Rosacea and redness
Flushing, visible vessels, and reactive skin. Some light-based treatments genuinely help. Plenty of trending ingredients do not.
Every option we have graded, best evidence first
Azelaic acid
Ingredients
A 2024 network meta-analysis of 19 RCTs with 8,208 participants found azelaic acid 20% had the largest effect on investigator-rated improvement in moderate-to-severe papulopustular rosacea (odds ratio 8.54, 95% CI 2.48 to 29.45), ranking above metronidazole and ivermectin. Meta-analyses within a 2023 review of 20 rosacea studies found significant improvements in erythema and inflammatory lesions versus vehicle at 12 weeks. Note it treats bumps and associated redness, not flushing or visible vessels.
IPL (intense pulsed light)
Treatments
A 2022 systematic review and a 2024 meta-analysis (4 comparative studies, 141 participants) found IPL performs on par with pulsed dye laser, the reference device, for facial erythema and telangiectasia, with no significant difference in achieving over 50 percent clearance. Studies consistently show improvement after 3 or more sessions with transient side effects. Note this treats the visible redness, not the underlying rosacea, so maintenance sessions are usual.