title: Treatment of melasma with oral administration of tranexamic acid.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Melasma is a common pigmentary disorder among Asian women. The available therapies such as bleaching agents, chemical peeling, laser, and intense pulsed light are not satisfactory or safe. In the search to find a new treatment therapy for melasma, oral administration of tranexamic acid (TA) was studied clinically in Chinese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study enrolled 74 patients. Tranexamic acid tablets were prescribed at a dosage of 250 mg twice daily for a therapeutic period of 6 months. All the patients were followed up for more than 6 months after the treatment. The effects of treatment were evaluated by two physicians independently and by the patient based on improvement of pigmentation and reduction in melasma size. These were graded into four levels: excellent, good, fair, and poor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 6 months of treatment, the effects were graded as follows: excellent (10.8%, 8/74), good (54%, 40/74), fair (31.1%, 23/74), and poor (4.1%, 3/74). Side effects of TA such as gastrointestinal discomfort (5.4%) and hypomenorrhea (8.1%) were observed, but no severe complications were found. The recurrence of melasma was observed in seven cases (9.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral administration of TA is an effective and safe therapy for the treatment of melasma.
  
  
  METHODS
  This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors at www.springer.com/00266.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, #158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China. sufanwu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Sufan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hangyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Jincai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008548:Melanosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D014148:Tranexamic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D014148:Tranexamic Acid