Response from Accutane may take longer for Rosacea

Bryan K. Chen, MD answers: Is Accutane making my rosacea worse?

I have been using Accutane (10mg/day) for 5 weeks for severe rosacea - nose swelling, flushing, bumps.  The swelling and redness recently got worse, instead of better. Is this normal? Should I stick with Accutane, or could it be making my symptoms worse? 

I had very mild rosacea flushing until around a year ago. Then a few months ago the bumps on the top of my nose appeared. Several months before, bulbous appearance became more common. I took antibiotics for 2 months before starting on a low dose of Accutane. Any insight will be appreciated. Thank you.


Bryan K. Chen, MD
9 months ago

Accutane can be quite effective for rosacea, but it frequently takes longer to see a response as compared to Accutane for acne.  It is relatively common for flares of either condition to occur while on Accutane (about 1/3 of patients) so to answer your question, although it is not "normal," we do see it.  The flares generally last 4-6 weeks.  It is likely that if you continue accutane at the current dose, you will see your rosacea improving within a few days to weeks.  My suggestion would be to decrease the frequency of dosing to 3 times weekly or discontinue the medication all together until the flare subsides (approx 2 weeks), then re-start accutane 3 times a week (Mon,Wed,Fri).  Injections of cortisone into the large rosacea bumps can also be very beneficial.

Good luck.

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