Efficacy of IPL, an Anti-redness Dermocosmetic, and Their Combination in the Treatment of Rosacea

This was a prospective, single-center, three-arm comparative study conducted in an outpatient setting, with 60 adult patients with a dermatologist-confirmed diagnosis of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea allocated to one of three parallel treatment groups (20 patients per group). No randomization or blinding was performed.

Group 1 (IPL) received three intense pulsed light treatments with the Lumecca applicator (InMode; 515-1200 nm) at 21-day intervals, with fluence individually titrated to skin response; broad-spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen was applied after each session, and daily photoprotection was mandatory.

Group 2 (dermocosmetic) received four professional in-office anti-redness treatments using the Rosacure Professional system (Synchroline/Cantabria Labs) at 7-day intervals - gentle cleansing, application of Rosacure Professional Serum Booster, and a leave-on regenerating gel mask - together with a standardized 12-week home-care regimen (twice-daily gentle cleanser, Rosacure Intensive SPF 30 in the morning, Rosacure Fast in the evening, and a leave-on mask twice weekly).

Group 3 (combination) received the same three IPL treatments as Group 1, immediately followed within the same session by the professional Rosacure protocol, at 21-day intervals, together with the same home-care regimen used in Group 2.

Facial redness was assessed using objective imaging (Antera 3D chromophore mapping and Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix texture analysis) and by clinician grading, at baseline, 2 weeks after the treatment series, and 8 weeks after the treatment series.

• Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) - Lumecca (Device): IPL treatment (515-1200 nm) delivered with the Lumecca applicator (InMode, Irvine, CA, USA), administered as three sessions at 21-day intervals with fluence individually titrated to skin response.
• Rosacure anti-redness dermocosmetic regimen (Other): Professional in-office anti-redness regimen (Rosacure Professional system: gentle cleansing, Rosacure Professional Serum Booster, leave-on regenerating gel mask) plus a standardized 12-week home-care regimen (Rosacure Intensive SPF 30 mornings, Rosacure Fast evenings, leave-on mask twice weekly), manufactured by Synchroline/Cantabria Labs, Spain.

Primary outcomes

• Antera 3D Erythema Index (Mean, Minimum, and Maximum) [Baseline, 2 weeks after the treatment series, and 8 weeks after the treatment series]: Erythema quantified via the Antera 3D camera (Miravex, Dublin, Ireland), which reconstructs hemoglobin distribution from multidirectional, multispectral light reflectance and expresses erythema on a reproducible relative scale. For each patient and time point, three erythema indices - mean, minimum, and maximum - were extracted for the left and right cheek and averaged into a single value per index.

Secondary outcomes

• GLCM Contrast [Baseline, 2 weeks after the treatment series, and 8 weeks after the treatment series]: Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) texture parameter quantifying local brightness variation of the erythematous facial skin from cross-polarized photographs (8-bit grayscale, 256×256 co-occurrence matrix, horizontal offset θ=0°, distance d=1); higher values indicate a more irregular, mottled erythema. Left and right cheek values averaged per patient.
• GLCM Homogeneity [Baseline, 2 weeks after the treatment series, and 8 weeks after the treatment series]: Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) texture parameter quantifying surface uniformity of the erythematous facial skin; higher values indicate more uniform erythema. Derived from the same cross-polarized photographs and co-occurrence matrix as GLCM contrast. Left and right cheek values averaged per patient.
• Clinician Erythema Assessment (CEA) Score [Baseline, 2 weeks after the treatment series, and 8 weeks after the treatment series]: Semi-quantitative 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) graded by trained dermatologists, where 0 = no visible erythema and 4 = severe, intense redness; mean of scores from three independent raters.

Sex: All, ages: 20 Years to 57 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adult patients with a dermatologist-confirmed diagnosis of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea

Exclusion Criteria:

* Age under 18 years
* Pregnancy or breastfeeding
* Predisposition to keloid or hypertrophic scarring
* Use of systemic or topical retinoids, antibiotics, or hormonal therapy within the washout period specified for each agent
* Chemical peeling within one month
* Laser treatment or phototherapy within three months
* Photosensitizing medications or herbal preparations
* Inflammatory dermatoses other than rosacea
* Autoimmune disease
* Active skin infection in the treatment area

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• Anna Deda, PhD, Principal investigator, Medical University of Silesia