Tan MG et al.Microneedling as an adjunct to topical treatment of melasma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.American Academy of Dermatology Meeting; November 19-21, 2021 (virtual meeting).
Tan MG et al.Microneedling as an adjunct to topical treatment of melasma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.American Academy of Dermatology Meeting; November 19-21, 2021 (virtual meeting).
Topical microneedling is a safe and effective tool for treating melasma, according to a presentation at the American Academy of Dermatologic Surgery’s virtual meeting.
“Our review found that microneedling alone, without any topical treatment, improved melasma by 23% to 29%,” said University of Ottawa resident Marcus G. Tan, MD. “Adding general topical treatment to microneedling The severity of melasma can be greatly improved.”
The researchers conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 eligible studies including 459 patients from 7 countries and the keywords “melasma” and “microneedling.”
Topical treatment studies included topical tranexamic acid, vitamin C, platelet-rich plasma, non-hydroquinone-based depigmenting serum, and hydroquinone-based depigmenting agents.
Combining microneedling with topical medication saw modest positive effects at week 8 (standardized mean difference [S​​MD] = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.04-0.86) and large effects at week 12 (SMD = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.6-1.48).
It has similar efficacy to topical treatments of fractional CO2 laser and intradermal microinjection.
“Microneedling is a safe, effective and relatively affordable way to treat melasma, preferably in combination with topical medications,” Tan said.