Acne rosacea laser treatment with retinaldehyde - Rosacea Knowledge Forum by Geoffrey Nase PhD

Dr. Geoffrey Nase · #1 (**permalink**) 6th June 2011, 06:09 AM

Acne Rosacea Laser Treatment with Retinaldehyde

An interesting laser study was just published on the effect of a novel 532 nm wavelength laser on acne and vascular rosacea symptoms. In this study, Dr. Linda Maxwell demonstrated significant reduction in centrofacial acne rosacea lesions and when she combined laser treatment with retinaldehyde (the only safe retin-A derivative for rosacea) before and after laser, vascular blood vessels and redness improved to a much greater extent.

J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2010 Jun;39(3):292-6.

Acne rosacea: effectiveness of 532 nm laser on the cosmetic appearance of the skin.

Maxwell EL, Ellis DA, Manis H.

Facial Surgery, Facial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, Toronto, ON. lindamaxwell22@hotmail.com

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to perform a prospective blinded trial to compare the improvement of midface acne rosacea using 532 nm laser therapy with and without a retinaldehyde-based topical application.

SETTING: A private clinic and surgicentre specializing in facial plastic surgery.

DESIGN: A prospective randomized blinded clinical trial.

METHODS: Fourteen patients with type 1 erythematotelangiectatic acne rosacea were enrolled in the study. The side of the face to be treated was chosen randomly. The opposite side of the face served as the control. Patients underwent six treatments with the 532 nm laser, with four sets of photodocumentation over a period of 3 months. Following each treatment, patients were asked to rate their degree of improvement based on a 5-point improvement scale. A final assessment was performed by five separate blinded evaluators.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Final photographic evaluation to assess (1) reduction in overall redness, (2) reduction in visible telangiectasia, (3) difference between left and right sides of the face, and (4) degree of overall skin texture improvement.

RESULTS: Three men and eight women completed the study. Six right hemifaces and five left hemifaces were treated. One hundred percent of patients noted a mild to moderate improvement in all signs of type 1 acne rosacea, including overall redness of the face, telangiectasia, and skin texture. The blinded evaluators were able to note a difference between the treated and untreated sides 47% of the time.

CONCLUSION: The 532 nm laser combined with the topical retinaldehyde improved overall redness, telangiectasia, and skin texture in acne rosacea patients. The degree of improvement was greater when compared to using the laser alone as the sole treatment modality.

PMID:20470675 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

More on Retinaldehyde

Dermatology. 1999;199 Suppl 1:53-6.

Retinaldehyde alleviates rosacea.

Vienne MP, Ochando N, Borrel MT, Gall Y, Lauze C, Dupuy P.

Department of Clinical Research, Pierre Fabre Research Institute, Toulouse, France.

BACKGROUND: Anecdotal observations suggest that retinoic acid may be effective in mild rosacea.

AIM: Our aim was to investigate, by an exploratory clinical and instrumental study, the effects of a topical formulation with the retinoic acid precursor retinaldehyde, in patients with vascular signs of facial rosacea.

METHODS: Female patients were treated with a 0.05% retinaldehyde cream that was applied once daily for 6 months. Clinical assessments of persistent erythema and telangiectasia were performed every month, using a 4-point severity score (absent to severe). The clinical response for each parameter was defined as a decrease of at least 1 grade in the severity score. In addition, erythema was further evaluated by measurement of the a* parameter, using a spectrophotometer on lesional and nonlesional areas.

RESULTS: A total of 23 women comprised the study population. At baseline, 10 patients had diffuse erythema, 3 patients had isolated telangiectasia and 10 patients had both. During retinaldehyde treatment, a clinical response was revealed in about 75% of the patients with erythema, after 5 months (p < 0.05). Similarly, isolated telangiectasia responded to retinaldehyde, although to a lesser extent and after a longer period of treatment (46% responders after 6 months, nonsignificant). Using the spectrophotometer, the a* parameter diminished in patients with erythema by about 15%, after 2 months of treatment (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION: This study indicates that retinaldehyde has beneficial effects on the vascular component of rosacea.

PMID:10473962[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

New Beauty Magazine Article on Retinaldehyde (Avene Diroseal)

Reduce redness with retinaldehyde

Posted Wednesday, March 25, 2009

All Avene products are made with sensitive skin in mind, but although related, redness is a separate situation. So if you're dealing with serious ruddiness, rosacea or flushing, look to their physician-exclusive Diroseal Anti-Redness Skincare Lotion.

This night cream goes beyond sensitive-skin soothers by employing retinaldehyde, a form of vitamin A that won't further-inflame skin, to actually thicken the epidermis and strengthen blood vessels, which help reduce flare-ups.

The green tint instantly neutralizes the look of redness, while the active ingredients tone it down in the long run, so you can watch yourself wake up to more translucent skin each day.

Comment: Avene's Diroseal is definitely worth testing for one to three months because retinaldehyde has direct constrictor and anti-inflammatory actions on blood vessels and skin blotchiness. It's an above-average rosacea product.

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