WASHINGTON — Twice-daily application of 2% polyphenone (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (ECGC [green tea extract]) in a hydrophilic cream significantly reduced inflammatory lesion counts in patients with papulopustular rosacea, Dr. Tanweer Syed and colleagues wrote in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
In this double-blind study, Dr. Syed—partial owner of Syed Skin Care Inc., San Francisco, which sells a version of this product—and coworkers randomized 500 subjects (315 women) with papulopustular rosacea into two groups. One group received 50 g of a hydrophilic cream containing 2% polyphenone ECGC; the other received 50 g of a placebo cream.
The patients (average age 30 years) appplied the cream twice a day for 4 weeks, with a maximum of 56 applications. They were evaluated weekly using photographic and optical techniques. Tolerability and adverse effects were graded according to duration (in days) and severity (mild, moderate, or severe). Patients with connective tissue diseases or acne, on immunosuppressive regimens, and with use of topical steroids within the previous 12 weeks were excluded.
After 4 weeks, 74% of patients in the active treatment group showed success, meaning significant reduction in mean inflammatory lesion count, compared with 20% of those on placebo. Three-quarters of the funding for this study was provided by Syed Skin Care Inc., the authors said.
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