Finacea gel

1g of Finacea gel contains 150mg of the active ingredient azelaic acid.

Appearance - white to yellowish-white opaque gel.

Excipients include benzoic acid and propylene glycol. Full list of excipients for Finacea gel

Finacea gel can be used to treat mild to moderate papular-pustular acne on the face and papulopustular rosacea.

Finacea Gel should be used in accordance with your prescriber’s instructions.

The gel is usually applied twice daily (in the morning and the evening) and rubbed in gently to the affected area. 2.5cm of the gel (approximately 0.5g) is enough to cover the entire facial area.

Before applying the gel, the affected skin should be thoroughly washed with plain water and dried (a mild skin-cleansing agent can be used). Dressing or wrappings should not be used to occlude the area and hands should be washed thoroughly after applying the gel. Care should be taken to avoid any contact with the eyes, mouth or other mucosal membranes. Any contact should be washed with large amount of water immediately. If irritation persists, medical advice should eb sought straight away.

If your skin becomes irritated, treatment should be reduced to once daily until the irritation ceases before increasing back to twice daily. You can also reduce the amount of gel applied at each dose. In some cases, treatment may need to be stopped for a few days.

Due to the facial skin being highly sensitive in rosacea patients, other products which are likely to cause irritation to the skin should eb avoided during treatment with Finacea gel (e.g. soaps, cleansers, tinctures, etc.)

Depending on the severity of the condition, the duration of treatment will vary from patient to patient. Results are normally apparent after 4 weeks of use, with most patients requiring several months of treatment to achieve the best results. If there is no improvement after one month of treatment for acne or two months of treatment for rosacea, or if the skin becomes severely irritated, then treatment should be stopped, and alternative options discussed with your prescriber.

Full instructions can be found by reading the patient information leaflet.

Finacea gel is intended to be used in patients over the age of 18 for the treatment of rosacea or over the age of 12 for the treatment of acne.

The safety and efficacy in patients under the age of 12 for acne and under the age of 18 for rosacea has not been established. In addition to this no studies have been performed in patients over the age of 65 or those with hepatic or renal impairment.

Finacea gel should not be used if you are allergic to the active ingredient or any of the excipients of the gel.

There are no adequately controlled studies on the effects of topical Azelaic Acid in pregnant females. Animal studies have shown the potential for developmental effects on the embryo but the concentration in these studies was much greater than the maximum daily dose in humans. Azelaic Acid should be prescribed with extreme caution to pregnant females.

Infants should not come into contact with skin that has been treated with Azelaic Acid. Again, is it not known if Azelaic Acid passes into breast milk, but due to its relatively low absorption rate through the skin, the levels which could potentially reach the breastmilk would be too low to cause any harm. Caution should be taken if prescribing Finacea gel to a breastfeeding mother.

Full product summary for Finacea gel

Like all medication, Finacea gel can sometimes cause unwanted side effects to occur.

Very Common - Localised skin reactions (burning, itching, redness) at the site of administration.

Common - skin dryness, rash, numbness or tingling at site of application.

Uncommon - abnormal redness, scaling, skin discolouration or contact dermatitis at the site of application.

Rare - Hives, skin irritation, worsening of asthma and allergic reactions.