Rhofade and Redness: What Users Say

• Rin...
• February 11, 2020

For Rosacea "I’ve tried both Rhofade and Mirvaso for mild rosacea that flares to severe from triggers. These will either work miracles for you or be a disaster. For me, Mirvaso made my skin clear and translucent during the time it worked, but I would get HORRIBLE flare-ups afterward that would last weeks. Rhofade doesn’t seem to cause much rebound redness for me, although I would say the reduction is less than Mirvaso. After Rhofade has worn off, my rosacea will be a bit worse for a few hours before returning to normal. IMPORTANT: Rhofade and Mirvaso do not have any cumulative effects. They only work by constricting the blood vessels for a max of 12 hours. IF YOU TRY RHOFADE FOR THE FIRST TIME, apply it to a small section and don’t do it before anything important. If you do have a severe rebound, it can last for several weeks. Rhofade will either work or it won’t. It’s a gamble. In the long run, I’ve found laser therapy more cost-effective with permanent results."

• srh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 5, 2020

For Rosacea "I'm so disappointed and wish I read these reviews before putting this cream on my face. I don't understand why my derm recommended this. I have mild rosacea and suffer from getting really random red blotches and small bumps all over my face, with an uneven skin texture. Of course, everyone's skin reacts differently, but I had the same negative reactions as most other reviewers on here. Within 5 days of persistent use of this cream and no other changes to my skincare routine, I developed tons of tiny whiteheads on my chin, and my face is redder than ever. Even my boyfriend asked what was wrong with my skin when I woke up this morning. It's such a shame that this medication is so expensive, especially with insurance, and it doesn't seem to work for most people. The side effects it brought on my face are awful, and I'm scared to see how long I have to deal with this for. :( USE CAUTION!!!!"

• Man...
• February 19, 2019

For Rosacea "I had mild unexplained flushing (mostly evenings), but otherwise beautiful skin. At my derm's recommendation, I used this across my nose/cheeks for 6 weeks to curtail flushing. The first 3 weeks, it did eliminate most flushing, however, when I washed my face at night, the area where I used the Rhofade was getting redder and redder. Went to the derm, who explained there could be a mild temporary 'rebound' after it wore off, and it was safe for everyday use. This nighttime redness/burning got incredibly bad last week to the point I went online and found these reviews. I stopped using the product immediately, and in the last 5 days, I have had PAINFUL redness, burning, and swelling to the point of using ice packs at night and my husband thinking we should go to the ER. Please, if anyone has experienced this and knows how long it will last (days, weeks?), I would so appreciate a word of encouragement that this is temporary and gets better. Thanks for sharing any experiences."

• Aur...
• March 16, 2021

For Rosacea "I recently went to the derm and was diagnosed with mild to moderate rosacea. The derm prescribed me Rhofade-the beginning of all my problems. The first few days I wore Rhofade, my skin looked nice and much less pink-red. By the third day, I noticed in the evening my cheeks felt really hot. I looked in the mirror and was shocked to see my face more red than it had ever been before. But the next morning, I stupidly put the cream on again. By that evening, my face was bright red again. By then, I was looking at reviews on here and was extremely upset. Why did my derm not mention rebound redness was a possibility and how intense it could be?! At that point, I stopped using it, but I’ve been suffering with frequent flushing and redness for a week now. It is slowly getting better, but my skin still looks so stressed and feels hot. At my worst, it felt like I had a chemical peel, sunburn, and fever all at the same time. STAY FAR AWAY FROM RHOFADE! It is not worth it! I hope I get back to my baseline soon :/"

• don...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2019

For Rosacea "I had a really horrible experience with Rhofade rebound. After I used a tiny amount ONLY TWICE, I got rebound redness to the point where my cheeks turned almost purple. I was flaring at new triggers - foods and heat - when I would only get mildly red during times of stress and exercise. BUT I would say that I have basically recovered! It’s been about 3 months since I first used the Rhofade, and I would say I'm back to my normal baseline. The best thing you can do is keep your stress levels low. Know that it will improve with time, even if it doesn’t feel like it! Eat a balanced diet and make sure your skincare routine is very gentle while you are recovering. :) I hope this helps alleviate some stress. I know that I was in a full-on panic that I had permanently ruined my skin (which was not the case)!"

