ABSTRACT
Objective:
To evaluate the
efficacy of long-pulsed 1 064-nm NdYAG laser combined with a topical
emulsion containing
Camellia reticulata and Radix Notoginseng in the
treatment of
melasma.
Methods:
A total of 80
patients with
melasma were enrolled from Department of
Dermatology, People′s
Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from June 2019 to June 2020, and randomly and equally divided into
control group and
observation group by using a random number table 40
patients in the
control group were treated with long-pulsed 1 064-nm NdYAG laser once every 2 weeks for 6 sessions as a
course of
treatment; another 40 in the
observation group were treated with the same
laser therapy as the
control group and a topical
emulsion containing
Camellia reticulata and Radix Notoginseng twice a day for 3 months as a
course of
treatment.
Melasma area and severity index (MASI),
clinical efficacy,
patient satisfaction rate and
safety were compared between the 2 groups before and/or
after treatment.
Results:
After 4- and 8-week
treatment, there was no significant difference in the MASI score between the
observation group (14.57 ± 3.22 points, 10.00 ± 2.94 points, respectively) and
control group (14.74 ± 3.11 points, 11.31 ± 3.00 points, respectively; both P>0.05). After 12-week
treatment, the MASI score was significantly lower in the
observation group (4.80 ± 2.78 points) than in the
control group (7.07 ± 3.22 points, t = -3.38, P<0.01). After 3-month
treatment, the response rate was significantly higher in the
observation group (36 cases, 90%) than in the
control group (31 cases, 77.5%; χ2 = 4.58, P < 0.001) ; however, there was no significant difference in the
patient satisfaction rate between the
observation group (87.5%) and
control group (72.5%, χ2 = 7.26, P = 0.06). In addition, no significant difference in the occurrence of adverse reactions was observed between the
observation group (5 cases, 12.5%) and
control group (7 cases, 17.5%; P > 0.05) .
Conclusion:
Compared with the long-pulsed 1 064-nm NdYAG laser alone, the topical
emulsion containing
Camellia reticulata and Radix Notoginseng in combination with the long-pulsed 1 064-nm NdYAG laser is more effective for the
treatment of
melasma, with higher
patient satisfaction and less adverse reactions.