Soolantra (ivermectin) Cream For Rosacea

Soolantra (ivermectin) Cream, 1% is used for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea. These lesions include bumps, skin marks, and pimples on the face. It is only used in adults and shouldn’t be used for ophthalmic, oral, or intravaginal use.

It contains ivermectin (the active drug, which is reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic properties) and moisturizers (a “vehicle” cream that the ivermectin is mixed in, this vehicle cream acts as a moisturizing base and contains ingredients, such as glycerin, that can moisturize your skin).

How to use it?

You should use Soolantra according to your doctor’s instructions.

You’ll apply a pea-sized amount of Soolantra cream to each affected area (for example one pea-sized amount on your nose and another one on each cheek) of the face. You can then spread the cream evenly in a thin layer.

Do not use Soolantra cream on your lip, eyes, or inside your mouth. You also shouldn’t apply the drug to your vagina.

The Soolantra cream should be used once per day. You can apply it in the morning or at night.

Soolantra is used to treat bumps, skin marks, and pimples on the face due to rosacea. The dosage is a pea-sized amount of Soolantra applied once per day to each affected area (for example, you would apply one pea-sized amount on your nose and one on each cheek) of your face. You should then spread the cream evenly in a thin layer.

Be careful to avoid getting the cream in your eyes, on your lips, or inside your mouth.

Soolantra is available in three different tube sizes and comes in the form of a cream: 30 grams (g), 45 g, and 60 g.

It is available in only one strength: 1% and it means that 1% of the cream contains the active drug ivermectin. So every 1 g of the cream contains 10 mg of ivermectin.

If you forget to use the Soolantra cream one day, apply the scheduled dose the next day at your regular time. Do not “double-up” and use more cream for your next dose as it can increase your side effects.

• burning of the skin
• skin irritation
• skin purging (not a side effect)

These side effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. But if they don’t go away or become more severe, talk with your doctor.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects include an allergic reaction after taking Soolantra.

Symptoms of a mild allergic reaction can include:

• breakout of an itchy skin rash
• itchiness
• warmth and redness in your skin, also known as flushing.

A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include:

• swelling under your skin, typically in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet
• swelling of your mouth, tongue, or throat
• trouble breathing

Call your doctor right away if you have a severe allergic reaction to Soolantra.

To determine the effectiveness of Soolantra cream, researchers used a scale called the Investigator Global Assessment (IGA). The Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) Is used to score the severity of people’s rosacea before and after the study.

The IGA scale runs from 0 to 4. A score of 0 means that the person is “clear” of rosacea. A score of 1 means that the person is “almost clear” of rosacea. A score of 4 means that a person has severe and widespread rosacea with many lesions that sometimes come together.

The researchers also checked the number of inflammatory lesions people had before and after the study. The results showed that after 12 weeks of treatment:

• 38.4% of people who used the Soolantra cream had an IGA score that was “clear” or “almost clear,” compared with 11.6% of people who used the placebo
• In the Soolantra group, the number of inflammatory lesions decreased by almost 65%, and in the placebo group, there was only a 42% decrease in inflammatory lesions.

A second study also looked at people with rosacea who used Soolantra or a placebo cream for 12 weeks. The results were:

• 40.1% of people who used the Soolantra cream scored as “clear” or “almost clear,” compared with 18.8% of the people who used the placebo
• In the Soolantra group, the number of inflammatory lesions decreased by almost 66%, and in the placebo group, there was only a 43% decrease in inflammatory lesions.

These 2 studies show how effective the Soolantra cream can be.

Soolantra isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating acne. But the drug may be used off-label.

The research shows that the drug can help to ease the skin conditions of people with acne. But more studies are needed to know if Soolantra is safe and effective for treating acne.

If you’d like to use Soolantra for acne, talk with your doctor.

Soolantra can be used for treating perioral dermatitis, but only off-label. There are people using soolantra for perioral dermatitis, and studies have shown it to decrease the inflammatory lesions of rosacea on the face.

If you’d like to use Soolantra for perioral dermatitis, talk with your doctor.

