Botulinum toxin useful therapeutic option to improve cutaneous flushing, finds study

Meta-analysis was performed to calculate mean differences in these outcomes before and after botulinum toxin treatment at 1-month follow-up.

• Nine studies involving 132 patients were included in the analysis, comprising 2 randomized controlled trials and 7 nonrandomized studies.

• All studies demonstrated a low risk of bias, indicating high quality.

• The meta-analysis revealed a significant decrease in clinical flushing scores by 1.25 points overall (95% confidence interval [CI]: −2.47; −0.04) 1 month after botulinum toxin treatment.

• Mean DLQI scores improved by 9.02 points (95% CI: −19.81; 1.77) following botulinum toxin injections.

• Although the EI (measured by Mexameter) showed improvement in 2 studies, statistical analysis was inconclusive due to insufficient data.

This meta-analysis provides evidence that botulinum toxin effectively reduces clinical flushing scores 1 month after treatment. This finding underscores the potential of botulinum toxin as a therapeutic option for managing cutaneous flushing, offering hope for individuals with this challenging dermatologic condition.

Reference:

Vincent, N., Ravipati, A., Reynolds, J. M., & Kaufman, J. (2024). Efficacy of botulinum toxin in the treatment of cutaneous flushing: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Dermatologic Surgery, 10.1097/DSS.0000000000004073. https://doi.org/10.1097/dss.0000000000004073