May 21st, 2012, by David Pascoe | in the news, research
Yes you read correctly, some recent research conducted in the UK has found that smoking is associated with a substantially reduced risk of developing rosacea.
The study was epidemiological which means that it used statistics to match the incidence of rosacea in smokers and non-smokers in a random grouping of individuals.
Why Are Smokers Much Less Likely to get Rosacea?
Typically an epidemiological study can’t say why such associations exist, only prove their existence. It is the task of further research to establish the reason and any subsequent implications for treatment etc.
Other Nicotine and Rosacea Research
We learnt in 2008 from some NRS funded research that “The activation of nicotine receptors appeared to be associated with a significant increase in intracellular calcium, and also stimulated two major signaling proteins that may trigger a cascade of biochemical reactions associated with rosacea.”
So there will certainly be some debate about what the statically significant reduction in rosacea is smokers in the UK really means.
Other Results in This Study
- Rosacea has been diagnosed in the UK in 1.65 / 1000 person-years. By my calculation this would translate to around 13% of the population of the UK having rosacea by the time they reach the life expectancy of 80 years.
- Rosacea was diagnosed in 80% of cases after the sufferer was 30 years of age.
- Ocular Rosacea was found in 21% of cases of rosacea.
- Alcohol consumption was associated with a marginal risk increase.
As the study was funded by Galderma perhaps the incidence results would be the most interesting outcomes for them.
Latest Abstract
A Study on the Epidemiology of Rosacea in the UK.
Br J Dermatol. 2012 May 5, Spoendlin J, Voegel JJ, Jick SS, Meier CR.
Basel Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Epidemiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland Hospital Pharmacy, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland Galderma Research & Development, Sophia Antipolis, France Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University, Lexington, MA, USA.
Background: Rosacea is a chronic facial skin disease of unclear origin. Epidemiological data are scarce and controversial with reported prevalences ranging from 0.09% to 22%. To our knowledge, incidence rates have not been quantified before.
Objectives: In this observational study we quantified incidence rates of diagnosed rosacea in the UK and described demographic characteristics and the prevalence of ocular symptoms in rosacea patients. We compared life-style factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption between rosacea patients and controls.
Methods: Using the UK-based General Practice Research Database, we identified patients with an incident diagnosis of rosacea between 1995 and 2009 and matched them (1:1) to rosacea-free control patients. We assessed person-time of all patients at risk and assessed incidence rates of rosacea, stratified by age, sex, year of the diagnosis, and region.
Results: We identified 60,042 rosacea cases and 60,042 controls (61.5% women). The overall incidence rate for diagnosed rosacea in the UK was 1.65 / 1,000 person-years.
Rosacea was diagnosed in some 80% of cases after the age of 30 years. Ocular symptoms were recorded in 20.8% of cases at the index date. We observed a significantly reduced relative risk of developing rosacea among current smokers (odds ratio 0.64, 95% CI 0.62-0.67). Alcohol consumption was associated with a marginal risk increase.
Conclusions: We quantified incidence rates and characteristics of rosacea patients diagnosed in clinical practice in a large epidemiological study using primary care data from the UK. Smoking was associated with a substantially reduced risk of developing rosacea.
Not Time to Take up Smoking
Despite the strong result from this statistical research, I doubt whether any doctor would recommend that you take up rosacea to reduce your chances of getting rosacea.
In fact you will probably find the opposite, that the health risks associated with smoking will see doctors advising smokers to give up altogether.
Any Smokers Out There?
Have you noticed a reduction in rosacea symptoms when you were a smoker ?
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May 17th, 2012, by David Pascoe | research
Most published abstracts are a pretty dry read. This one is about as dry as they come. How about titling it “Rosacea Sufferers Willing To Pay Less than Vitiligo, Even the Women!”. Now that makes it sound more interesting right? Well that is the gist of this paper.
Researchers have come up with the idea of quantifying the burden one feels from a disease by asking sufferers how much they would be will to spend to achieve complete healing. Apparently this sort of quantification measure is a well established method.
Rosacea sufferers were found to be willing to pay on average € 2,880 or $USD 3,700.
Vitiligo sufferers on the other hand were found to be willing to spend € 7,360 or $USD 9,400.
Surprising Result?
The suggestion that vitiligo sufferers would be willing to pay 3 times as much as rosacea sufferers to achieve a cure surprised me.
Whilst vitiligo is no doubt unsightly in the worst cases, rosacea is equally if not harder to handle psychologically. Also some forms of rosacea, for example neurogenic rosacea can be quite debilitating.
