Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology (Jun 2024)
Potential Role of Tranexamic Acid in Rosacea Treatment: conquering Flushing Beyond Melasma
Abstract
Jiawen Zhang,1,* Duoduo Gu,2,* Yang Yan,3,* Ruoxin Pan,2 Hui Zhong,4,5 Chengfeng Zhang,1 Yang Xu2 1Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Ren Ji Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chengfeng Zhang; Yang Xu, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects a patient’s appearance and quality of life. It mainly affects the midface region and presents as erythema, flushing, telangiectasia, papules, pustules, and rhinophyma. Despite its prevalence, the precise pathophysiology of rosacea remains unknown, and novel pharmacological therapies are currently under investigation. Tranexamic acid (TA) is a synthetic, lysine-like compound that competitively inhibits fibrinogen production by synthesizing fibrinolytic enzymes. In addition to its popular application in hemorrhage treatment, TA has been used to manage a number of skin conditions, including melasma, chronic urticaria, and angioedema. TA is a better option for melasma treatment. However, the role of TA in treating rosacea has not yet been systematically elucidated. In this study, we reviewed all available literature on the use of TA for rosacea treatment. The included articles examined the therapeutic effects of TA in patients with rosacea, including traditional methods such as oral and topical administration and more novel approaches such as intradermal injections, microneedling, and laser-assisted delivery. Several recent clinical studies demonstrated that TA alleviates rosacea symptoms by restoring the permeability barrier, ameliorating the immune reaction, and inhibiting angiogenesis. In this review, we summarized the function and potential application of TA in rosacea treatment, aiming to facilitate the implementation of clinical applications.Keywords: rosacea, tranexamic acid, topical, oral, microinjection
