Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment Combined with Oral Minocycline Reduces Recurrence Rate of Rosacea

BACKGROUND The recurrence rate of rosacea was not known very well, but has been reported as 60% in 6 months after withdrawal of the drug. It is not known which treatment can reduce relapses of rosacea effectively. OBJECTIVE The objective was to identify whether 595 nm-pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment reduced recurrence rate among rosacea patients who were treated with oral minocycline. METHODS One hundred and seven Korean patients with rosacea who started treatment with oral minocycline (100 mg/d) with or without PDL (2∼4 sessions) were evaluated retrospectively. The recurrence rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and difference was evaluated using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of risk factors for the recurrence of rosacea. RESULTS The recurrence-free survival analysis revealed that the group with oral minocycline plus PDL was significantly different compared with the group with oral minocycline alone (p=0.011). Cox proportional hazards model showed that the combined use of PDL with oral minocycline appeared to be a significant protective factor for the hazard of recurrence of rosacea (hazard ratio, 0.492; 95% CI, 0.257∼0.941; p=0.032). CONCLUSION PDL can be used added to oral minocycline to reduce relapses among rosacea patients who are undergoing oral minocycline treatment.