Rosacea: Treatments

How is rosacea treated?

There is no known cure for rosacea. As part of your treatment plan, your health care provider will help you identify potential triggers for rosacea in order to reduce flare-ups. Your health care provider may ask you to maintain a symptom diary to pinpoint your triggers and determine a pattern for your rosacea outbreaks.

Rosacea flare-ups can be treated with antibiotics and, in severe cases, surgery.

If you are experiencing ocular rosacea, your health care provider may prescribe an eye medicine and suggest that you wash your eyelids several times a day.

Oral antibiotics for rosacea treatment

Oral antibiotics for rosacea are taken by mouth. The course of treatment generally lasts as long as it takes for the rosacea symptoms to lessen. Oral antibiotics for rosacea include:

• Doxycycline (Monodox)
• Minocycline (Minocin, Dynacin)
• Tetracycline

Topical treatments for rosacea

Topical treatments for rosacea are applied directly to the skin and best on minor flare-ups. Topical treatments for rosacea include:

• Isotretinoin (Accutane)
• Metronidazole (Metrocream, Metrogel)
• Vitamin A

Surgical rosacea treatment

Surgery is generally reserved for very severe cases of rosacea. The surgery can be used to reduce redness, remove damaged skin, or destroy damaged tissue with electricity. Surgical options for rosacea include:

• Dermabrasion
• Electrocautery
• Laser surgery

What you can do to improve your rosacea

In addition to reducing your exposure to rosacea triggers, you can also prevent or limit rosacea outbreaks by:

• Avoiding over-the-counter treatments that may contain ingredients that will make the rosacea worse
• Following the rosacea skincare plan given to you by your health care provider
• Seeking treatment promptly as untreated rosacea can worsen

What are the potential complications of rosacea?

Rosacea is not a life-threatening disease, but it is not curable. However, rosacea can be controlled with treatment and lifestyle changes that reduce disease triggers. Complications of untreated rosacea can be serious. When skin is irritated and inflamed, you may develop secondary bacterial infections, which have the potential to spread. You can help minimize your risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of rosacea include:

• Scarring or disfigurement
• Secondary bacterial skin infections
• Skin ulceration

References:

Rosacea. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_rosacea.html. Accessed April 26, 2011.

Rosacea. PubMed Health. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001882/. Accessed April 26, 2011.