The psychological impact of rosacea and the influence of current management options.

BACKGROUND: Rosacea is a common problem that is underdiagnosed; if left untreated can result in physical disfigurement and emotional distress.

OBJECTIVE: We reviewed the current literature to determine the degree of psychosocial impact of rosacea and the importance of treatment. We also reviewed the current treatment options.

METHODS: A search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and psycINFO databases from 1946 to present was performed to identify previous articles regarding the psychosocial and quality-of-life (QoL) impact of rosacea.

RESULTS: A total of 17 studies were found that focused on the following areas: impact of disease on QoL, improvement of QoL with treatment, and willingness to pay.

LIMITATIONS: Reviewed articles used different measurement systems to quantify impact on QoL making comparisons between studies difficult to interpret.

CONCLUSION: Patients with rosacea have higher incidences of embarrassment, social anxiety, depression, and decreased QoL compared with the rest of the population. Adequate treatment of symptoms results in improvement of QoL in patients with rosacea. New options that target the facial erythema of rosacea may help mitigate the negative psychological impact of rosacea.