A Review of the Current Modalities for the Treatment of Papulopustular Rosacea

Abstract

Papulopustular rosacea is characterized by papules and pustules in the central facial region. We review the literature surrounding the treatment of papulopustular rosacea. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane (Central) databases searches of articles published from 1980 to 2015 were performed using the MeSH terms or keywords "rosacea" and "clinical trial." Additional searches were performed to include rosacea and each treatment modality used. Topical metronidazole, azelaic acid, ivermectin, and oral doxycycline have the most robust data to support their use. Variation in assessment tools and a lack of clinical trial standardization makes comparison of therapeutic options difficult.

Keywords: Azelaic acid; Doxycycline; Ivermectin; Management; Metronidazole; Papulopustular; Rosacea; Topical.