The effect of a gentle nonalkaline skin cleanser on the skin barrier of rosacea patients, Zoe Draelos, MD, PA, High Point, NC, United States
Rosacea occurs most commonly in women with fair complexions between the age of 25 and 50 years, although it does occur in other patient populations as well. Rosacea appears as redness similar in appearance to sunburn and can be accompanied by papules and pustules. A good skin-care regimen is a critical part of rosacea treatment, but care must be taken to choose products that do not irritate as rosacea patients typically have sensitive skin and irritants can trigger a worsening of symptoms. The current study examines the use of a gentle nonalkaline, nonirritating cleanser in rosacea patients. To eliminate the confounding effects of various treatments, this cleanser was studied in the absence of rosacea treatments for a period of 2 weeks following a 2-week washout period in patients with mild to moderate rosacea. During the ‘‘washout’’ period, patients were asked to cleanse twice daily with a leading cleansing bar, which contains sodium cocoyl isethionate and is formulated for sensitive skin. Over the course of the 2-week study period, the patients were monitored for rosacea severity and skin barrier function through transepidermal water loss and corneometry. Thirty patients were enrolled. The results of this study indicate that this gentle skin cleanser did not damage the skin barrier, as demonstrated by no significant increase in transepidermal water loss at any point during the study. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction in investigator-assessed rosacea severity at the end of week 1 on both cheeks, the forehead and the nose (P <.05) and at the end of week 2 for both cheeks, the forehead and the chin (P<.05) compared to the end of the washout period (after 2 weeks of cleansing with the moisturizing bar for sensitive skin). The mild, nonirritating action of this cleanser is supported by the lack of adverse events and the tolerability shown in this study. There was no increase in erythema, scaling, dryness, stinging/burning, or lack of smoothness in the skin over the course of the 2- week study, despite the fact that these patients were not being treated for their rosacea during the study. These results indicate that this gentle, nonalkaline, nonirritating cleanser may be a good choice as the cleansing part of a total rosacea regimen.
Author disclosure: Nothing disclosed at press time. Study and poster support provided by Galderma Laboratories, L.P.
Poster Discussion Session P597, American Academy of Dermatology, 64th Annual Meeting, March 3-7 2006, San Francisco.
Supplement to Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology, March 2006, Volume 54, Number 3.
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3 comments ↓
I tried this stuff many times and it really burns. It’s never worked. It has been way too strong for my sensitive skin.
Sorry to hear it Paul. Sadly I don’t know of much that could be milder than the gentle cleansing bar. All the best in finding something that does work ok for your sensitive skin.
I’ve been using this for about a week now and have noticed I’ve been flushing more and have have had a few new breakouts. Maybe it was triggered from something else, but could it be from the masking fragrance?
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