TABLE 3.
A summary of clinical trials outcomes of different topical formulations in melasma management.
| Type of clinical study | Therapeutic option | Number of cases | Clinical outcome | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-blinded comparative study | Topical Vitamin C Nanosomes | 14 | • Better clinical response in comparison to glycolic acid 70% chemical peel | Sobhi and Sobhi (2012) |
| • Considered as safe with no severe adverse drug reaction | ||||
| Uncontrolled study | Topical tranexamic acid emulsion | 25 | • Successful results in 80% of participants during 8-week period | Kondou et al. (2007) |
| • No observed adverse drug reactions | ||||
| Split-face trial | Topical liposomal tranexamic acid | 23 | • A noteworthy reduction in mMASI score after 12 weeks of treatment in comparison to the baseline | Banihashemi et al. (2015b) |
| Prospective, randomized, single-blind study | Topical Politranexamide liposomal emulsion | 26 | • A significant improvement in melasma lesions and reduction in MASI score after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment | Manfreda et al. (2023) |
| Double-blind randomized clinical trial study | Topical hydroquinone-loaded NLCs a | 20 | • A statistically significant reduction in mMASI score | Taghavi et al. (2019a) |
| Visual assessment | Topical niacinamide-loaded flexible liposomes | 21 | • A statistically significant increase in the whitening efficacy after 4 and 8 weeks of therapy compared to the baseline | Lee et al. (2016b) |
| Comparative, randomized, controlled study | Topical liposomal azelaic acid cream | 50 | • Superior clinical efficacy of liposomal azelaic acid 20% in comparison to hydroquinone 4% | Akl (2022a) |
| • More tolerable in comparison to hydroquinone cream | ||||
| • Improved MELASQOL | ||||
| Prospective comparative split-face study | Topical arbutin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles | 20 | • Better therapeutic efficacy for arbutin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles in comparison to the conventional arbutin hydrogel | Hatem et al. (2022) |
| • Reduced mMASI score and reduced epidermal melanin particle size surface area (MPSA) in comparison to the conventional arbutin hydrogel | ||||
| Randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, split-face study | 4-n-butyl resorcinol and resveratrol-loaded liposomes | 21 | • A significant reduction in melanin index (MI) of the melasma lesions | Kwon et al. (2020) |
a
Nanostructured lipid carriers.