text: Treatment Options\n \nRosacea \nHow is it treated?\n\n\nWhile rosacea currently has no cure, various treatments are available that can help control it. Treatment may also keep it from progressing. Since the symptoms of rosacea usually vary not only from individual to individual, but also from time to time for any one patient, the choice of treatment will depend on the subtype and severity of rosacea, as well as on the patient’s emotional and physical impairment. Some rosacea treatment options include topical antibiotics, other topical preparations, oral antibiotics, laser therapy, and plastic surgery. \n\nThe main goals of rosacea treatment are to control the flare-up, prevent or decrease progression, and improve the appearance of the skin. Unfortunately, several weeks or months of treatment may be needed before improvement is apparent. In fact, topical treatments may even worsen facial redness at first. Most often, laser therapy is used to eliminate tiny widened blood vessels under the skin, and surgery removes thickened skin (most commonly from the nose). Laser and surgical treatments usually result in bruising and/or swelling that may take several days to disappear. \n\nDrug Treatment \n\nGenerally, a rosacea flare-up is treated with a combination of prescription drugs. A topical product (an antibiotic and/or another type of drug) may be applied to the affected areas and oral antibiotics may be taken, as well. Both topical and oral medications are used to reduce inflammation and/or control micro-organisms that may be involved with the flare-up. Once the flare-up is under control, oral antibiotics usually are discontinued. Topical products are often used continuously, however, to help maintain remission and prevent recurrence. \n\nTopical Preparations \n\nThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three topical products — metronidazole, azaleic acid, and sodium sulfacetamide and sulfur — for treating rosacea. Topical preparations, which may come in a variety of forms that include creams, gels, ointments, and solutions, are applied directly to affected areas of the face. While topical antibiotics are widely used to treat rosacea, their effectiveness may be due more to anti-inflammatory or antioxidant properties than to antibiotic activity. A cream or gel form of metronidazole is the topical antibiotic most often used for rosacea. Other topical antibiotics that may be used to treat the condition include clindamycin and erythromycin. \n\nTopical tretinoin, a vitamin A derivative that is not an antibiotic, sometimes is used to reduce rosacea papules and pustules. Benzoyl peroxide, commonly used in both prescription and over-the-counter products to treat teen acne, may also treat rosacea eruptions. Not only antibacterial, benzoyl peroxide also promotes exfoliation (also called desquamation) — it causes dead skin cells to fall off. It may cause stinging and worsen redness for some patients, however. In fact, most topical medications cause dryness, which may make skin look and feel more irritated — especially when therapy is begun. Gently applying small amounts of the topical preparation only twice a day, avoiding sunlight, and applying a water-based moisturizer can help reduce irritation. \n\nOral Antibiotics \n\nShort treatments (a few days or weeks) of an oral antibiotic, such as azithromycin, clarithromycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, minocycline, or tetracycline, may be given to control a flare-up. Frequently, these drugs are also used to treat teen acne. Due to possible side effects, longer-term oral antibiotics usually are reserved for rosacea patients with more severe forms of the condition or for those with eye-related symptoms. Typically, oral antibiotics are more effective than topical antibiotics in clearing papules and pustules. \n\nOccasionally other types of oral drugs may be used to treat rosacea. For example, isotretinoin, which is used mainly for teen acne, may help clear rosacea papules an