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. 2019 Oct;18(5):1342-1347.
doi: 10.1111/jocd.12878. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Efficacy of microneedling with topical vitamin C in the treatment of melasma

Esraa Salah Ali Ismail  1 , Aikaterini Patsatsi  2 , Wafaa Mohammed Abd El-Maged  1 , Essam El-Din Abd El-Aziz Nada  1
Affiliations

Efficacy of microneedling with topical vitamin C in the treatment of melasma

Esraa Salah Ali Ismail et al. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Despite the wide therapeutic options available for the treatment of melasma, including many active topical medications, technologies with lights and peelings, clinical control of this disorder is extremely challenging.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of microneedling with topical vitamin C in the treatment of melasma.

Methods: Thirty female patients with melasma received six sessions of microneedling with addition of topical vitamin C every two weeks. At each session, photos were taken and Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) score was calculated to assess the clinical improvement.

Results: Mean age of the eligible patients was 33.2 ± 5.77 years. About 50% of cases were of Fitzpatrick skin type III. All patients showed improvement at the end of the sessions. Mean MASI score in the first session was 8.61 ± 4.45 and there was a gradual decline in its value till it reached a mean of 5.75 ± 4.16 in the last session (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Microneedling with topical vitamin C is an effective and safe treatment option for epidermal melasma especially in Fitzpatrick skin phototypes I-III.

Keywords: dermaroller; melasma; microneedling; vitamin C.

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References

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