Neurogenic Rosacea Treatment: A Literature Review

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Rosacea is a chronic facial skin condition with subtypes like erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous, and ocular.
• Neurogenic rosacea is a proposed subtype characterized by refractory flushing and burning sensations.

Approach:

• A systematic literature review of PubMed was conducted to identify studies on neurogenic rosacea.
• Six articles involving 37 patients with suspected neurogenic rosacea were included.

Key Points:

• Combination treatments involving topical agents (metronidazole, brimonidine), oral medications (beta blockers, diazepam, duloxetine, pregabalin, sumatriptan, rifaximin), and antibiotics were frequently cited.
• Treatment outcomes were highly variable among patients.
• Intradermal onabotulinumtoxinA injections and endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy were reported as isolated effective management options.

Conclusions:

• Current literature suggests a personalized approach to neurogenic rosacea treatment.
• Therapeutic strategies should target the predominant symptoms such as erythema, telangiectasias, and burning sensations.