• Per...
• March 17, 2019

For Rosacea "Horrible. Was prescribed this by a dermatologist for mild rosacea, without any warning about possible side effects. I used this in conjunction with Plexion daily wash. Used no other facial soaps at all. Only other skin regimen was to use the recommended neutral moisturizers. Within 5 days of using Rhofade, the redness had become much worse. Before treatment, I just had a smooth, simple blush. After 5 days of this 'medicine,' my skin had become much more red, over much more area. Instead of smooth slight red, it's bright red and blotchy, with bumps and breakouts forming. Dry and rough and yet looks very shiny. Itching became so bad that I could not sleep (I did resist the urge to scratch). I stopped the meds 2 days ago, but the symptoms persist. With so many negative reports here, how did this medicine pass approval? The studies claim only very low (like 2%) have adverse reactions. What is the truth here? How long will it take to recover? Or is the damage permanent?"

• Chi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 16, 2020

For Rosacea "I've been using Rhofade daily for over 2 years. I apply it in the morning after Finacea and before moisturizer and sunscreen. It's really controlled my flushing. I've had no issues with rebound redness at all. It's made it feel like my rosacea is in remission. One cool thing is I don't turn beet red when I work out/do cardio."

• daf...
• November 5, 2019

For Rosacea "I have redness on my face, and my dermatologist prescribed Rhofade. I filled my first prescription, and within 2 days, my face was getting redder. I pushed through for another 2 weeks, hoping to see some improvement. By the end of 2 weeks, my face was so red that it looked like a terrible sunburn. I actually got frightened and discontinued the treatment. I wish I had seen these reviews prior to starting treatment. This medication should be taken off the market."

• Bil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2019

For Rosacea "Definitely reduces redness, but with rebound redness that persists for multiple days after stopping use. Both effectiveness and rebound are not quite as pronounced as with Mirvaso. There is no way trials showed no rebound. The FDA is failing us."

• LBa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 21, 2021

For Rosacea "Rhofade ruined my skin. I used Rhofade for about 5 days or so, and noticed toward the last few days that it had started to really sting my skin when I applied it. I started developing dry, severely itchy patches of skin, acne on my face, and my skin became intensely red and burning. The itching is so intense and painful, I am considering going to urgent care. My whole face is inflamed, and I am miserable. I stopped this cream 2 days ago, and the symptoms are persisting. Run from Rhofade. It has left my skin 1000x worse off than I was before."

• Jos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2020

For Rosacea "Same as others. Tried it, and the first day it worked great at getting rid of mild redness. Used it for a week, and each day the tingling, burning, and redness, now deeper than ever, came on. Will never use again."

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 12, 2019

For Rosacea "I have mild rosacea and thought I could get it under control if I got a prescription from the dermatologist. I paid more than I should have for Rhofade. I immediately experienced burning, and the redness and swelling are so severe, worse than I’ve ever looked before! I’m so upset! I’ve obviously stopped using the product, yet the irritation, redness, and bumps have remained. I fear I’ve destroyed my skin permanently! How did this cream ever pass the testing phase and legally get distributed? I feel we are the victims and only wish I did my homework and saw these reviews before I ever tried this product! There needs to be a class action lawsuit."

• Jpa...
• December 20, 2019

For Rosacea "I went to my derm for mild face redness. I’ve had mild rosacea for years. Sometimes it flares up, and I wanted something to control the bad times. This product has made my skin SO MUCH WORSE! It’s 10X worse than it was, and I’ve only been using it a few days. After reading the reviews, I realized it’s a common side effect. I’m glad this product has worked for some, I was not one of them. Now I have to wait to see if this redness calms down. I’ll never use it again!"

• Do...
• July 22, 2017

For Rosacea "I used Rhofade for a few days, and it immediately became apparent that my skin became much worse, redder, and burning. I would not recommend this product at all. After discontinuing use and returning to regular hygiene routines, my skin returned to normal, albeit with mild rosacea."

• Fof...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 11, 2019

For Rosacea "I have used this product for three days, and my mild redness turned extremely red and developed pimples. The package claims one should call the doctor if the condition worsens. This product is designed to reduce the dilation of blood vessels, and it appears the opposite occurred."

• sta...
• June 6, 2018

For Rosacea "Never, ever use Rhofade! My dermatologist saw me one time and recommended it. I used it for three days, and my skin is red as a tomato and all inflamed and raw. My rosacea was hardly noticeable and very minor before I started using this stuff."

• BCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2019

For Rosacea "This was prescribed to me by a doctor from Associates in Dermatology in Chesterfield, MO. I specifically asked her if it caused a rebound effect like Mirvaso, and she said no. Well, now I know that it does. It's basically the same thing as Mirvaso, but maybe worse. It's been several months, and I'm still dealing with the rebound redness and burning."

