A Retrospective Cohort Study on the Efficacy of Pregabalin in Patients With Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin syndrome (SSS) is a common disorder showing abnormal responses to stimuli, without approved treatments and unclear neuropathic mechanisms.

To evaluate pregabalin efficacy in reducing SSS symptoms and identify predictors of treatment response.

A systematic retrospective cohort of 112 clinically diagnosed SSS patients (mean age 40.5 years). The primary outcome was sensitive scale-10 (SS-10) score change at 12 weeks; response was defined as a ≥ 30% reduction. Secondary outcomes included dermatology life quality index (DLQI), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), skin biophysical parameters, von Frey thresholds and facial erythema.

At 12 weeks, 46.4% of patients responded. Most patients (86.6%) received less than 75 mg/day. Higher baseline SS-10 scores (r = 0.5) and tingling symptoms (p = 0.050) were associated with greater response, while discomfort was associated with non-response (p = 0.005). SS-10 scores correlated with DLQI (r = 0.49) and total HADS (r = 0.29). Reduced von Frey thresholds (r = -0.28) and increased facial erythema (r = 0.39) were observed in responders.

Pregabalin improved symptoms in SSS, supporting its potential role in managing neuropathic features and reinforcing the neurogenic hypothesis underlying its therapeutic mechanism.