You may not be familiar with the name of the condition, but you probably know one of the most famous examples of rosacea — W.C. Fields. The bulbous, reddened nose is a symptom of advanced rosacea known as rhinophyma. This symptom usually occurs only in men, but rosacea itself is far more common in women. President Clinton also has rosacea, though not as severe a case as W.C. Fields.
Rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition that affects the face, causing redness, pimples (with or without pus), enlarged blood vessels that look like red lines and sometimes the bumps on the nose that cause the swollen, bulbous look.
Rosacea typically occurs in people aged 30 to 50. It is more prevalent in fair-skinned people whose skin tends to flush and blush easily.
There is no known cure for rosacea, but it can be treated and controlled with a combination of medications, skin hygiene techniques and lifestyle changes. Antibiotics are used to treat rosacea, but not because it is an infection. Antibiotics are believed to help because they have anti-inflammatory properties.