Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (675 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A cutaneous disorder primarily of convexities of the central part of the FACE, such as forehead; cheek; NOSE; and CHIN. It is characterized by flushing; erythema; edema; rhinophyma; papules; and ocular symptoms. It may occur at any age but typically after age 30. There are various subtypes of rosacea: erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous, and ocular (National Rosacea Society's Expert Committee on the Classification and Staging of Rosacea, J Am Acad Dermatol 2002; 46:584-7).
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Acne Rosacea; Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea; Rosacea, Erythematotelangiectatic; Papulopustular Rosacea; Rosacea, Papulopustular; Phymatous Rosacea; Rosacea, Phymatous; Ocular Rosacea.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Skin Diseases
- Narrower topics
- Rhinophyma
Related concepts
- Forehead
- Cheek
- Flushing
- Erythema
- Edema
- Rhinophyma
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 4,044 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Rosacea” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 996 of them (24.6%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 1,205 records.
Reviews account for 710 records (17.6%) and meta-analyses for 45. Randomized controlled trials number 198 (4.9%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,137 |
| 2000-2009 | 706 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,205 |
| 2020 onward | 996 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 710 | 17.6% |
| Meta-analyses | 45 | 1.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 198 | 4.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Rosacea"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in bones, joints, muscles and skin
Joint, bone, muscle and skin conditions are often judged by pain scores, function questionnaires, imaging or photographs, and symptoms can fluctuate, so placebo response and natural improvement matter. Imaging changes are common in people without symptoms. Nothing on this page is advice about treatment. Check how outcomes were measured, whether the comparison group received a placebo or usual care, and how long the benefit lasted.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent advances in understanding and managing rosacea | 2018 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 117 | cc by PMID 30631431 · DOI · PMC6281021 |
| Rosacea: Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Correlates | 2024 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 63 | cc by PMID 38450615 · DOI · PMC11015710 |
| Bioinformatics and Network Pharmacology Identify the Therapeutic Role and Potential Mechanism of Melatonin in AD and Rosacea | 2021 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 60 | cc by PMID 34899707 · DOI · PMC8657413 |
| Laser and energy-based devices for treating rosacea - a systematic review and network meta-analysis | 2026 | Systematic review Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41273013 · DOI · PMC12800891 |
Recent advances in understanding and managing rosacea [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease of the central facial skin and is of unknown origin.
- Closing excerpt
- Here, we aim to summarize the recent advances that preceded the new rosacea classification and address a symptom-based approach in the management of patients with rosacea.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (179 words)
Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease of the central facial skin and is of unknown origin. Currently, two classifications of rosacea exist that are based on either "preformed" clinical subtypes (erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous, and ocular) or patient-tailored analysis of the presented rosacea phenotype. Rosacea etiology and pathophysiology are poorly understood. However, recent findings indicate that genetic and environmental components can trigger rosacea initiation and aggravation by dysregulation of the innate and adaptive immune system. Trigger factors also lead to the release of various mediators such as keratinocytes (for example, cathelicidin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and endothelin-1), endothelial cells (nitric oxide), mast cells (cathelicidin and matrix metalloproteinases), macrophages (interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor, matrix metalloproteinases, and interleukin-26), and T helper type 1 (T H1) and T H17 cells. Additionally, trigger factors can directly communicate to the cutaneous nervous system and, by neurovascular and neuro-immune active neuropeptides, lead to the manifestation of rosacea lesions. Here, we aim to summarize the recent advances that preceded the new rosacea classification and address a symptom-based approach in the management of patients with rosacea.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30631431 · DOI · PMC6281021
Rosacea: Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Correlates [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory condition of which there is no cure.
- Closing excerpt
- Improving our molecular understanding of rosacea will guide the development of new therapies and the use of combination therapies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (101 words)
Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory condition of which there is no cure. The pathogenesis of rosacea is likely multifactorial, involving genetic and environmental contributions. Current understanding suggests that pro-inflammatory pathways involving cathelicidins and inflammasome complexes are central to rosacea pathogenesis. Common rosacea triggers modulate these pathways in a complex manner, which may contribute to the varying severity and clinical presentations of rosacea. Established and emerging rosacea treatments may owe their efficacy to their ability to target different players in these pro-inflammatory pathways. Improving our molecular understanding of rosacea will guide the development of new therapies and the use of combination therapies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38450615 · DOI · PMC11015710
Bioinformatics and Network Pharmacology Identify the Therapeutic Role and Potential Mechanism of Melatonin in AD and Rosacea [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Rosacea is significantly associated with dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- Closing excerpt
- In conclusion, this study contributes to common pathologies shared by rosacea and AD and identified MLT as an effective treatment strategy for rosacea and AD via regulating inflammation and angiogenesis.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (210 words)
Rosacea is significantly associated with dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the common underlying molecular mechanism connecting these two diseases remains limited. This study aimed to reveal the common molecular regulatory networks and identify the potential therapeutic drugs for rosacea and AD. There were 747 overlapped DEGs (ol-DEGs) that were detected in AD and rosacea, enriched in inflammation-, metabolism-, and apoptosis-related pathways. Using the TF regulatory network analysis, 37 common TFs and target genes were identified as hub genes. They were used to predict the therapeutic drugs for rosacea and AD using the DGIdb/CMap database. Among the 113 predicted drugs, melatonin (MLT) was co-associated with both RORA and IFN-γ in AD and rosacea. Subsequently, network pharmacology analysis identified 19 pharmacological targets of MLT and demonstrated that MLT could help in treating AD/rosacea partly by modulating inflammatory and vascular signaling pathways. Finally, we verified the therapeutic role and mechanism of MLT on rosacea in vivo and in vitro. We found that MLT treatment significantly improved rosacea-like skin lesion by reducing keratinocyte-mediated inflammatory cytokine secretion and repressing the migration of HUVEC cells. In conclusion, this study contributes to common pathologies shared by rosacea and AD and identified MLT as an effective treatment strategy for rosacea and AD via regulating inflammation and angiogenesis.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34899707 · DOI · PMC8657413
Laser and energy-based devices for treating rosacea - a systematic review and network meta-analysis [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Background and objectivesRosacea is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the central face.
