Comparative Study On The Efficacy Of Topical 20% Azelaic Acid And 4% Hydroquinone In Epidermal Melasma

Abstract

Background:Melasma is a common acquired condition of symmetric hyperppigmentation, typically occurring on the face. Objective: To compare the efficacy of topical 20% Azelaic acid and 4% Hydroquinone in the treatment of epidermal melasma.To observe for side effects in both study groups. Methods: in this study, data was collected from 100 patients with 50 patients each in Group A (treated with 20% Azelaic acid) and Group B (treated with 4% Hydroquinone).Results: The mean MASI values were calculated for both groups using independent samples t test. This was done to compare the efficacy of 20% Azelaic acid and 4% Hydroquinone. There was decrease in mean MASI values each month with treatment in both groups. The mean baseline MASI score (i.e, before treatment) was 14.886±5.5483 for Group A (20% Azelaic acid) and 15.486±7.6463 for Group B (4% Hydroquinone). At the end of 1st month, the mean MASI score reached 12.240±5.0364 for Group A and 13.224±6.6994 for Group B. At the end of 2nd month, the mean MASI score became 8.364±3.9678 for Group A and 9.210±5.0905 for Group B. At the end of 3rd month, the mean MASI value was observed to be 5.700±2.9338 for Group A and 6.096±3.4025 for Group B. When the mean MASI values of Group A and Group B were compared and there was no significant difference in the treatment efficacy between the two groups. But the mean values of Group B (4% Hydroquinone), calculated at the end of each month, were found to be little higher compared to Group A (20% Azelaic acid).Conclusion: It can be concluded that in this study, even though not statistically significant, Group B (4% Hydroquinone) had better therapeutic response than Group A (20% Azelaic acid) in the treatment of Melasma