Acne and Rosacea Updates 2024, with James Del Rosso, DO

Following his presentation at Maui Derm NP+PA Fall 2024 in Nashville, James Q. Del Rosso, DO, spoke with the HCPLive editorial team regarding his talk’s major highlights related to updates in treatment options and management of acne and rosacea in 2024.

Del Rosso, the research director of JDR Dermatology Research in Las Vegas and the president of the American Acne and Rosacea Society (ARS), had first discussed the Valisure report on levels of the carcinogen benzene in acne products with benzoyl peroxide. After this, he was asked if there were other topics covered in his talk.

“I presented a case of recurrent acne and a patient over time in young teenage girl who was very finicky about what she ate,” Del Rosso explained. “Didn't eat a lot of fat, she was vegan, and she did not want to use benzoyl peroxide for other reasons having nothing to do with benzene…She just had 1 product that she used early on.”

Del Rosso noted in this case that the patient did not like this product, but she also preferred not to hear about other formulations or other benzoyl peroxide products.

“You just didn't go there, because she was so set against it and she had recurrences even after using oral isotretinoin,” Del Rosso said. “And it turned out, even though she was very thin and didn't fit the stereotypical picture of polycystic ovary disease, that she did.”

After discussing this patient with polycystic ovary syndrome, Del Rosso highlighted the fact that there is a variety of new information on the condition as well as some new recommendations on testing for it. Del Rosso was later asked to highlight any other updates on therapies or management strategies for patients with acne or rosacea.

“Minocycline can be used,” Del Rosso said. “It's a tetracycline and has anti-inflammatory properties. It's been around for a long time and minocycline was FDA-approved in 1971 as an antibiotic, and then it fell into acne and rosacea by common use. There's a few specific formulations that are approved for acne.”

Del Rosso noted that these are extended release formulations. He added that there is currently a low-dose formulation for minocycline being evaluated by the FDA for rosacea, though it does not formally have FDA approval for the condition.

“But it's been commonly used,” Del Rosso added. “I'd have to say that, in the past tetracycline and and in more recent years doxycycline is probably more often. There is a sub-microbial or sub-antibiotic dose doxycycline that is actually FDA-approved for rosacea, but immediate-release doxycycline is not. It's still commonly used for acne and rosacea.”

For additional information on this subject, view the full interview segment above. To find out more about related topics, view our latest conference coverage here.

The quotes contained in this interview summary were edited for clarity.

Del Rosso has reported grants from Galderma and Almirall Clinical Research; and consulting and/or speaking honoraria from EPI Health/Novan, LEO Pharma, VYNE, Sente, Maine Pharma, all outside the submitted work; and being president-elect and education chairperson of the American Acne & Rosacea Society.