Nutritional Control and Treatment of Melasma in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Concise Systematic Review

    January 2022 in “ International Journal of Nutrology ”
    Patrícia Januzelli Cobianchi Parreiras Bastos
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    TLDR Diet and nutrients, including lycopene from tomatoes and hydroquinone from wheat, can help control melasma, a skin condition.
    The systematic review analyzed 70 clinical studies to understand the occurrence, worsening, and nutrological treatment of melasma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Melasma, a hyperpigmentation disorder, affects 14.5%-56% of pregnant women and 11.3%-46% of people taking oral contraceptives worldwide. The study found that diet and nutrients play a significant role in controlling this skin condition. Lycopene, a tomato-derived carotenoid, is effective in neutralizing oxygen, which regulates melanin synthesis. Hydroquinone, found in wheat, treats hyperpigmentation by inhibiting tyrosinase. Other oral medications and dietary supplements like tranexamic acid, Polypodium leucotomos extract, beta-carotenoid, melatonin, procyanidin, and hydrolyzed collagen can improve melasma. Serum zinc levels can predict the occurrence of melasma. The review found no reports of skin darkening associated with COVID-19.
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