The trial from February 2024 to February 2025, involved 72 participants with moderate to severe ETR, identified by a Clinician’s Erythema Assessment (CEA) score of at least 2. The participants were randomly divided into 2 equal groups, where one received daily taVNS therapy, and the other underwent sham stimulation (SS), which mimicked the treatment but provided no actual nerve activation.
The taVNS treatment delivered mild electrical pulses to the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, located in the ear, at a frequency of 30 Hz and pulse width of 200 microseconds for 30 minutes daily over 3 weeks. Both groups were monitored for an additional 24 weeks to assess long-term effects.
After 3 weeks, the taVNS group showed marked improvements in facial erythema when compared to the control group. The average CEA score dropped from moderate to mild redness levels, with a mean score of 1.56 compared to 2.47 in the SS group (mean difference, −0.92; P < .001). This improvement in visible skin symptoms persisted through the 24-week follow-up period.
Beyond dermatological improvements, the patients receiving taVNS also experienced notable reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms. The mean difference for anxiety scores was −5.42, and for depression, −6.22, both with strong statistical significance. These psychological benefits suggest that taVNS not only improves skin appearance but may also help alleviate some of the emotional burdens commonly associated with rosacea.
Also, additional measures like sleep quality, fatigue, and migraine frequency, showed improvement among taVNS recipients, further highlighting the therapy’s potential holistic impact. Adverse events were rare and mild, occurring in only 2 patients (5.6%) in the taVNS group and 3 (8.3%) in the sham group.
Overall, the findings of this study suggest that daily taVNS sessions can substantially reduce facial redness and improve quality of life for ETR patients, signaling a promising new direction for noninvasive rosacea treatment.
Source:
Li, J., Wei, J., Zhang, M., Kong, M., Xie, L., Wan, M., Pan, Z., Tian, J., Ou, Z., Chen, S., Xia, A., Tang, L., Song, Z., Hou, J., & Hao, F. (2025). Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation treatment for erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea: A randomized clinical trial: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Dermatology (Chicago, Ill.). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2025.3796
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