What Treatments Are Available to Control My Rosacea?

Rosacea is a common, chronic skin disorder that can present with a variety of cutaneous manifestations. Some people simply have rosy cheeks while others have pizza face acne-like pustules. Rosacea primarily affects the central face, but can be seen throughout the entire face. Characteristics of rosacea include persistent facial redness, inflammatory papules, pustules, flushing, telangiectasia, and phymatous skin changes (eg, rhinophyma, a lumpy beefy nose).

While there is no cure for rosacea at this time, there are ways you can improve its appearance and take control of your skin! Here at ZENA Medical, we offer a multipronged approach to fight rosacea from all angles. We combine topical, prescription and laser therapy to combat the multi-faceted nature of rosacea.

Topical Therapy

The gold standard for treating rosacea is wearing sunscreen! The sun and heat can cause rosacea to flare and wearing sunscreen and avoiding the sun is paramount to decreasing the occurrence of rosacea. Patients with mild to moderate rosacea can be managed with topical therapies such as metronidazole, azelaic acid, topical ivermectin, or sulfacetamide-sulfur. In addition, avoiding irritation topicals like retin-A, can help decrease inflammation and irritation which perpetuates rosacea.

Prescription Therapy

Oral prescription medications can also help treat resistant rosacea. Tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline have been used for many years for the management of rosacea. These agents are most useful for improving inflammatory papules and pustules, and may also reduce erythema. Oral medications are used when topical or laser treatments are ineffective.