A first-line treatment regimen is described for the therapeutic treatment of rosacea. The regimen includes topically applying to the skin of a subject in need of said treatment a pharmaceutical composition, the pharmaceutical composition including from about 1% to about 10% benzoyl peroxide as the sole active ingredient, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient. The regimen achieves, in a group of such subjects, a primary measure of success of at least about 9%, the primary measure of success being defined as a 2-grade improvement in Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) of clear or almost clear, and a secondary measure of success of at least about 40%, the secondary measure of success being defined as a percentage decrease the in the number of inflammatory lesions, and said pharmaceutical composition is applied once daily for a period of at least about 2 weeks.
