Rosacea

Request an Appointment
Print

Overview

Rosacea (roe-ZAY-she-uh) is a common skin condition that causes flushing or long-term redness on your face. It also may cause enlarged blood vessels and small, pus-filled bumps. Some symptoms may flare for weeks to months and then go away for a while.

Rosacea can be mistaken for acne, dermatitis or other skin problems.

There's no cure for rosacea. But you may be able to control it with medicine, gentle skin care and avoiding things that cause flare-ups.

Products & Services

Symptoms

Symptoms of rosacea include:

  • Facial redness and flushing. Rosacea can make your face flush more easily. Over time, you may notice that your face stays red. Depending on skin color, redness may be subtle or look more pink or purple.
  • Visible veins. Small blood vessels of the nose and cheeks break and become larger. These are also called spider veins. They may be subtle and hard to see, depending on skin color.
  • Swollen bumps. Many people with rosacea develop pimples on the face that look like acne. These bumps sometimes contain pus. They also may appear on the chest and back.
  • Burning sensation. The skin of the affected area may feel hot and tender.
  • Eye problems. Many people with rosacea also have dry, irritated, swollen eyes and eyelids. This is known as ocular rosacea. Eye symptoms may show up before, after or at the same time as skin symptoms.
  • Enlarged nose. Over time, rosacea can thicken the skin on the nose, causing the nose to look bigger. This condition also is called rhinophyma. It occurs more often in men than in women.

When to see a doctor

If you have ongoing symptoms of the face or eyes, see a healthcare professional for a diagnosis and treatment. Skin specialists also are called dermatologists.

Request an appointment

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Causes

The cause of rosacea is not known. It could be due to genetics, an overactive immune system or things in your daily life. Rosacea is not caused by poor hygiene, and you can't catch it from other people.

Flare-ups might be brought on by:

  • Sun or wind.
  • Hot drinks.
  • Spicy foods.
  • Alcohol.
  • Very hot and cold temperatures.
  • Emotional stress.
  • Exercise.
  • Drugs that dilate blood vessels, including some blood pressure medicines.
  • Some cosmetic, skin and hair care products.

Risk factors

Anyone can develop rosacea. But you may be more likely to develop it if you:

  • Have skin that burns easily in the sun.
  • Are between the ages of 30 to 50 years.
  • Have a history of smoking.
  • Have a family member with rosacea.

By Mayo Clinic Staff
Request an appointment
Diagnosis & treatment
Oct. 17, 2023
Print
  1. Kang S, et al., eds. Rosacea. In: Fitzpatrick's Dermatology. 9th ed. McGraw Hill; 2019. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed June 13, 2019.
  2. Soutor C, et al., eds. Acne, rosacea, and related disorders. In Clinical Dermatology: Diagnosis and Management of Common Disorders. 2nd ed. McGraw Hill; 2022. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed May 22, 2023.
  3. Maier LE. Rosacea: Pathogenesis, clinical features and diagnosis. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed May 22, 2023.
  4. Maier LE. Management of rosacea. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed May 22, 2023.
  5. AskMayoExpert. Rosacea. Mayo Clinic; 2023.
  6. Link J (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. July 10, 2023.
  7. Feaster B, et al. Clinical effectiveness of novel rosacea therapies. Current Opinion in Pharmacology. 2019; doi:10.1016/j.coph.2018.12.001.
  8. Soolantra (prescribing information). Galderma Laboratories. 2018. https://www.galderma.com/us/sites/g/files/jcdfhc341/files/2019-01/Soolantra_Cream_PI.pdf. Accessed May 22, 2023.
  9. Ferri FF. Rosacea. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2023. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed June 28, 2023.
  10. Briggs JK. Facial skin problems. In: Triage Protocols for Aging Adults. Wolters Kluwer; 2019.
  11. Yousef AB, et al. Assessment of frequency of rosacea subtypes in patients with rosacea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatology. 2022; doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2022.0526.
  12. Sunscreen FAQs. American Academy of Dermatology. https://222.add.org/media/stats-sunscren. Accessed Jan. 30, 2023.
  13. AskMayoExpert. Sunburn. Mayo Clinic; 2022.
  14. Sullivan NA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. May 3, 2023.
  15. Rosacea resource center. American Academy of Dermatology. aad.org/public/diseases/rosacea. Accessed May 22, 2023.
  16. Kelly AP, et al., eds. Laser treatment. In: Taylor and Kelly's Dermatology for Skin of Color. 2nd ed. McGraw Hill; 2016. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed May 22, 2023.

Related

Products & Services

Rosacea