Is topical estrogen an evidence-based treatment for rosacea?
Topical estrogen isn’t an evidence based treatment for rosacea, but it’s also not something that typically aggravates it. That’s the main takeaway shared by both Dr. Ellen Gendler, a board certified dermatologist, and Dr. Corinne Menn in the Alloy interviews.
Dr. Gendler explains that rosacea is driven by inflammation and often an overgrowth of Demodex mites, and estrogen doesn’t target those pathways. She’s very clear that she doesn’t use topical estrogen as a rosacea therapy. At the same time, she says there’s no reason to expect it to make rosacea worse, especially because the formulas here at Alloy, including the M4 line, are lightweight and not occlusive.
Dr. Menn adds that anything that improves the skin barrier, including topical estrogen, may make skin more comfortable, but it won’t cure rosacea. She reassures that studies do not show topical estrogens worsening rosacea.
If you want to hear that part of the conversation directly, the chapter on rosacea in our skincare webinar is helpful. You can watch it here:Rosacea and topical estrogen.
If you’re looking for evidence based rosacea treatment, here at Alloy we do offer a prescription Rosacea Face Cream Rx that targets redness and inflammation using ingredients known to help. You can read more about it at the rosacea cream page: Rosacea Face Cream Rx.
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