Summary Background While rosacea is a chronic skin condition, it can often have a large psychosocial impact on the individual. There is therefore a need to understand the experience of living with rosacea from the patient perspective. Objectives To examine the experience of living with rosacea and the experience of seeking and receiving treatment. Methods Nine participants took part in semistructured interviews, which were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results Three superordinate themes were identified within the data: ‘self‐consciousness’, which focused on the fear of others assigning blame to participants for having caused symptoms; ‘avoidance, concealment and hiding emotions’, referring to the coping strategies participants employed in response to rosacea; and ‘inconsistencies in general practitioner treatment and guidance’, which focused on the need for medical professionals to assess the psychosocial well‐being of patients with rosacea. Conclusions Rosacea can have a negative impact on the daily life of people with the condition, contributing to lowered self‐esteem, embarrassment and feelings of shame. Engaging in emotion‐focused and behavioural/avoidant‐focused coping strategies increased participants’ confidence and reduced their avoidance of social situations. However, such strategies might still serve to maintain underlying unhelpful cognitive processes. Consequently, it is important for medical professionals to assess for the presence of cognitive factors that might contribute to maintaining distress in patients with rosacea, and where unhelpful thoughts or beliefs are reported, patients may need to be referred for psychological support. What's already known about this topic? Individuals with rosacea can experience social anxiety, depression and embarrassment and decreased quality of life. Relatively few people with rosacea receive specialist dermatology treatment or psychological support. What does this study add? This is the first qualitative study to use interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine the lived experience of individuals with rosacea, and their experience of treatment. The results indicate that emotion‐focused and behavioural/avoidant‐focused coping strategies are used to manage the negative impact of rosacea on individuals’ lives. This study highlights the need for medical professionals to assess the psychosocial well‐being of patients with rosacea, in order for them to be referred to psychodermatology services if necessary. What are the clinical implications of this work? The study provides dermatology professionals with a nuanced account of the patient experience of rosacea. This knowledge should facilitate the discussion and identification of psychosocial issues affecting patients. Plain language summary available online Respond to this article