NCT07296497

Acupuncture for Refractory Rosacea: A Study on Its Effectiveness and Safety

A Randomized, Multicenter, Single-blind, Sham-controlled Clinical Trial on the Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Refractory Rosacea.

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 104 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Xiangya Hospital of Central South University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study is a randomized, multicenter, sham-controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for patients with refractory rosacea. A total of 104 participants will be enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the acupuncture group or the sham acupuncture group (52 participants in each group, regardless of sex). The primary aim is to determine whether acupuncture can effectively alleviate facial erythema and flushing episodes compared with sham stimulation.

Detailed description

Participants in the acupuncture group will receive electroacupuncture treatment using continuous waves at a frequency of 1 Hz, delivering microcurrent intensity comparable to human bioelectric levels for 20 minutes per session. Participants in the sham group will receive noninvasive stimulation with blunt-tipped needles that do not penetrate the skin. The study duration is 17 weeks in total, consisting of a 1-week baseline observation period, an 8-week treatment phase (16 treatment sessions in total), and an 8-week follow-up phase. Five in-person assessment visits will be conducted at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12, followed by an online follow-up at week 16. The study will assess improvements in rosacea symptoms and monitor treatment safety throughout the study period.

Conditions

• Rosacea

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Acupuncture	The acupuncture sites are primarily located on the face, neck, and proximal limbs along major blood vessels. The specific acupoints include Jiquan (HT1), Yinlian (LR11), Weizhong (BL40), Chize (LU5), and facial Ashi points. The needles are inserted to a depth of 2-3 mm, retained, and stimulated with continuous waves at a frequency of 1 Hz for 20 minutes. Electrical stimulation is not applied to the facial Ashi points, where needles are retained only. The treatment course lasts for 8 weeks, with two sessions per week, for a total of 16 sessions.
PROCEDURE	Sham Acupuncture	Use blunt-tipped acupuncture needles to deliver sham stimulation. The blunt needles do not penetrate the skin. The treatment sites, needle retention time, and electrical stimulation frequency are identical to those in the acupuncture group. The treatment duration and frequency are also the same as in the acupuncture group.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-24
• Primary completion: 2027-01-31
• Completion: 2027-04-30
• First posted: 2025-12-22
• Last updated: 2026-01-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China