Anti-Inflammatory Treatments for Rosacea

[Guide]

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

"The five classical signs of inflammation are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin calor, dolor, rubor, tumor, and functio laesa)." [1] That distinctly describes rosacea and is one of the reasons that the inflammatory theory on rosacea is still one of the leading thoughts on its cause and why rosacea is usually described as an inflammatory skin disease condition. So what are some of the anti-inflammatory treatments for rosacea to consider?

"The pharmaceutical and biotech industry is invested in testing anti-inflammatory drugs for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. There is also interest in the role of diet, obesity, stress, gum disease, the gut microbiome and other risk factors in low-grade inflammation that could be controlled without drugs. There are now dozens of studies measuring the anti-inflammatory effects of psychological interventions, such as meditation or mindfulness, or lifestyle management programmes, diets or exercise regimes." [2]

Described below are some inflammation categorized as anti-inflammatory treatments to consider for your rosacea based upon the principle stated in the paragraph above.  

Drugs
Ivermectin is now part of the gold standard treatment for rosacea and has anti-inflammatory properties. [3]

Metronidazole has been a standard treatment for rosacea for many years and has anti-inflammatory properties.  

Low dose timed release doxycycline is part of the gold standard treatment for rosacea and has anti-inflammatory properties. Antibiotics have been used to treat rosacea for over sixty years for its anti-inflammatory properties. [5]

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are used for rosacea, particularly aspirin for flushing avoidance.  Most rosaceans find their best response from over-the-counter NSAIDs, but there are prescription NSIADs that you can ask your physician about. 

R.I.C.E. and a Healthy Lifestyle
"A good place to start is with R.I.C.E. treatment of inflammation, which stands for: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Other treatments which may be helpful include the foods and supplements you ingest, topical treatments to the painful area, and the activities we perform." [6] Since 'the role of diet, obesity, stress, gum disease, the gut microbiome and other risk factors in low-grade inflammation that could be controlled without drugs' [2], there are many other ways to control rosacea inflammation. For example, avoiding sugar and carbohydrate in your diet may prove helpful as it has for many rosaceans. and reduce inflammation since sugar is the rosacea fuel. [7]  Eating a healthy diet (supplementing any nutritional deficiencies), getting plenty of exercise, improving your gut microbiome and pursuing a healthy lifestyle (avoiding over eating and over drinking of alcohol, reducing obesity, avoiding junk food, being a couch potato) will without a doubt reduce inflammation and improve your rosacea. Probiotics may help. 

Lower Stress
"Women who were satisfied in their relationships also reported lower psychological stress - and these two factors were associated with lower markers for inflammation in their blood." [8]

Phospholipid Therapy
Two phospholipids are being researched as anti-inflammatory treatments, phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). "From a medical standpoint, both phospholipids are of interest to researchers because the body does not recognise them as foreign substances, which means fewer side effects can be expected. A U.S. study has already shown that PS is particularly effective in fighting inflammation after a heart attack."

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End Notes 

[1] Inflammation, Wikipedia

[2] From Depression to Dementia, Inflammation Is Medicine’s New Frontier, Edward Bullmore, The Guardian, Pocket Worthy

[3] Ivermectin Anti-Inflammatory Properties

[4] "Metronidazole is used to treat Crohn’s disease, abscesses, bacterial overgrowth in the intestine and pouchitis. It has antimicrobial activity (kills bacteria and parasites) as well as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties." 
The Washington University Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic Medication Information Sheet for Metronidazole (Flagyl)

[5] Indian J Dermatol. 2016 Sep-Oct; 61(5): 469–481.
Anti-inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of Antibiotics and Their Use in Dermatology
Swetalina Pradhan, Bhushan Madke, Poonam Kabra, and Adarsh Lata Singh

[8] A satisfying romantic relationship predicts lower stress, inflammation in breast cancer survivors, 
Shrout, M.R., et al. (2020) Relationship satisfaction predicts lower stress and inflammation in breast cancer survivors: A longitudinal study of within-person and between-person effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology. doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104708.

[6] Front Physiol. 2017;8:93. doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00093
Effects of Topical Icing on Inflammation, Angiogenesis, Revascularization, and Myofiber Regeneration in Skeletal Muscle Following Contusion Injury.
Singh DP, Barani lonbani Z, Woodruff MA, Parker TJ, Steck R, Peake JM.

[7] High Sugar Content Leads to Inflammation

[8] A satisfying romantic relationship predicts lower stress, inflammation in breast cancer survivors, New Medical Net
Shrout, M.R., et al. (2020) Relationship satisfaction predicts lower stress and inflammation in breast cancer survivors: A longitudinal study of within-person and between-person effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology. doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104708.

[9]Nature as a model: Researchers develop novel anti-inflammatory substance, ScienceDaily

European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020; 152: 105451 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2020.105451
Phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) enriched mixed micelles (MM): A new nano-drug delivery system with anti-inflammatory potential? 
Miriam Elisabeth Klein, Max Rieckmann, Henrike Lucas, Annette Meister, Harald Loppnow, Karsten Mäder.