Objective To explore the effect of salicylic acid combined with photoelectric synergy technology on clinical symptom improvement in patients with moderate to severe rosacea. Methods A total of 40 patients with moderate to severe rosacea who were treated in the Department of Dermatology, Afffliated Hospital of Shandong Second Medical University from June 2022 to June 2024 were selected, and they were divided into the control group and the experimental group by the random number table method, with 20 patients in each group. The control group was treated with conventional drugs, and the experimental group was treated with salicylic acid combined with photoelectric synergy technology. The clinical symptom improvement, clinical efffcacy and recurrence were compared between the two groups. Results The scores of erythema, papulopustule, burning/stinging and the total score of CEA in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the experimental group (95.00%) was higher than that of the control group (80.00%) (P<0.05). The recurrence rate of the experimental group (10.00%) was lower than that of the control group (30.00%) (P<0.05). Conclusion Salicylic acid combined with photoelectric synergy technology can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients with moderate to severe rosacea. Its therapeutic effect is better than that of conventional drug therapy, with a lower recurrence rate after treatment and good safety.