Objective To explore the clinical effect of modified Gegen Qinlian decoction combined with facial acupuncture in the treatment of papulopustular rosacea. Methods A total of 98 patients with papulopustular rosacea admitted to our hospital from February 2018 to October 2022 were selected as the research objects. They were divided into control group and treatment group by random number table method, with 49 patients in each group. The control group was treated with conventional western medicine, and the treatment group was treated with Gegen Qinlian decoction combined with facial acupuncture. The subjective and objective symptom scores, incidence of adverse reactions and clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups after treatment. Results After treatment, the scores of subjective and objective symptoms in the two groups were decreased, and the scores in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group (P <0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the treatment group was 6.12%, which was lower than 8.16% in the control group (P <0.05). The total effective rate of the treatment group was 91.84%, which was higher than 75.51% of the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion Gegen Qinlian decoction combined with facial acupuncture in the treatment of papulopustular rosacea can improve the clinical efficacy, improve facial symptoms and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, which is worthy of application.