Advances in the topical treatment of acne and rosacea

Acne and rosacea are common skin diseases which may present similarly and both involve inflammation. Both can result in significant cosmetic impairment and lead to quality of life decrements if not optimally treated. The conventional approach for both diseases involves the use of topical therapy to treat inflammatory lesions in combination, when needed, with a systemic or topical antibiotic. An important issue in the management of both diseases at present is the need to reduce antibiotic usage due to the increasing problem of bacterial resistance. One of the emerging treatment paradigms that is becoming increasingly useful as an antibiotic-sparing strategy is the use of procedural therapies in combination with medical management. Such procedural modalities include lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL), and photodynamic therapies (PDT). Topical regimens are used pre-treatment and following physical modalities for maintenance of remission.