The great majority of rosacea patients have experienced persistent facial redness, and most of them report it is the most frequently bothersome sign they face, according to a recent NRS survey on rosacea redness sponsored by EPI Health. Furthermore, two-thirds reported experiencing flare-ups more than once a week.

Research and clinical experience show that targeting the persistent redness (erythema) of rosacea, in combination with treating all signs and symptoms individually, may not only clear its appearance but also lessen the severity of the disease itself, according to Dr. Julie Harper, president and owner of the Dermatology and Skin Care Center of Birmingham.

“We’re on the cusp of really changing how we treat rosacea,” Dr. Harper said.

New recommendations urging dermatologists to place greater emphasis on persistent redness in rosacea were recently published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. Titled “Update on Facial Erythema in Rosacea,” the article was based on a recent NRS roundtable to discuss this key aspect of the disorder in light of its recently updated standard classification system and standard management options, new burden-of-illness study results, and significant advances in medical therapy and patient care.

New developments in rosacea call for dermatologists to place greater emphasis on addressing persistent facial redness (erythema), according to experts at a recent National Rosacea Society (NRS) roundtable to provide an update on this key aspect of the disorder. The roundtable participants discussed the new standard classification system,¹ recent burden-of-illness study results, new standard management options and significant advances in medical therapy and patient care.

The National Rosacea Society has introduced an innovative public service booklet called “Recognizing Redness” to help rosacea sufferers assess facial redness, the primary diagnostic feature of this chronic facial skin disorder that affects more than 16 million Americans. The booklet includes a redness register to allow patients to gauge relative redness before and after flare-ups or treatment.

Physicians and researchers may soon have a new computer-based process to help objectively assess the redness of subtype 1 (erythematotelangiectatic) rosacea, according to a recent report by researchers from the University of California-Davis.

Right now, the redness of rosacea is typically assessed visually by dermatologists using various scales to evaluate severity, such as the Clinician’s Erythema Assessment, a standard scale that has been demonstrated to be reliable in determining agreement among visual evaluations. Current assessments may also be assisted by photography.

New medical research into the process of facial flushing and redness has found that individuals with rosacea produce greater nerve, blood flow and sweating responses than people without the disorder when exposed to increased heat or stress.  Results of the National Rosacea Society-funded study also uncovered a role for the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the “fight or flight” response and other key involuntary functions such as heart rate, digestion, breathing and perspiration.

Q. Does each flare-up increase my chances of permanent facial redness?