohol consumption and spicy foods. All of these factors can worsen the symptoms of rosacea.

Why are rosacea misdiagnoses common for people with darker skin?

Rosacea causes your blood vessels to dilate, which often causes redness of the skin. Unfortunately, this redness isn’t as easy to detect on people with darker skin. Considering that, people with darker skin who have rosacea often deal with failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis.

If a rosacea misdiagnosis occurs while a patient is living with severe symptoms of this condition, it can cause a slew of other ailments. For these patients, there are often higher risks of them developing hyperpigmentation or changes to the texture of their skin.

If you were recently misdiagnosed, you could be a victim of medical malpractice. For help resolving this matter, consider speaking with a medical malpractice lawyer.

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