Azelaic Acid For Rosacea: What Are The Azelaic Acid Benefits & What Is Azelaic Acid Good For?

Reviewed on 10 Mar 2022

You may or may not have heard of azelaic acid, as this skin medication has only recently begun making waves. However, if you suffer from acne or rosacea, you’ll definitely want to find out more about how azelaic acid can help you.

In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about azelaic acid. In addition to outlining the various benefits of azelaic acid, we’ll set out the products that use it and explain what happens when you use to treat skin conditions such as rosacea or acne.

What is azelaic acid?

Azelaic acid is an organic compound that can be derived from wheat, rye and barley, although the type of azelaic acid that is used in skincare products tends to be the lab-engineered form due to its increased effectiveness and stability.

Azelaic acid belongs to a class of drugs known as dicarboxylic acids. This may sound a little scary, but don’t worry — azelaic acid is used in small percentages in medical treatments, and is a perfectly safe and beneficial acid to use.

What are the main benefits of azelaic acid? What is it good for?

With antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and keratin-reducing properties, azelaic acid has the following key benefits:

It can treat acne, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, and other skin conditions.
It can clear away dead skin cells, leaving skin smoother.
It can reduce the visibility of acne scars and other blemishes.

Below, we’ll cover these benefits in greater detail.

Is azelaic acid good for acne and acne scars?

Azelaic acid is an extremely effective treatment for acne and can be used to treat mild and hormonal acne. Azelaic acid products help to reduce the swelling and inflammation of acne, but also work in a preventative manner by unblocking pores and glands and killing bacteria.

Through a consistent course of treatment, azelaic acid can also help to fade surface acne scars and reduce their appearance over time.

Is azelaic acid good for rosacea?

Azelaic acid products are particularly effective at treating rosacea.

The anti-inflammatory properties of the acid treat visible rosacea symptoms such as redness, swelling and rashes. Azelaic acid also prevents spots and bumps by killing skin bacteria and keeping pores unblocked. Over time it will smoothen skin and reduce redness, flushing and the appearance of obvious blood vessels.

You can buy Finacea gel from The Independent Pharmacy — you’ll just need to answer a short consultation questionnaire to allow our medical team to review your condition and write you a prescription, if appropriate.

Is azelaic acid good for hyperpigmentation?

Hyperpigmentation is a medical term used to describe dark marks and patches on the skin that occur due to excess melanin production.

Products containing azelaic acid can be used to treat hyperpigmentation. This is because azelaic acid inhibits the enzyme tyrosinase, which is needed for the production of melanin. By affecting melanin production, azelaic acid has the ability to lighten the skin and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation.

Is azelaic acid good for melasma?

Similar to hyperpigmentation, melasma is a common skin condition caused by the overproduction of melanin. This results in brown or greyish-brown patches on the skin mostly found on the face but sometimes found on other parts of the body that are more exposed to the sun (such as the neck and forearms).

Melasma is much more common in women and is thought to be triggered by sun exposure and hormonal influences (such as pregnancy, birth control pills and hormone therapy).

Azelaic acid can help to lighten this melasma and reduce its appearance of melasma by inhibiting melanin production.

Is azelaic acid good for blackheads?

The antibacterial qualities of azelaic acid help to prevent the formation of both white and blackheads, by killing the skin bacteria that can lead to spots. It also inhibits the production of keratin skin cells, which can block pores and sebaceous glands and create oily build-ups (leading to blackheads).

What treatments is azelaic acid used in?

Azelaic acid is used in various skin treatments due to its anti-inflammatory effects and its ability to reduce the production of keratin (excess production of keratin can clog up pores).

As a result, azelaic acid is ideal for treating skin conditions such as rosacea and acne.

Here at The Independent Pharmacy, we currently offer two topical azelaic acid treatments:

Finacea Gel: an azelaic acid gel.
Skinoren Cream: an azelaic acid cream.

Key details of the main two azelaic acid treatments

Treatment	What It's Used For	Active Ingredient	Prescription?
Finacea Gel	To treat mild acne and rosacea	15% azelaic acid	Yes
Skinoren Cream	To combat all types of acne	20% azelaic acid	Yes

Finacea Gel vs. Skinoren Cream: What’s the main difference?

Finacea Gel and Skinoren Cream are both skin medications. Each is effective at treating acne, but there are some differences between the two, with the key one being that Skinoren Cream contains more azelaic acid than Finacea Gel.

Below, we’ve highlighted the key differences between Finacea Gel and Skinoren cream:

Skinoren Cream is stronger: it’s 20% azelaic acid, while Finacea Gel is 15%.
Skinoren Cream treats all acne: Finacea Gel is only for mild to moderate acne.
Finacea Gel treats rosacea: it’s a milder treatment, which makes it OK for rosacea.

As both contain similar ingredients, they can cause similar side effects.

You can find out more about these two treatments and determine which one is most suitable for you by booking a free consultation with one of our medical team.

