A review of different ways to assess rosacea. (1st January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Logger, J.G.M.; de Vries, F.M.C.; van Erp, P.E J.; de Jong, E.M.G.J.; Peppelman, M.; Driessen, R.J.B.
• Is Part Of: British journal of dermatology. Volume 182:Number 1(2020)
• Page Start: e33
• Page End: e33
• Publication Date: 2020-01-01
• Subjects: Dermatology -- Periodicals; Skin -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 616.5
• DOI: 10.1111/bjd.18664
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-0963

Abstract

Summary: Rosacea is a troublesome adult skin problem causing redness, lumps and pimples, mainly on the face. One of the causes is a tiny mite called demodex. Rosacea is commoner in women and usually improves with antibiotics but can be very persistent. In order to find better treatments, researchers need a reliable way to measure the severity of a person's condition, and its response to therapy. This is difficult because rosacea looks and behaves differently in different people and there are many ways to describe the appearance. This team from Holland searched the medical literature to see what investigations have been used. They examined 78 published studies which assessed skin appearance and function non‐invasively (without disrupting the skin). It was difficult to compare the results because researchers expressed them in a variety of ways. There were weaknesses in the design and reporting of experiments as well as inconsistencies in the findings. Many techniques and devices have been used: microscopes and dermatoscopes to magnify skin blood vessels and other features; computer programmes to analyse skin colour; ultrasound to examine skin irregularities; electrical recording of skin water content; measurement of surface oils and acidity; laser assessment of skin blood flow; various devices to measure temperature. Some of these techniques would only be used in research but others, such as dermoscopy, could be used in the clinic. Several of these measurements showed no clear relationship to rosacea severity. The most promising techniques included a surface microscope to count demodex mites and techniques for measuring skin redness, water content and water loss. This summary relates to the study: Noninvasive objective skin measurement methods for rosacea assessment: a systematic review