Light-based therapies in the management of rosacea: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The current scenario and position of laser and light-based therapies (LLBT) in the therapeutic rosacea scheme are lacking evidence-based recommendations and comparisons on efficacy and tolerability among different devices. This article aimed to systematically compare the efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability of the pulsed dye laser (PDL) versus other devices. METHOD: A literature search was conducted in March 2020. Four domains were analyzed throughout the following six outcomes: Spectrophotometer erythema index and percentage of reduction for background erythema, telangiectasia grading scale for telangiectasias, visual analog scale for pain, and physician's assessment and patient's satisfaction for treatment success. RESULTS: Our search yielded 423 potentially relevant studies. After removing the excluded and duplicated records, 12 records were assessed for eligibility in the meta-analysis. Erythema (RR:0.38 95%CI: -0.20-0.95), telangiectasias (RR:0.54 95%CI: -0.87-1.94), and the treatment success throughout the physician's assessment (RR:1.23 95%CI: 0.74-2.04) and the patient's satisfaction (RR:1.15 95%CI: 0.73-1.82) were not significantly different between pulsed dye laser and other LLBT. In the pain domain, PDL was as painful as other LLBT (RR:-0.23 95%CI: -0.96-0.49) but more painful than neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser (RR:0.84 95%CI: 0.53-1.14) and less than intense pulsed light (RR:-1.18 95%CI: -1.56-0.80). CONCLUSION: This work based on previously published literature demonstrates that the quality of evidence to support any recommendation on LLBT in rosacea is low-to-moderate. Among all the available devices, PDL holds the most robust evidence, although in the meta-analysis the effectiveness was comparable to other LLBT, such as neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser (Nd-YAG) or IPL.

Comparative appraisal with meta-analysis of erbium vs. CO2 lasers for atrophic acne scars.

Recent advances in laser technology allowed the development of systems that improve texture, appearance and pliability of skin in acne scars (AS). Currently, comprehensive comparative studies on the efficacy of the most commonly used fractional systems in AS are lacking. Thus, the aim of this work was to appraise and compare the clinical response to erbium versus CO2 lasers in AS in the form of a meta-analysis. The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library were searched. Main clinical outcomes were investigator-reported scar improvement and participant-reported scar improvement. Five studies were included in this meta-analysis. Scar improvement was similar for both types of laser in terms of investigator-reported scar improvement (RR: 0.60 95 % CI: 0.35-1.02) and participant-reported scar improvement (RR: 0.99 95 % CI: 0.79-1.25). A sensitivity analysis that excluded studies with high risk of bias found the CO2 lasers to be superior to the erbium lasers (RR: 0.47 95 % CI: 0.24-0.93): However, the subgroup analysis showed the CO2 laser not to be significantly different from either the non-ablative erbium (RR: 0.65 95 % CI: 0.34-1.24) or the ablative erbium laser (RR: 0.60 95 % CI: 0.35-1.02). The CO2 laser produced a slightly greater clinical response compared to the erbium lasers based on the physician's assessment. Overall, the two devices do not differ largely in terms of efficacy but may be complementary, with each resurfacing laser better suited for different clinical tasks.

Laser and light-based therapies in the management of rosacea: an updated systematic review.

Unlike other rosacea therapies which need daily takings or applications over long periods, the edge of lasers and light-based therapies (LLBT) is the limited number of sessions to achieve improvement. The proper selection of the adequate physical device in accordance with the patients' skin features and rosacea-related signs and symptoms should be considered and the management with physical sources should be updated as new data become available. This article reviews and discusses the current use of lasers and light-based therapies in rosacea with reference to all the available literature.This systematic review demonstrates the quality of evidence to support any recommendation on LLBT in rosacea is low-to-moderate. Among all the available devices, PDL holds the most robust evidence. Treatments options should be tailored for each specific clinical scenario as it is unlike that single modality results in complete resolution. Platforms that include two or more devices and combined therapies with topical agents are suitable and they warrant further investigations.

Efficacy of topical ivermectin and impact on quality of life in patients with papulopustular rosacea: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Rosacea is a chronic dermatosis which affects negatively patients' quality of life (QoL). There is shortage of high-quality evidence comparing the efficacy of ivermectin cream (IVM) 1% with other available topical choices. Besides, the well-documented impaired of self-esteem and stigmatization of rosacea patients make essential to address which treatment provides the greatest psychological and social benefit. Our objective is to critically review and appraise the efficacy of IVM 1% in PPR and the impact in patients' QoL against other options. We carried out a literature search from PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and clinicaltrials.gov using the following descriptors: "rosacea" AND "ivermectin." Efficacy was assessed with the Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), and the impact on QoL was based on the DLQI score. Six studies from four published articles were included. The meta-analysis estimated that more participants achieved "success" (IGA ≤ 1) and "complete clearance" (IGA = 0) with IVM1%. The overall effect estimate for IGA ≤ 1 was: 1.56 [1.23-1.97], whereas for IGA = 0, it was: 1.72 [1.40-2.11]. The rate of participants achieving lower DLQI score, and thus, better QoL was with IVM 1%. The overall effect estimate was: 1.71 [1.34-2.18] at week 16# and 1.64 [1.38-1.94] at week 52#. This meta-analysis confirms IVM 1% cream as the most effective topical treatment and it satisfies the impairment of social life with sustained better QoL. Further studies extending this period of remission are warranted, as well as researches about the potential application of this agent combined with other agents. KEY POINTS: Question: What is the current efficacy of ivermectin versus other choices in papulopustular rosacea and its impact on patients' quality of life? Findings: In this meta-analysis, ivermectin showed higher efficacy than metronidazol, azelaic acid, and placebo measured by Investigator Global Assessment. Parallely, the DLQI score highlighted that this agent was more beneficious in both short and long-term. Meaning: This meta-analysis gives strong evidence that ivermectin is the most effective topical treatment. Besides, this agent provides the greatest psychological benefit as it satisfies the stigmatization of rosacea patients as well as the impairment of social and working life with a sustained better QoL above other alternatives.