More about Finacea Gel

Finacea Gel is a prescription-only gel used to treat rosacea. It’s 15% azelaic acid, which gives it anti-inflammatory effects and allows it to reduce the redness and swelling of rosacea.

Finacea also reduces the body’s natural production of keratin cells. This prevents keratin cells from blocking pores and sebaceous glands (the small glands in your skin which release sebum), alleviating rosacea symptoms such as bumps, spots, papules, and pustules.

To find out more about Finacea, visit our ‘What is Finacea?’ page.

More about Skinoren Cream

Skinoren cream also contains the active ingredient of azelaic acid, but in a higher concentration. It’s 20% azelaic acid where Finacea Gel is a weaker 15%.

The potent azelaic acid in Skinoren works in two ways to combat acne: by reducing the growth of pore-blocking keratin cells, and by killing the bacteria associated with acne. A common skin bacteria called propionibacterium feeds on the sebum produced by the skin, creating waste products and fatty acids that worsen acne symptoms and inflame the skin.

By unblocking pores and glands and killing propionibacterium, Skinoren reduces acne and allows your skin to heal naturally.

Although Finacea Gel is typically used for rosacea, and Skinoren cream is largely used for acne, the two treatments can sometimes be prescribed for the other skin conditions. It all depends on the situation, but since each product is prescription-only, there shouldn’t be any confusion about what to use.

Azelaic acid and pregnancy

Using azelaic acid while pregnant or trying to become pregnant is generally recognised as safe.

As azelaic acid comes in the form of topical treatment (a gel or cream that you rub into the skin), a small amount is absorbed by the body. However, this amount is very small — less than 4% — and there is currently no evidence that azelaic acid can cause harm to an unborn baby.

If you decide that you would like to use an azelaic acid product to treat any skin conditions during your pregnancy, it is best to seek advice from your doctor on how to proceed.

Similarly, if you are breastfeeding, it is a good idea to discuss the risks and benefits of taking this medication with your doctor.

Azelaic acid side effects

The majority of people will be able to use azelaic acid products successfully to treat skin conditions, and without suffering any negative side effects.

However, here are some possible side effects that may occur if you use this treatment:

Numbness, tingling, burning or stinging sensations on the skin
Itching
Dry skin
Redness
Rash or contact dermatitis

(Please note, this list is not exhaustive and there may be rarer side effects that we haven’t mentioned on this list).

Most side effects are mild and harmless, and will occur upon application if they occur at all; these should subside as your body adjusts to the medication throughout your treatment.

If any minor side effects persist, you should contact your doctor for guidance — they may suggest that you decrease to one daily application instead of two.

If you suffer from any persistent, painful or more serious side effects (skin discolouration, hypersensitivity, worsening of asthma), then stop treatment immediately and contact your doctor for advice.

Further information on azelaic acid

Still haven’t found the answers about azelaic acid that you were looking for? We’ve answered any further questions you may have below.

Is azelaic acid natural?

Azelaic acid is a naturally occurring compound found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. However, the type of azelaic acid that is used in medical treatments for skin conditions tends to be the lab-engineered form as it is more stable and effective, making it more suitable for use.

In its natural state, it is a white power.

Is azelaic acid an antibiotic?

No, azelaic acid is not an antibiotic.

There are other topical skin treatments such as Rozex rosacea gel that contain an antibiotic as the active ingredient, rather thanazelaic acid.Rozex contains the powerful antibioticmetronidazole, which treatsrosacea by killing skin bacteria. Find out more about Rozex in our guide: What is Rozex?.

Is azelaic acid good for your skin?

In small doses, yes. Azelaic acid has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making skin clearer, smoother and healthier.

It can sometimes lead to dryness, however, this can be resolved by using a sensitive moisturiser once your azelaic acid cream or gel has been absorbed.

How long does it take for azelaic acid to work on rosacea?

It takes between six and eight weeks of consistent use of azelaic acid to significantly reduce rosacea symptoms. After that time, you should see major improvements.

What is the best azelaic acid treatment for rosacea?

Any treatment containing azelaic acid will be effective for treating rosacea, but Finacea Gel is generally recommended for treating mild to moderate cases.

If you don’t want to use azelaic acid, you must be careful when choosing which active ingredient you’ll use. You should treat rosacea with medication that contains retinoids or salicylic acid as the active ingredient. You should avoid treatments that use glycolic acid, as they can irritate sensitive skin.

Can you use azelaic acid every day?

Yes, you can use azelaic acid every day. Indeed, you should use azelaic acid daily for the treatment to achieve optimal results.

What does azelaic acid do to your skin?

Azelaic acid helps your skin to renew itself faster, and boosts its ability to kill the bacteria responsible for acne and rosacea.

Summary

In summary, azelaic acid has many benefits: it can combat acne and spot growth, alleviate the redness and swelling of rosacea, and reduce other skin problems such as hyperpigmentation, melasma and acne scars.

Don’t take our word for it — read our Finacea gel reviews page, another azelaic acid product, to see what real users think of the treatments and its benefits.