Retrospective analysis of 19 papulopustular rosacea cases treated with oral minocycline and supramolecular salicylic acid 30% chemical peels

Papulopustular rosacea (PPR) is characterized by central facial erythema and transient papules and/or pustules, with or without telangiectases. The treatment of PPR is challenging due to the unclear and complex pathogenesis. In the present retrospective study, patients with PPR treated with oral minocycline and supramolecular salicylic acid (SSA) 30% chemical peels enrolled between June 2018 and June 2019 were evaluated. All patients were treated with 50 mg minocycline twice a day and SSA 30% twice a month. A total of 19 patients were enrolled and all received the therapy for 12 weeks. A significant reduction of rosacea severity was observed by Investigator Severity Assessment (ISA) after treatment; the mean score reduced from 3.32±0.6 at baseline to 0.89±0.7 (P<0.01) at 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, all patients achieved at least a ‘moderate response’ and 17 patients (89.47%) obtained ‘excellent improvement’ in the Investigator Global Assessment of efficacy. No obvious adverse reactions were observed during each patient's visit. In conclusion, the combination treatment of minocycline and SSA 30% was an effective therapy for PPR. The limitation of the present study was that it was a retrospective analysis; more high-quality, prospective, blinded, controlled clinical trials are required to evaluate the efficacy based on the current study.