Soolantra cream is prescribed for inflammatory bumps and pimples that are a symptom of rosacea (papulopustular rosacea), it is not specifically used to treat the redness or flushing of rosacea.
In a 12 weeks clinical trial (Study One) comparing Soolantra cream to a placebo cream for treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea, they used at two different measures of improvement:
- Number of inflammatory spots
- A score of the skin condition that was based on the level of skin redness (erythema) and the number of inflammatory spots. This score is called the Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) scale.
Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) scale
| Grade | Score | Clinical Description |
| Clear | 0 | No Inflammatory lesions present, no erythema |
| Almost Clear | 1 | Very few small papules/pustules, very mild erythema present |
| Mild | 2 | Few small papules/pustules, mild erythema |
| Moderate | 3 | Several small or large papules/pustules, moderate erythema |
| Severe | 4 | Numerous small and/or large papules/pustules, severe erythema |
For patients to be in Study One, their IGA rosacea scores at the start of the study had to be at moderate or severe. To be successful at the end of the 12 weeks trial the skin needed to be graded as clear or almost clear. This means their skin had to have improved to be at a level of having very mild or no skin redness (erythema) and having no or very few bumps and pimples.
At the end of the 12 week trial:
- 38.4 % of patients using Soolantra 1% had their IGA skin grades as clear or almost clear.
- 11.6% of patients who were using a placebo cream had their skin grades improved to clear or almost clear.
- Therefore 26.8% more of the Soolantra patients were successful at getting clear or almost clear skin, when compared to the placebo group.
Treatments for long term flushing or redness due to rosacea.
Brimonidine 0.33% gel (Mirvaso) is applied once daily to narrow blood vessels to temporarily reduce redness
Oxymetazoline 1% cream (Rhofade) is applied once daily narrows blood vessels to reduce redness over the day.
Vascular laser or intense pulsed light therapy can be used to treat broken capillaries which are the small red blood vessels that can be seen with some form of rosacea.
Bottom line:
- Flushing and redness can be symptoms of rosacea.
- Soolantra cream is used to treat the inflammatory bumps and pimples of papulopustular rosacea.
- Specific treatments for the redness and flushing due to rosacea include Brimonidine 0.33% gel (Mirvaso), Oxymetazoline 1% cream (Rhofade) and Vascular laser or intense pulsed light therapy.