In a recent National Rosacea Society survey of more than 1,022 rosacea sufferers on compliance with medical therapy, 74 percent said their condition worsened if they failed to take their medication as directed by their physicians.

More than half of the respondents said a flare-up eventually occurred if they did not use medication as prescribed, and 28 percent said their symptoms became more severe. Only 4 percent said their symptoms stayed under control without proper use of medical therapy.

Rosacea sufferers who follow their doctor's orders regarding medical therapy and also make appropriate lifestyle modifications achieve a high rate of success in controlling their condition, according to a recent survey of Rosacea Review readers.

In the survey of 520 rosacea patients, 51 percent were under treatment with topical therapy alone and 34 percent were using a combination of both oral and topical antibiotics. Only 11 percent had been prescribed oral antibiotic tablets alone.

By Dr. Arthur J. Sober,
Associate Professor of Dermatology,
Harvard Medical School

Rosacea might be called the disease of the '90s because, as awareness has increased, its frequency has been found to be much higher than once believed. Fortunately, significant progress has been made in learning about its characteristics and developing effective treatment options.