Randomised trial, 2004
Does rofecoxib reduce premenstrual acne?
Yes. Rofecoxib was more effective than placebo at reducing premenstrual acne.
What they did
A placebo-controlled trial where 80 women with premenstrual acne were given either rofecoxib or placebo for 10 days for two menstrual cycles. Acne severity was measured using an acne severity index and by counting inflammatory acne lesions.
What they found
Rofecoxib was more effective than placebo. The abstract notes results suggest rofecoxib is effective in managing premenstrual acne and that prostaglandin PGE2 may be involved in its pathogenesis, but specific numerical results were not provided.
What it means for you
Rofecoxib may help reduce premenstrual acne by reducing inflammation. However, the study was small (80 women) and lacked detailed results in the abstract, so more research is needed. The findings were from India.
80
women in study
10 days
treatment duration per cycle
2 cycles
study duration
About the study
- Original title
- Management of premenstrual acne with Cox-2 inhibitors: a placebo controlled study
- Authors
- Tehrani R, Dharmalingam M
- Journal
- Indian journal of dermatology, venereology and leprology
- Year
- 2004
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Rofecoxib (Cox-2 inhibitor) or placebo for 10 days per cycle, two cycles
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17642660/