Health Online

National Rosacea Society

rosacea.org

Background: This nonprofit group is committed to telling the world about rosacea, the often painless but always annoying rosy patches that commonly break out on people’s noses, cheeks and foreheads. The Web site functions as an online community and library for sufferers and their doctors.

What works: The site takes a mystifying condition--few people study rosacea (pronounced roh-ZAY-sha); no one knows why it develops--and hits it from every possible angle. The society does its own surveys, on the heritability of the condition and possible ethnic risk factors. About 40% of sufferers report having a relative with the red patches, for example, and about a third of them have some Irish ancestry. The facial redness usually has nothing to do with drink: Triggers include heat, cold and a wide range of foods. Lifestyle modifications are often the best treatment. Perhaps the only thing the site lacks is color: It could benefit from adding stories from those with rosacea.