Get Your Theoretical Cheque Book Out
At your worst, what would you have been willing to expend to get rid of your rosacea ?
Willingness to pay and quality of life in patients with rosacea.
J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2012 May 14, Beikert FC, Langenbruch AK, Radtke MA, Augustin M., IVDP – Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing, University Medical Center Hamburg, Germany.
Background: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis affecting >2% of the population. Willingness to pay (WTP) is a well established method which reflects the individual burden of disease.
Objectives: Evaluation of WTP and quality of life (QoL) in patients with rosacea.
Methods: Nationwide postal survey on adult patients with rosacea affiliated with the German rosacea patient advocacy group. WTP was evaluated by three standardized items and compared to historical data on vitiligo (n = 1023). QoL was assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).
Results: Data from n = 475 rosacea patients (79.9% women, mean age 56.3, range 26-90) were analysed. On average, patients were willing to pay € 2880 (median € 500) for complete healing compared with € 7360 (median € 3000) in vitiligo.
Relative WTP was higher in women; the highest sums were registered for the age group 21-30 years.
The extent of facial involvement predicted a higher relative WTP, whereas WTP decreased with the duration of symptoms and age.
Mean DLQI total score was 4.3 compared to 7.0 in vitiligo.
In rosacea, the highest values were observed in patients < 30 years. Severe QoL reductions (DLQI>10) were less frequent (11%) than in vitiligo (24.6%).
The correlation between WTP and DLQI was significant (e.g. r = 0.249, P = 0.000 for relative WTP).
Conclusion: Rosacea patients show a moderate WTP and average QoL reduction is mild. WTP proved to be a valid tool to assess patients’ burden of disease. Patient education and the development of effective treatment options might still improve patients’ satisfaction.
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May 16th, 2012, by David Pascoe | in the news, rhinophyma
The Daily Mail continues to show itself as the premier newspaper for rosacea related news stories.
This last weekend the paper has a great article highlighting a new corrective surgical treatment for rhinophyma.
Typically rhinophyma surgery is risky and can lead to complicates with bleeding and scarring.
The new technique highlighted by The Daily Mail is called Coblation.
What is Coblation?
Coblation uses a wand that utilises a tip with a focused `beam of energy’.
The tip uses radio frequency energy to excite (i.e. vibrate) the salt molecules in a saline solution.
The amount of energy focused in the plasma tip is enough to excise and even dissolve skin. Thus the wand becomes a bit like a three dimensional scalpel, allowing the surgeon to reshape the nose tissue.
The temperature of the wand is relatively low compared to other techniques which helps with controlling the resulting bleeding as well as reducing any burn related scarring.
How salt-blasting surgery cured my disfiguring condition called ‘drinker’s red nose’
By ROGER DOBSON
PUBLISHED: 21:07 GMT, 12 May 2012 | UPDATED: 22:23 GMT, 12 May 2012
A team of British surgeons reported major improvements in patients’ appearance, with the size of noses shrinking by a third or more, and disappearance of the red colouring.
One of the first patients to have the procedure, known as coblation, is John Clough, 64, who developed rhinophyma about 15 years ago. The semi-retired marketing consultant says having the treatment has changed his life.
…
John, who lives in Blackburn, Lancashire, with his partner Angela, 58, an accountant, eventually was referred to surgeon Michael Timms at The Royal Blackburn Hospital, who was about to begin trialling the coblation treatment.
‘They jokingly described it as being like sandblasting with salt, and warned me that I wouldn’t want to go out for a few weeks afterwards because it would look bad,’ says John.
…
During the procedure the patient is put under general anaesthetic. A hand-held coblation ‘wand’ emits a slow stream of saline solution – sterilised salt water – from the end that comes into contact with the nose.
At the same time, it emits waves of radiofrequency energy to excite the molecules in the solution which ‘sands’ down the tissue. It also uses a low heat to cauterise (clot) any bleeding blood vessels.
John says: ‘I had a general anaesthetic and the whole thing took about 20 minutes. It was day surgery – I went home in the late afternoon, with a cream that had be applied everyday.
‘It looked pretty awful. Essentially, I’d had hundreds of layers of skin filed away leaving a raw wound, which scabbed over. But after the first day I didn’t need painkillers and it looked far worse than it felt.
‘I’d say my nose has reduced by about one third in size, back to what it was when I was younger. It is much smoother, and has lost the red colouring. In fact, it is slightly paler than my other skin now. It’s an absolutely brilliant result.’
