The American Acne & Rosacea Society’s Recommendations on the Management of Rosacea


The American Acne & Rosacea Society (AARS) has published a major 5-part series of guidelines on the management of rosacea. AARS's guidelines, which you can see in full here, are mainly aimed at doctors, but contain a number of useful insights for people who suffer with rosacea.

The series is based on review data from 58 randomized controlled trials into treatments for rosacea, comprising a total of 6,633 participants. The study’s authors concluded from their research that there is a significant need for further scientific investigation into rosacea treatments, but that there is evidence to support the effectiveness of a number of treatments in managing the symptoms of at least the most common forms of rosacea. The authors also argued that the evidence supports a rosacea treatment strategy that begins with anti-inflammatory topical treatments (that is, creams and ointments applied to the affected area intended to reduce or manage the skin rash associated with rosacea) and progresses to the use of oral antibiotic therapies (that is, antibiotic medicines taken by swallowing, such as pills) only in those cases where such topical treatments have failed to illicit good results.

The authors also noted that “proper skin care and photoprotection [ie taking care to limit or control sun exposure] are important components of the management plan” for any case of rosacea, and that treatment should be tailored to the “signs and symptoms” actually exhibited by each individual patient. They also noted that for cases that prove resistant to both local creams and antibiotic treatments, two other therapies may prove effective: intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment and pulsed dry laser treatment.

Finally, the authors noted that both current thinking about rosacea treatment and the focus of rosacea research to date has been on the management of rosacea flare-ups, at the expense of considerations of how to manage to condition long-term. As they highlight, this means that such long-term management at present relies on “the clinical judgement” of a patient’s doctor and the willingness of the patient to adhere to courses of treatment recommended by their doctor.

Image courtesy of Galderma (UK) Ltd.

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Last revised: 13 April 2016
Next review: 13 April 2019