[Comparative efficacy of 2% hydroquinone and melfade in treatment of melasma]

Melasma is an acquired hypermelanosis disease and can cause superficial problems in women if left untreated. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of 2% hydroquinone and Melfade in the treatment of Melasma. This is a randomized clinical trial study conducted at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2008. Sixty two women with Melasma disease were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups. Two percent hydroquinone was prescribed for the first group [n=31] and Melfade for the second group. After 12 weeks of daily drug consumption by the patients, they were examined by a dermatologist for assessment of recovery. The collected data was analyzed by the SPSS software. Response to treatment with hydroquinone and Melfadewas the same and no significant differences were found between the two groups. [P>0.05] Results of this study demonstrated that topical Melfade is as effective as 2% hydrquinone in treatment of Melasma, Therefore it can be considered as an alternative drug in the treatment of Melasma