• Bek...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2019

For Rosacea "I had very mild redness on my cheeks, no bumps, just a very rare small pimple. I received this from my derm as a sample, and she told me to use it twice a day. At first, it seemed as if the redness was better, but I noticed that I would wake up with red, itchy eyes. I did not make the connection between the Rhofade and my eyes, I just thought it was something else. On day four or five, I was waking up with a beet red face and eyes. Bumps erupted on my cheeks, and my face and eyes burned. I realized it must be the Rhofade and immediately discontinued. Then I went online and saw all of these similar experiences. I am concerned whether this will be permanent damage and cannot seem to get any clear info regarding this anywhere. This drug should be taken off the market."

• Red...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2019

For Rosacea "I had tried Mirvaso and had a terrible rebound redness. Worse than a rosacea attack. Plus, it made me too pale. I have been using the Rhofade now for about three months almost every morning with a very mild amount of application. I have yet to experience a noticeable rebound. The only additional redness I have is right after application from rubbing it on my face. I do not get rosacea bumps too often, but I did have a small cluster the other morning on my forehead, which I thought was diminished rather quickly by the morning's application. I have been very satisfied with my results from using Rhofade."

• lyn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2019

For Rosacea "I have mild rosacea with some stubborn redness, but nothing too upsetting. I have been doing IPL off and on to control the redness with great results. Recently, for no reason I can think of, my cheeks began to burn and turn bright red. I saw my dermatologist and got another round of IPL and a sample of Rhofade put on my face before I left. Well, that first day my skin looked almost normal before all the flaming redness popped up. But now my cheeks are back to flaming red, and this is after getting IPL! I'm hoping the IPL will do its job and take care of the redness. I am taking a big pass on the Rhofade. I do not understand these extreme responses to this medication: many have really terrible experiences (like me), and some are praising Rhofade. Makes me wonder... anyway, a big NO on Rhofade!"

• Ric...
• January 16, 2019

For Rosacea "I would not recommend this medication to anyone. I suffer from mild rosacea and heard positive feedback from two physicians, so I decided to give it a shot. I applied the recommended 'pea size' amount to my face yesterday at 9 am. At about 9 PM, I washed my face and went to bed. I did not notice any reduction in my redness, except for the first 4 hours. The rest of the day, my face was like it always is. Today, about 18 hours later, at about 5 PM, my entire face got very flushed, more so than it had ever done in the past. About an hour went by like this, and now, two and a half hours post-major flush situation, only my right cheek is bright red and warm. I reported the adverse event to Allergan and am just praying this resolves on its own. I caution everyone to avoid Rhofade - I had this result from only ONE application."

• boh...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 15, 2023

For Rosacea "I'm sad to see that others haven't had a good experience with this topical because this is the ONLY medication that finally got rid of most of the redness from rosacea on a daily basis. I will say that it took a few months to begin seeing the desired results (in combination with doxycycline for the first 3 months), and in my experience, the redness increases slightly in the few minutes after applying, but it WILL fade significantly after an hour or two after application. Some derms may recommend applying at night for this reason. I've been on this topical for at least 2 years, and I have never had better skin in my adult life."

• Anonymous
• July 31, 2018

For Rosacea "I used this for 3 days. Worked fine. Day 4? Burning hot red face, worst rosacea symptoms I’ve ever had. I’ve literally never written a review for anything, so this tells you something. The pharmaceutical company tries to report no rebound, but sadly, it worked very similarly to the other topicals that cause rebound redness. Horrible cream. My face feels like it’s on fire."

• Aur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 28, 2021

For Rosacea "This is my 6-month check-in after my horrible rebound redness reaction to Rhofade back in March of this year. Wish I could say I'm back to normal, but I'm still not. Still dealing with nasty heat intolerance I developed following my reaction, and my skin is still blotchy with little red spots all over my cheeks that become extremely noticeable when I overheat in my sleep (no sweating) and when I wear a face mask (for protection against COVID). I am still struggling to regain a normal life. I oftentimes overheat and flush when I go out of my house - whether that is to a restaurant or to a friend's house - if there is not enough airflow or there is too much overhead light, I am bound to have a nasty flush. I, like many others, am still extremely upset that the derm who prescribed Rhofade to me did not warn me of any side effects. My rosacea was very mild prior to my use of Rhofade, and to think 6 months later I am still suffering from four days' use of Rhofade is extremely sad."

• Gab...
• March 5, 2018

For Rosacea "My experience was much like everyone else's. Paid $50 and has actually made my skin more red, with lots more spots coming out. Shouldn’t have used it and going back to my dermatologist to try IPL, as none of the creams have worked for me and all seem like a waste of money. At first, it seemed like it was getting less red, and then my face felt like it was warming up and got twice as red. Then this morning, all of the spots came out. Hopefully, it will calm back down, who knows?"