A study into minocycline as a treatment for papulopustular rosacea

Papulopustular rosacea is a disease that causes redness and inflammtory lesions (patches) on the face. It is thought to affect about 16 million Americans and 34 million people worldwide. Rosacea may impact patients in different ways, such as itching, stinging, or embarrasment and self-consciousness, or it may impact leisure or social activites. Minocycline, as a pill, has been shown to be an effective treatment for the inflammatory lesions of rosacea. However, there may be side effects to using minocycline pills. This study evaluated the clearing of inflammatory lesions on the face of patients with rosacea after using a topical minocycline gel. The study was done at 26 clinics in the U.S.A. 270 people applied either 1% minocycline gel, or 3% minocycline gel, or just the vehicle gel (no medicine) to the face at bedtime for 12 weeks. Dermatologists were asked to count the number of inflammatory lesions on the face and the severity of disease before starting the study, and then throughout the 12 weeks of treatment. The authors found that the gels were generally safe and well tolerated. They also found that there was a greater reduction of inflammatory lesions in both the 1% and 3% minocycline groups compared to the vehicle gel group, and a higher percentage of people achieved clear or almost clear skin after 12 weeks of treatment for the 3% minocycline group. This indicates that a topical minocycline gel may be a safe and effective treatment for the inflamamtory lesions of papulopustular rosacea. Linked Article:   Webster et al. Br J Dermatol 2020; 183 :471–479 .