the patient should be followed-up if the condition deteriorates despite lifestyle changes or drug treatment (1)
patient should be reviewed every 2-3 months
if treatment effective, it may be stopped
patient should be advised that their rosacea may relapse, and the same treatment may need to be started again. following options are available:
maintenance treatment:
continuous (e.g. a reduced dose of oral treatment for 2-6 months followed by a 'drug holiday')
intermittent (e.g. using a topical treatment on alternate days or twice a week)
'stepping down' from oral to topical treatment
if treatment has been unsatisfactory:
for people receiving topical treatment, consider switching to an alternative topical treatment, or prescribing an oral antibiotic
for people receiving an oral antibiotic, consider adding a topical treatment, or seek specialist advice. An alternative oral antibiotic is unlikely to be of benefit (1)
the aim of treatment is to suppress rosacea completely
once the rosacea has been successfully treated then treatment can be slowly withdrawn over several months - antibiotic treatment should not be suddenly stopped as this can cause a recurrence of the rosacea
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