- Closing excerpt
- AEs and discontinuation rates were comparable across treatments.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (185 words)
Background and objectivesRosacea is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the central face. While laser and energy-based devices (EBDs) are commonly used for managing vascular symptoms, comprehensive comparisons between systems are limited. This study aims to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of lasers and EBDs for rosacea through a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA).MethodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science, with additional searches for ongoing trials. Primary outcomes included patient satisfaction, improvements in erythema and telangiectasia, and long-term adverse events (AEs). Risk of bias (RoB) and publication bias were also assessed.Results25 RCTs were included for qualitative analysis, and subsets contributed to the NMAs. Most studies exhibited unclear or high risk of bias, with a slight publication bias observed. Radiofrequency microneedling was more effective than pulsed dye laser (PDL) in terms of patient satisfaction (MD -1.32; 95 % CI -1.89 to -0.76) and erythema (MD -1.44; 95 % CI -1.96 to -0.91). The combination of oxymetazoline and PDL appeared superior for telangiectasia (MD -0.58; 95 % CI -1.03 to -0.14). AEs and discontinuation rates were comparable across treatments.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41273013 · DOI · PMC12800891
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Standard classification and pathophysiology of rosacea: The 2017 update by the National Rosacea Society Expert Committee [5]
- Research article Incidence and prevalence of rosacea: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Rosacea: part I. Introduction, categorization, histology, pathogenesis, and risk factors [7]
- Research article Rosacea: New Concepts in Classification and Treatment [8]
- Research article Rosacea [9]
- Research article Updating the diagnosis, classification and assessment of rosacea: recommendations from the global ROSacea COnsensus (ROSCO) panel [10]
Full-text reviews on EvidenceLib
Open-access review articles about this topic, reproduced in full with authors, licence and references.
Lipid Alterations and Metabolism Disturbances in Selected Inflammatory Skin Diseases
Julia Nowowiejska, Anna Baran, Iwona Flisiak · International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023 · CC BY 4.0
References
- Buddenkotte J, Steinhoff M. Recent advances in understanding and managing rosacea. . 2018. PMID 30631431 · DOI · PMC6281021
- Geng RSQ, Bourkas AN, Mufti A, Sibbald RG. Rosacea: Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Correlates. . 2024. PMID 38450615 · DOI · PMC11015710
- Zhang H, Zhang Y, Li Y, Wang Y, Yan S, Xu S, et al.. Bioinformatics and Network Pharmacology Identify the Therapeutic Role and Potential Mechanism of Melatonin in AD and Rosacea. . 2021. PMID 34899707 · DOI · PMC8657413
- Nguyen L, Sorbe C, Seeber N, Schneider SW, Herberger K. Laser and energy-based devices for treating rosacea - a systematic review and network meta-analysis. . 2026. PMID 41273013 · DOI · PMC12800891
- Gallo RL, Granstein RD, Kang S, Mannis M, Steinhoff M, Tan J, et al.. Standard classification and pathophysiology of rosacea: The 2017 update by the National Rosacea Society Expert Committee. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018. PMID 29089180 · DOI
- Gether L, Overgaard LK, Egeberg A, Thyssen JP. Incidence and prevalence of rosacea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Dermatol. 2018. PMID 29478264 · DOI
- Two AM, Wu W, Gallo RL, Hata TR. Rosacea: part I. Introduction, categorization, histology, pathogenesis, and risk factors. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2015. PMID 25890455 · DOI
- van Zuuren EJ, Arents BWM, van der Linden MMD, Vermeulen S, Fedorowicz Z, Tan J. Rosacea: New Concepts in Classification and Treatment. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2021. PMID 33759078 · DOI · PMC8200341
- van Zuuren EJ. Rosacea. N Engl J Med. 2017. PMID 29091565 · DOI
- Tan J, Almeida LM, Bewley A, Cribier B, Dlova NC, Gallo R, et al.. Updating the diagnosis, classification and assessment of rosacea: recommendations from the global ROSacea COnsensus (ROSCO) panel. Br J Dermatol. 2017. PMID 27718519 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.