Clarence Halpny's wife Marilyn suspects that he had rosacea most of his adult life because his nose was almost continually red and swollen with excess tissue, a hallmark of subtype 3 (phymatous) rosacea, when the two first met while he was in his early 60s. Although they were soon married, it wasn't until Clarence began experiencing frequent outbreaks of pimples that she convinced him to seek diagnosis and treatment.

Q. I have special sunscreen, topical medication and special makeup. In what order should these three things be applied to my face?

A. From both medical and cosmetic standpoints, it makes much more sense to apply your medication before applying your sunscreen and makeup.

Q. How long is a topical medication effective? I think I have had my tube for a while, and it isn't working.

Doctors frequently prescribe topical therapy to control the bumps and pimples of rosacea. Here are some tips to get the maximum benefit from your medication by incorporating it into your skin-care routine.

• Start clean. Wash your face each morning with a very mild or non-soap cleanser, being careful not to scrub or irritate the skin. Rinse with lukewarm water.

• Gently blot dry. Pat your face with a soft, thick-pile towel. Don't pull, tug, scrape or scratch. Allow any remaining dampness to air dry.

Q. Can rosacea be aggravated by birth control pills?

A. Nothing has been reported in the medical literature indicating that birth control pills may cause rosacea flare-ups. Later in life, however, some women find they develop rosacea during menopause because of the increase in flushing as their bodies undergo hormonal changes.

Long-term treatment with topical medication alone was found to effectively keep rosacea at bay in a multicenter clinical study reported at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

In the study, after being successfully treated with a combination of oral and topical antibiotics to bring their rosacea under initial control, 88 rosacea sufferers were randomly assigned to use alone either a topical antibiotic or the same topical gel without the antibiotic (placebo) twice daily for six months.