Efficacy and safety of mesotherapy with tranexamic acid versus vitamin C in the treatment of melasma: A meta-analysis and systemic review.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The exact pathogenesis of melasma is not yet known, and its treatment remains challenging. Mesotherapy with tranexamic acid (TXA) and vitamin C was both reported to have certain effects on melasma. In spite of that several articles have compared the efficacy and safety of the two drugs on melasma, most of them were clinical study with small sample size. AIMS: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of mesotherapy with TXA versus vitamin C in treating melasma through meta-analysis and systemic review. METHODS: The authors searched PubMed, Web of Science, Springer, and ScienceDirect for studies that compared mesotherapy with TXA versus vitamin C as a treatment for melasma. Primary outcomes were change in melasma area and severity index (MASI) before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Finally, five studies with a total of 127 patients were included in the systematic review. There was no statistic difference in the change in MASI score between the TXA and vitamin C groups (mean difference, 0.16; 95% CI, -0.79 to 1.11). CONCLUSIONS: Mesotherapy with both TXA and vitamin C is safe and effective in the treatment of melasma.