A Sequential Approach to the Treatment of Severe Papulopustular Rosacea Not Responding to Traditional Treatment.

ABSTRACT

We report the case of a German female patient presenting with papulopustular rosacea (PPR) with a high count of facial inflammatory lesions and severe erythema who had not responded well to treatment with traditional therapies for a decade. In this patient, a sequential therapy consisting of oral modified-release doxycycline 40 mg (initially as monotherapy, then in combination with topical metronidazole), followed by topical ivermectin 10 mg/g was both rapidly active and effective. Following reduction of the inflammation with modified-release doxycycline 40 mg upfront and the disease becoming moderate in severity, the dose of this agent could be reduced and combination therapy with metronidazole 7.5 mg/g lotion started to continue decreasing inflammatory lesions count and erythema severity, before treatment with the recently approved agent ivermectin 10 mg/g was implemented to provide almost complete clearance. This sequential treatment was effective in reducing both the number of papules and pustules and the severity of erythema, with a good safety profile. In addition, a large improvement was documented in the patient's DLQI score, contributing to her overall wellbeing.

J Drugs Dermatol. 2016;15(6)769-771.