An efficacy of transdermal drug delivery by skin needling technique with a combination of tranexamic acid and ascorbic acid for the treatment of epidermal and mixed melasma
Efficacy of transdermal drug delivery by skin needling technique with a combination of tranexamic acid and ascorbic acid for the treatment of epidermal and mixed melasma
Abstract:
Background: Currently, melasma is common skin hypermelanosis, commonly found in Asian and darker skin. Main treatment is topical anti-melanogenesis medication but usually recurrent rate is apparently high. Nowadays, there is plenty of new modality for the treatment of melasma including transdermal drug delivery technique.
Objective: To determine an efficacy and safety of transdermal drug delivery technique by using skin needling technique and compare between a mixed solution of tranexamic acid and ascorbic acid with normal saline solution.
Method: An intra-individual, splited face comparison, enrolled 20 females with bilateral sides of facial melasma. The subjects will be randomized to receive either a mixed solution of tranexamic acid and ascorbic acid with skin needling technique on one side of the face or normal saline solution with skin needling technique on the contra-lateral side and blinded the study interventions to study subjects. The treatment intervention will be 3 sessions every 4 weeks at baseline, week 4 and week 8 visits. The outcomes evaluation included the assessments of modified melasma area severity index or MASI score, melanin index by Mexameter MX 18 measurement, patients global satisfaction score and adverse effects at baseline, week 4, week 8 and week 12.
Results: There were no significant difference between those subjects treated with mixed solution of tranexamic acid and ascorbic acid with skin needling technique versus normal saline solution with skin needling technique in term of modified MASI score, Mexameter Melanin index, self reported global satisfaction score by patient and their side effects.
Conclusion: skin needling technique treated with a mixed solution of tranexamic acid and ascorbic acid is not effective and is not difference with normal saline solution with skin needling technique. This technique is not recommended for the treatment of melasma.