Photodynamic therapy in the treatment of rosacea: A systematic review

Objective: To systematically review the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of rosacea. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles published by February 5, 2022, using "photodynamic therapy" and "rosacea" as the keywords. Results: Nine studies were included in the review. The number of patients varied from 1 to 30 in each study, with ages ranging from 18 to 76 years. Methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) and aminolevulinic acid (ALA) were used as the photosensitizer, and red light, blue light, intense pulsed light (IPL), long-pulsed dye laser (LPDL), pulsed dye laser (PDL), and tungsten lamp were used as the light or laser source. The follow-up time ranged from one month to 25 months. Most of the studies showed a satisfactory clinical response, and the side effects were tolerant and temporary. Conclusion: Current studies have provided preliminary evidence that PDT is an efficient and safe therapy in treating rosacea. However, rigorous randomized control trials (RCTs) with a larger sample size and longer followup time are warranted to verify the curative effects of PDT in treating rosacea and explore the most appropriate treatment schedule.