Soolantra can be used for treating seborrheic dermatitis as there are studies showing that it is effective in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis with complete or almost complete clearance. It may be used off-label to treat this condition. 

If you’d like to use Soolantra for seborrheic dermatitis, talk with your doctor.

Soolantra isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating scabies.

But a study used two topicals (topical ivermectin vs. permethrin 2.5% cream) in the treatment of scabies and it showed that ivermectin was as effective as permethrin 2.5% cream. So, ivermectin (the active drug in Soolantra) may be used off-label for this purpose

The drug isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat this condition. And there isn’t any evidence that Soolantra works to treat eczema.

If you have questions about your treatment options for eczema, talk with your doctor.

Common questions about Soolantra

Yes, you can apply moisturizer or makeup after using Soolantra. But you need to make sure the Soolantra cream has dried completely before using these products.

Skin purging wasn’t reported as a side effect in the clinical trials. Acne breakouts were also not reported in people who used Soolantra.

Soolantra may make your rosacea worse but you will need to talk to your doctor about this.

Soolantra won’t make your skin sensitive to the sun. However, sun exposure can Trigger your rosacea, so you will need to use sunscreen,

The active drug in Soolantra, ivermectin, belongs to a group of medications known as antiparasitics and is effective at killing Demodex mites.

It is not known if Soolantra is safe for children.

Soolantra can be used for long-term treatment and is meant for it.

Yes, Soolantra can be used with retinol as long as you’re using them both at separate times of the day. You can use soolantra in the morning and retinol at night, but do make sure to consult a doctor about this.

Yes, you can use Soolantra with differin but at separate times of the day. You can use soolantra in the morning and differin at night. if you find retinol irritating, you can choose its derivatives. Using both of these products may lead to excessive drying, itching, and burning, so do not forget to use a moisturizer.

If you need to use this combination, you should consult your doctor.

Yes, Soolantra can be used with tretinoin as long as you’re using them both at separate times of the day. You can use soolantra in the morning and tretinoin at night, but do make sure to consult your doctor about this. both of these products can make your skin dry, so do use a moisturizer.

Yes, Soolantra can be used with vitamin C but use them both at separate times of the day. You can use soolantra in the morning and vitamin C at night. both of these products can make your skin dry, so do use a moisturizer. If you find vitamin C irritating, you can choose its derivatives (ascorbyl palmitate, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, or magnesium ascorbyl phosphate).

If you need to use this combination, you should consult your doctor.

Yes, you can use soolantra and azelaic acid together as long as you use them at separate times of the day. You can use soolantra in the morning and azelaic acid at night or together at the same time.

You can use soolantra after applying azelaic acid.

It is said that soolantra shouldn’t be on the eyes or eyelids, but a study showed that the application (using a cotton swab) of soolantra (ivermectin) 1% cream on the eyelashes for 15 minutes once weekly together with a daily eyelid hygiene regimen was effective in improving the signs and symptoms of Demodex blepharitis.

Soolantra is so expensive because of various reasons:

• No single-payer negotiation: if you’re living in the U.S. soolantra will be expensive because the government doesn’t negotiate prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers like how other countries do.
• Lack of government regulation: In the U.S. the government does not regulate how much medications can cost whereas other countries do. Therefore pharmaceutical companies set the prices for medications at their will and this leads to high prices.
• Other reasons: prices rising faster than inflation, lack of comparative research across drugs, drug patents, and exclusivity are some of the other reasons why soolantra is so expensive.

No, soolantra does not help with wrinkles. It can only be used to treat symptoms related to rosacea.

Be careful when using Soolantra with harsh skincare actives like AHA/BHA/PHA’s, benzoyl peroxide, vitamin C and retinoids (retinol, differin, and tretinoin) as it may lead to excessive drying, irritation, and redness. It might even make your rosacea worse.

Some people with rosacea may be able to handle these harsh skincare actives but if you have severe rosacea, then it is better to stay away and stick with the same old boring skincare routine (a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, Soolantra cream, and sunscreen)