Various treatments can reduce redness and other symptoms, improving your skin’s appearance and reducing the frequency of flares.
Once your doctor makes a definitive diagnosis, you’ll work together to determine the best treatment plan for your skin. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Your doctor may prescribe a medication, monitor your skin for improvement, and then recommend a different medication if the one you’re currently taking doesn’t work.
Medication Options
Topical Gels and Creams Your doctor may first prescribe a topical antibiotic or anti-inflammatory cream or gel. Topical antibiotics are common first-line treatments to reduce pink bumps, whereas a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory can reduce skin irritation that leads to redness and acneiform lesions, notes Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Los Angeles.
Or you may receive a topical cream designed to constrict the blood vessels in your face. This helps reduce blood flow, and subsequently lessens flushing and redness.
Along with medication to constrict your blood vessels, your doctor may prescribe a drug to kill bacteria on your skin, which can improve rosacea pimples and acne, along with redness and other skin irritation. Results aren’t immediate; it can take up to three to six weeks to see improvement.
Your doctor may also prescribe a topical medication against the demodex mite called ivermectin (Soolantra), which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for certain types of rosacea. It also is used for its potent anti-inflammatory properties.
Oral Medication
If creams and gels don’t work, the next line of defense is an oral antibiotic. These drugs fight inflammation and eliminate bacteria to improve redness, bumps, and eye symptoms.
Another option is a powerful oral acne medication called isotretinoin (Accutane). It can clear up acne, redness, and swelling. This drug can cause serious birth defects, so your doctor will only prescribe isotretinoin when antibiotics don’t work and you’re not pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
Nonmedical Therapies
Light Therapy If oral medication and creams don’t improve skin, talk to your doctor about laser or light therapy. This type of therapy can reduce the size of blood vessels in your face and remove excess skin around your nose.
Although light therapy can improve skin, new blood vessels may reappear and skin thickening may return, requiring additional treatments.
Eye Drops If you have ocular rosacea, your doctor can prescribe eye drops to reduce inflammation, redness, light sensitivity, and other symptoms. Additionally, applying a warm compress over your eyes and gently cleansing your eyelids with baby shampoo can reduce symptoms.
Alternative and Complementary Therapies
A rosacea treatment plan doesn’t only include medication. Changing your habits to avoid certain triggers may also improve your skin.
Starting a rosacea diary is one of the first steps to pinpointing your triggers. Keep track of days when symptoms appear or worsen, and then write down everything that happened on this day. What did you eat? What type of activity did you perform (such as exercise or working in the garden)? Were you exposed to cold or hot temperatures?
Also, make a note of your emotional state during this time. Were you under a lot of stress or anxiety? This type of diary can help narrow down the underlying cause of your flares.
