Rozex (Metronidazole) 0.75% Gel - Effective Antibiotic Treatment for Rosacea

Rozex Gel is a prescription treatment with the active ingredient metronidazole. It’s designed to help treat the symptoms of rosacea, particularly the pimples, pustules and redness. Metronidazole is an antibiotic that can reduce inflammation and soothe irritation.

Rozex Gel is a topical medication, which means that you apply it directly to the affected areas. When used regularly, Rozex Gel can help calm flare-ups and support you to keep your rosacea symptoms under control.

How Does Rozex 0.75% Gel Work?

Rozex 0.75% Gel contains the antibiotic metronidazole as its active ingredient. Metronidazole works by targeting specific bacteria on the skin, killing them and preventing them from spreading. It does this by damaging the bacteria’s DNA, which stops them from multiplying. It also calms your immune system response to the bacteria that causes the redness and swelling linked to rosacea.

Once you start using Rozex, it will usually take two to three months for the skin to become clear from spots. Even if you’re not seeing results after several weeks, it is recommended that you finish the prescribed treatment. Treatment with Rozex Cream/Gel doesn’t normally go on longer than four months (your doctor will inform you if there's a good reason to use it for longer than that). Read our full guide on how long Rozex takes to work for a better understanding of what to expect.

How To Use Rozex (Metronidazole) 0.75% Gel

Our clinical team will explain to you how to use Rozex, and you should use it as they advise. Firstly, you should wash and dry your face. Apply a thin layer of the gel to the affected areas and rub the gel in well, avoiding your eyes. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after using Rozex, so it doesn’t spread to areas where it’s not supposed to be used.

Use Rozex twice a day, morning and evening. Your prescriber will tell you how long to use it for, but typically it takes around three to four months to get your rosacea under control.

Ingredients

Rozex contains 0.75% w/w of the active substance Metronidazole which is mainly used to treat the symptoms of rosacea. Because of its potency, it is classified as a prescription-only medicine, and every 50g tube of gel (cream also comes in a tube of 50g) comes with a comprehensive Patient Information Leaflet.

Side Effects

As with all medications, Rozex Gel can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. Potential side effects to look out for include dry skin, redness, itching, burning sensations, and skin irritation. Most of the time, these symptoms are mild, and you should notice that they improve as you continue to use the Rozex Gel. If you experience severe symptoms or they don’t subside after a while, speak to a member of our clinical team for advice.

Warnings

You should not use Rozex if you’re allergic to any of the ingredients in the gel - this includes both metronidazole and the inactive ingredients. You should also speak to your doctor before using Rozex if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Children shouldn’t use it, and people with blood disorders should avoid it unless advised by a doctor.

Rozex can make your skin more sensitive than normal, so you should stay out of strong sunlight and avoid sunbeds while using the medication. Take care to avoid getting the gel in your eyes, and always wash your hands after use.

Metronidazole taken by mouth can react with alcohol. Although it’s unlikely to react with alcohol when used in topical form, it’s still recommended to avoid drinking alcohol while you’re using Rozex Gel.

It is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet in full before you take this medicine.

Alternative Medical Treatments for Rosacea

Rozex is a great choice for treating mild to moderate skin eruptions and inflammation in rosacea sufferers. It is used twice a day and needs to be used continuously for several weeks for an improvement to be seen. Side effects are moderate, as it is applied locally and little is absorbed into the bloodstream. Metrogel is an alternative to Rozex that also contains metronidazole.

Mirvaso Gel is specifically used to reduce the skin redness that occurs in rosacea. You can apply it once per day, and it will work to reduce redness for as long as you need it. The main side effect of Mirvaso Gel is worsened redness at the start of treatment.

For more serious flare-ups, Finacea Gel can be used — with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, it treats rosacea very effectively (it contains azelaic acid, which is also believed to be beneficial for the skin in many other ways).

A relatively new rosacea application that many people are finding success with is Soolantra, which contains the active ingredient ivermectin. Both anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic, it attacks the human skin parasites commonly linked with rosacea — as such, it may prove effective in cases where Rozex has no success.

Erythromycin is an oral antibiotic used to treat the same symptoms as Finacea and Rozex, but it is only considered when rosacea is very severe or unresponsive to creams and gels. It takes 4 to 6 weeks of treatment for Erythromycin to show results, and it cannot be taken with any foods or medicines that contain metal ions (anything containing calcium or large quantities of iron or calcium will combine with Erythromycin and prevent it from being absorbed). Erythromycin should be taken in courses of 6 to 12 weeks.

Home Remedies for Rosacea

Although rosacea treatments are very effective, you can also calm your rosacea symptoms through lifestyle changes. Rosacea is a long-term condition, so knowing your triggers will allow you to reduce rosacea symptoms in other ways.

Here are the common triggers for rosacea and what you can do to minimise flare-ups:

• Exposure to hot or cold temperatures: In hot temperatures, wear a hat or stay in the shade to minimise exposure. In cold weather, it’s a good idea to cover up with a scarf.
• Alcohol, spicy foods and hot drinks: It’s not uncommon for some people to become flushed when they have particular foods or drink alcohol; if you have rosacea, it can exacerbate your symptoms.
• Sunlight exposure: Sunlight can cause uncontrollable flushing and redness on rosacea-prone skin. Wear a high factor sun cream to protect your skin.
• Stress: Psychological factors, such as stress and anxiety, may even aggravate flushing in rosacea — so managing stress properly is key.