When the National Rosacea Society was founded 25 years ago, very few Americans were aware of this chronic skin disorder, even though it’s now estimated to affect more than 16 million in the U.S. alone. Here is a timeline that traces the recorded history of rosacea in art, literature and medical texts up to the present: 

As dermatology became established in the early 19th century, rosacea was one of the first skin disorders described in medical texts.  The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology recently published an overview of early illustrations of rosacea, showing how far medicine has come in its recognition of the disorder and highlighting how important visual cues are to its diagnosis.¹

The National Rosacea Society (NRS) is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012, and is pleased to report on the vast ongoing progress that has been made toward fulfilling its mission of improving the lives of people with rosacea through awareness, education and support of medical research.

While rosacea today is well-recognized as a skin disorder affecting millions of people worldwide, it was not until the end of the past millennium that it came to be understood as a distinct disease, and only recently have advances in therapy allowed for its effective treatment.