Upper cheek redness/bulge

I'm a 25 year old male and I have been landscaping for about 3 years.  I was pretty careless for half of that time, not protecting my skin and being exposed to the hot Texas sun.  The past year I've noticed my upper cheeks, malars I believe they're called, to be a little swollen and red.  This is pretty constant and especially noticeable when light shines from the side of my face.

I wear contacts, and I notice when I wake up in the morning without having them in the redness is quite less.  I believe the "puffiness" remains throughout the day.  I've done some research and think it could either be loss of fat under the eye which make the bulge appear more, or maybe an early onset of a 'malar mound.'  I'm just also curious about the redness and whether or not it could be allergies within the area that I live or the result of my contacts.  Well, I guess in short I'm wondering if it's aging, the result of sun damage, or some things I could do differently.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be due to sun exposure, rosacea or poikiloderma of Civette( although effects neck mostly). Rosacea is a cutaneous disorder primarily of the central part of the face , such as forehead; cheeks ;nose; and chin. My sincere advice is to get the diagnosis confirmed from a dermatologist.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.