1. Medicate to Eradicate
If you are experiencing mild swelling due to rosacea, it may be successfully treated and kept in remission with oral or topical antibiotics. For ocular rosacea (which affects the eyes and whose symptoms include swelling), your doctor may prescribe oral tetracycline or doxycycline. Rhinophyma (enlargement of the nose or cheeks due to rosacea) may be controlled in its early stages by antibiotics. This is not recommended if you are pregnant, so be sure to tell your doctor if you are.
2. A Little Lightsaber Goes a Long Way
To remove disfiguring swelling, your doctor may recommend laser ablation surgery. This type of surgery uses an intensely focused light beam to remove unwanted tissue. Because laser surgery sterilizes and seals the tissue as it cuts, resulting in less bleeding, less pain and a shorter recovery, it has benefits over other types of surgery. However, because rosacea is a chronic condition and any surgery is considered an invasive treatment, your doctor cannot promise complete success in restoring your previous appearance.
3. The Big Freeze
One option for removing hypertrophic (increased mass) skin tissue due to rosacea is cryosurgery, or cryotherapy. With this treatment, liquid nitrogen is applied directly to the skin. This freezes excess tissue which is then removed. A local anesthetic is usually used and the sessions may need to be repeated.
4. Shockingly Good
Electrosurgery is another surgical means of getting rid of swollen tissue due to rosacea. In this procedure the tissue is burned away with a metal instrument carrying an electric current. A local anesthetic is used before the procedure and topical antibiotics are applied afterwards. This surgery may be repeated a few times, and sometimes it is used in conjunction with cryosurgery.
5. Get it Early
To help minimize your rosacea symptoms of rhinophymata, your doctor may prescribe isotretinoin. Normally used to treat severe acne by inhibiting oil production in facial skin tissue, this medication has had some success in treating rhinophymata, in its early stages. Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret are some of the known brand names of isotretinoin. Keep in mind that this is not a safe treatment to use when pregnant, and having surgery within a year of taking isotretinoin may cause more scarring to the healing tissue.
