Ivermectin Found to Have Dual Effect in Rosacea

TOPLINE: 

Topical ivermectin treatment was found to increase Staphylococcus epidermidis on the skin of patients with rosacea, in addition to reducing density of Demodex, in a small study. 

METHODOLOGY:

• In this single-center, open label study, 10 adults (mean age, 66.4 years) with papulopustular rosacea were treated with 1% ivermectin cream daily for 12 weeks.
• Skin swabs from lesional and nonlesional sites were collected at baseline and after 3 months of treatment to assess changes in the bacterial microbiome and the density of Demodex mites.
• The average baseline total papule count was 26.9, and the Clinician’s Erythema Assessment (CEA) score was 2 (average value on a scale of 0-4 from five locations on the face).
• For comparison, baseline swabs were taken from 10 healthy age-matched individuals.

TAKEAWAY:

• The density of Demodex mites was significantly reduced on lesional skin (P = .002) with topical ivermectin, which has anthelmintic effects against Demodex and is an effective treatment for rosacea.
• The absolute abundance of S. epidermidis increased after ivermectin treatment on lesional skin (P = .039), while no changes were seen in Cutibacterium acnes.
• No changes were noted on nonlesional skin in the patients with rosacea.
• Topical ivermectin also reduced the number of papules and CEA scores (both P = .002) in individuals with rosacea.

IN PRACTICE:

” Treatment with topical ivermectin may improve the symptoms of rosacea through modulation of the skin microbiome beyond decreasing Demodex,” the authors concluded. “The results of this study,” they added, “provide valuable insights into the intricacies of the cutaneous microbiome in the pathophysiology of rosacea and highlight the potential therapeutic interventions targeting the skin microbiome.”

SOURCE:

The study was led by Teruaki Nakatsuji, PhD, of the department of dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California. It was published online on October 29 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS: 

The small sample size of 10 patients with rosacea limits the generalizability of the findings, and the study’s open-label design may introduce bias in the clinical assessments. Further research with larger sample sizes and randomized controlled trials is needed to confirm these findings.

DISCLOSURES:

This work was funded by a grant from the National Rosacea Society. One author disclosed being the cofounder and consultant, with equity interest in MatriSys Bioscience. The other authors reported no competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.