Rosacea treatment, diagnosis & prescriptions

Yes, you can. The healthcare provider will want to examine any symptoms or signs of rosacea that you're experiencing, and discuss your medical history.

In order to provide a clear rosacea diagnosis, the healthcare provider may request additional testing to rule out other conditions. This may include referring you to a dermatologist or ophthalmologist, depending on your symptoms.

Once you have a diagnosis for your rosacea, a healthcare provider from Maple can suggest appropriate rosacea treatments for you.

Yes, our physicians can prescribe rosacea medications online during your consultation. Once you accept a rosacea prescription, you’ll have the option to pick it up from any pharmacy or to have it delivered right to your door at no additional cost.

You can visit our How it Works page to learn more.

Rosacea is a very common, long-term autoimmune skin condition that can appear in a number of different forms.

It can appear as a chronic condition, or it can flare-up for weeks or months at a time, before disappearing until the next episode.

Rosacea symptoms can affect anyone. However, it most often occurs in fair-skinned people between the ages of 30 and 50. It's also more common in women than in men.

There are four main categories of rosacea:

• Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR)
• Papulopustular (or acne) rosacea
• Rhinophyma
• Ocular rosacea

The most easily identifiable symptom or sign of rosacea is facial redness. This typically affects the central area on your face.

In some cases, the blood vessels on your cheeks and nose can swell, which can result in them becoming dry, sore, irritated, and more visible. The affected area may also feel tender or warm to the touch. It is also common to have burning, stinging, or itchy skin in the affected areas.

Sometimes, rosacea symptoms appear as pimples or swollen red bumps on the affected area that look similar to acne. They may contain pus, depending on the severity of the condition.

You may also experience eye issues as a sign of rosacea. When you begin to experience swollen, dry, or red eyelids, the condition is specifically known as "ocular rosacea".

Occasionally, rosacea can cause skin on your nose to thicken over time. This can result in your nose appearing larger than normal (also known as rhinophyma). This particular sign of rosacea is more common in men than women.

Rosacea is considered an autoimmune disease. The direct causes of rosacea aren't understood at this time. However, current studies propose that abnormalities in the immune system could be the result of inflammatory response to microbes, UV damage, or vascular dysfunction.

As well, there are some risk factors that are known to increase the chances of experiencing rosacea. Some of these include:

• Being a woman
• Being over the age of 30
• Being fair-skinned
• Being a smoker or having smoked in the past
• Having a family history of rosacea
• Having skin damage due to sun exposure

In addition to these, there are some known triggers that can cause rosacea flare-ups in people who are susceptible to the condition. Some of these include:

• Exercise
• Strong emotions or stress
• Alcoholic beverages (particularly red wine)
• Prolonged exposure to wind or sun
• Exposure to extreme temperatures, both hot or cold
• Medications that cause blood vessels to dilate
• Spicy foods
• Hot beverages (excluding caffeinated beverages like coffee)
• Certain cosmetics

At this time, there aren't any specific tests used to diagnose rosacea. The healthcare provider will want to discuss your medical history, including any symptoms or signs of rosacea you've experienced in the past. They will also want to do a physical examination of the affected area.

In some cases, the doctor may suggest additional testing, in order to rule out other skin conditions (such as lupus, eczema, or psoriasis). They may also refer you to a dermatologist, who will have the expertise to provide a clear rosacea diagnosis, if necessary.

If your rosacea symptoms are more dominant in your eyes than your skin, the healthcare provider could refer you to an ophthalmologist for an evaluation.

At this time, there is no cure for rosacea. This means that rosacea treatments will focus on controlling the signs of rosacea you're experiencing.

Most of the time, this will involve a skin care regiment, and in some cases, prescription rosacea medications.

These rosacea prescriptions can include topical medications to help reduce redness, acne medications, or oral antibiotics. The type of rosacea treatment medications your healthcare provider suggests will depend on the specific symptoms you're experiencing and their severity.

If you've been experiencing redness, bumps, pimples, or pain that doesn't go away, you should talk to a doctor. You could be experiencing symptoms of rosacea.

A doctor from Maple will be able to refer you to dermatologists or ophthalmologists that can help provide a clear rosacea diagnosis. Your healthcare team will also be able to suggest appropriate rosacea treatments, depending on the location and severity of your condition.

Don't be embarrassed by rosacea. Let Maple help you take control of your condition.

Maple is a virtual care platform that connects you with doctors and other healthcare providers via text, audio, or video. After you log in to your Maple account, you can request an online consultation.

Consultations work similarly to in-person appointments — the doctor can complete an assessment by asking questions about your symptoms, going through your health history, and determining what treatment is right for you. If they think your condition is more serious, they may tell you to go to a clinic for an in-person examination.

As a Maple member, you get 24/7 access to virtual primary care online and more. You can connect with our network of providers via text, audio, or video call within minutes.

Our membership costs $85/month and covers virtual care for patients and their families, including the primary account holder's spouse and any dependents.

For patients in eligible provinces, our membership includes:

• Access to daily primary care provider visits: One daily visit with a primary care provider for each family member in their household.
• Paediatric care: Covered paediatric primary care visits, available by appointment.
• Second medical opinions: Access to a network of experts for a second opinion if diagnosed with a complex condition (e.g. cancer).
• Personal Health Check-Ins: A series of personalized, evidence-based proactive care screenings to maintain and improve health.
• iCBT courses: Access to iCBT (internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy) self-assessment and courses.
• Access to specialists in eligible provinces: Easy access to specialists on Maple within days, not months. No referral is needed.
• Specialist referrals in eligible provinces: Ability to be referred to a physician specialist for in-person care, if needed.
• Credit discounts: An $80 credit per month to be applied to a Maple specialist visit.

Please note that our membership cannot be combined with other offerings, such as private insurance coverage and provincial programs, where available. In some cases, membership fees can be covered by a Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) — check with your HSA provider for more details.

We accept all major credit cards, including AMEX cards, as well as Google and Apple Pay.

At Maple, we proudly prioritize privacy as a cornerstone of our virtual care services. We strictly adhere to privacy and healthcare legislation in Canada, such as PIPEDA and PHIPA regulations, to ensure patients' personal and health information remains completely private and safeguarded.

Our policies and consent processes are designed to be simple and easily understood, empowering individuals with control and a clear understanding of their healthcare journey. When using our services, a patient’s session is protected by a comprehensive security infrastructure and stringent data policies.

Patients also retain full control of their personal health information, medical records and test results at all times. Our approach is reinforced by consultations with leading experts, guaranteeing comprehensive policy frameworks that are reviewed at a regular cadence.

All providers delivering healthcare through Maple are licensed in Canada and governed by their licensing regulatory colleges, and in all instances, must act in accordance with the governing principles set out in the telemedicine policies of each medical regulator in the applicable province.

Regulators across Canada support and recognize the value of services like ours, and the way in which they can benefit patients, physicians, and Canada’s broader healthcare system by improving access to care and increasing efficiencies in the delivery of care.