It started as a small patch of tiny red bumps on her face, near her nose. She used a non-prescription hydrocortisone ointment and the spots faded for a few days, but they returned with vengeance, sweeping across her chin to the other side of her face and up to her forehead. Frustrated with the spots, she consulted her doctor.

Rosacea, the doctor said.

"Rosacea (ro-zay-sha) shouldn't be taken lightly. It can be very disfiguring and affect a person's self-esteem," says Dr. Mary Stone, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and staff physician at UI Hospitals and Clinics. "Many people misinterpret the symptoms of rosacea as sunburn or acne and don't seek treatment. Rosacea appears in the central part of the face, causing redness and pimples. Unlike acne, there are no blackheads, and it doesn't occur on the neck or back. The spots look like red pimples and wax and wane with stress, exposure to heat, cold, and sunlight.

Fair-skinned women ages 30 to 50 are most susceptible to rosacea, but men and women of all skin types, especially those with a history of easy blushing, can develop the disease. Men are more likely to develop knobby bumps on the nose, called rhinophyma. Rhinophyma requires surgery to remove the affected tissue and resculpt the nose. Other symptoms of rosacea--the bumps and redness--can be treated with relatively inexpensive topical or oral medications.

Treatment doesn't cure rosacea, says Stone, but it can ease the symptoms.

"Like acne, the inflammation of rosacea comes and goes, and we don't know why some people get it and others don't," Stone says. Treatment of rosacea can help control the severity of the disease. Untreated, rosacea can lead to a condition where small blood vessels in the skin of the face become enlarged and look like thin red lines.

W.C. Fields is probably the most well-known person to have had rosacea. "People associated his fondness for alcohol with the large nose and the red skin. This association of alcohol and rosacea is unfortunate. One can have rosacea without drinking alcohol, although alcohol can aggravate the condition," says Stone. "Other things that can aggravate the condition include spicy foods, hot liquids, exposure to sunlight, and stress."

If you have questions about rosacea or other skin condition, talk to your doctor.