Rosacea has been difficult to study because of the multiple skin layers affected, the endless chronic inflammatory events, the number/density/distribution/angles of blood vessels --and-- the need for deep dermal biopsies to determine exactly what's going on (but this is not an option for most patients because it leaves scars).

That is one of the reasons we've been kept in the dark ages for such a long time.

That may change very soon AND change at warp speed. My contacts at Stanford University School of Medicine are testing out new equipment that can take all the measurements needed for rosacea analysis without a single incision and put together a perfect 3-D image of the rosacea beast (e.g. its underlying pathology) onto an HDTV computer screen and then remove each layer centimeter by centimeter to examine exactly what is happening at every cell layer. How freakin' cool.

Better yet, it is a handheld device that can be used by almost any physician and can scan, record a layer of images together to see exactly what is going on instead of groping in the dark.

This is the baby that Stanford engineering made specifically for dermatologic conditions and inflammatory joint disorders. Awesome stuff. This is not future mumbo jumbo. It's finito and out in the field being tested as we speak. It has a hundred possible applications including pre-imaging all the blood vessels in rosacea skin to determine number, density, size, wall thickness, angles, thermoregulatory shunts and key points of attack that could make laser treatment exponentially better.... to the extent that two to three treatments would induce complete remission for years/decades.... it is a real possibility with the right information.

Three-dimensional in vivo imaging by a handheld dual-axes confocal microscope

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Best,
Geoffrey

Dr. Geoffrey Nase
Ph.D: Neuro-Vascular Physiologist

Email: drnase1000@hotmail.com
Bibliography: http://drnase.com

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Awesome!!!

This is indeed great news. It looks like Confocal microscopy is as effective as looking at a cadaver. One is able to take a snapshot of each tissue layer and then analyze all the variables. That should help researchers pinpoint the exact underlying problems?

Can all physicians afford this equipment or will it be kept at research facilities?

Any timetables on when it will be available to the public?

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Doug

SO maybe a combination or this new technology, lasers and g-protein topicals could possibly put rosacea out of commission???

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Doug