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May 9th, 2012, by David Pascoe | moisturizers, user reviews
In 2010 La Roche Posay took the opportunity of the rosacea awareness month and their support of the National Rosacea Society to promote their product – Rosaliac UV Fortifying Anti-Redness Moisturizer with SPF 15.
This year La Roche Posay are again using the Rosacea Awareness Month to promote a new product, this time with a product called Rosaliac AR Intense.
In the past their rosacea targeted products such as `Skin Perfecting Anti-Redness Moisturizer’ and `UV Fortifying Anti-Redness Moisturizer’ have only received a few modest reviews online.
Maybe it will be third time lucky for La Roche-Posay.
What is Rosaliac AR Intense?
Rosaliac AR Intense is called a `localized redness intensive serum’ and cites 3 key ingredients:
- Ambophenol a “powerful vegetal extract rich in polyphenols to reduce the size of blood vessels and strengthen their walls.” The extract is from the Tambourissa Trichophylla plant found in Madagascar
- Neurosensine, a “soothing active ingredient to reduce appearance of redness.”
- La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, an “Anti-irritant and decongestant “
Related Patent: Tambourissa Plant Extracts
Thanks to downbythebay for pointing out a possibly related patent application to this product.
Compositions for skin diseases or disorders
United States Patent Application 20120009290
Medicaments or cosmetic compositions for the treatment or alleviation of skin or mucous membrane diseases or disorders related to an enhanced level of anti-microbial peptides or proteins comprising Tambourissa plant extracts, which may comprise polyphenols.
This invention relates to medicaments and cosmetic compositions comprising Tambourissa plant extracts that in turn comprise polyphenols for the treatment or alleviation of skin or mucous membrane diseases or disorders related to an enhanced level of anti-microbial peptides or proteins. This invention also relates to processes for preparing a Tambourissa plant extract, the extract itself, and uses of the extract.
The Tambourissa genus belongs to the Monimiaceae family and comprises about 43 species found throughout the western islands of the Indian Ocean, such as Madagascar, Comoros and the Mascarenes islands (Mauritius and Reunion). The various Tambourissa species tend to show endemic specificity as most of them are localized in only one island and in only one habitat.
Tambourissa trichophylla is known to contain polyphenols and flavonoids, including epicatechin, nicotiflorin and rutin.
Rosaliac AR Intense Ingredients
Cited Key Ingredients: Ambophenol , Neurosensine, La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water.
Other Ingredients: water, glycerin, isotearyl neopentandate, butylene gluycol, pentylene glycol, polysorbate 20, tambourissa trichophylla leaf extract, glyceryl acrylate/acrylic acid copolymer, dimethicone, dimethiconol, ammonium polyacryldimethyltauramide/ammonium polyacryloyldimethyl taurate, disodium EDTA, acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester.
Related Product
Rosaliac AR Intense is available from SkinCareRx and also from SkinStore.com.
Your Thoughts
Are La Roche-Posay getting traction with their rosacea-targeted products ? What do you think of their latest offering of Rosaliac AR Intense ?
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May 3rd, 2012, by David Pascoe | in the news, metrogel
News today that the giant pharmaceutical company Novartis International is buying Fougera Pharmaceuticals.
Fougera is known to rosacea sufferers through the availability of generic metronidazole 0.75%. Fougera will brings its specialty in generics to Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis.
Who is Novartis?
Novartis was previously the manufacturer of Elidel (Pimecrolimus cream 1%).
Novartis are also trialling BFH772 for the redness of rosacea (NCT01449591). BFH772 is also being trialled for Psoriasis (NCT00987870).
BFH772 appears to be a metrondizaole variant of some sort, perhaps a genuine competitor to Metrogel 1%.
Hopefully this further signals Novartis as a company willing to invest in treatments for rosacea.
Press Release
Novartis to Buy Fougera Pharmaceuticals for $1.5 Billion
BY MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED
Novartis International agreed on Wednesday to buy Fougera Pharmaceuticals, a maker of generic skin care medicine, for $1.525 billion in cash. The move would make the company the biggest manufacturer in the field.
It is the latest round of consolidation in the health care industry, a sector that has had a number of deals over recent weeks.
Under the terms of the deal, Fougera will be folded into Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis. The acquisition would give Novartis a leading position in generic treatments for ailments like acne, eczema and rosacea. The combined business will have an estimated $620 million in annual global sales, mostly in the United States.
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