Copyright 201o Brady Barrows

While misdiagnosis of rosacea is not a massive problem, it comes up quite often in articles and clinical studies on rosacea. This is because sometimes the definition of rosacea is vague and the classification of rosacea into subtypes remains controversial. [1]  The most common misdiagnosis is acne vulgaris. However because of the number of rosacea mimics misdiagnosis does indeed occur. The next most common ones are Seborrheic Dermatitis, Perioral Dermatitis, and Pityrosporum Folliculitis. You may view some photos of rosacea mimics to see how confusing this may seem. However, if your dermatologist takes the time to get a history and physical exam, usually your diagnosis will be correct. For some anecdotal and other reports of misdiagnosed rosacea click here. To understand better how a proper rosacea diagnosis can be obtained click here. Diagnosis of rosacea may seem simple to some but it that were the case then cases of misdiagnosis would be rare. Reports of misdiagnosis are not uncommon.

[1] Classification of Rosacea Remains Controversial