The First Clinical Experience on Efficacy of Topical Flutamide on Melasma Compared with Topical Hydroquinone: A Randomized Clinical Trial
August 2015
in “
Drug Design Development and Therapy
”
New to Hydroquinone? There is a guide in the encyclopedia. Read the guide → Studysummary This study observed that topical flutamide may be as effective as hydroquinone for treating melasma, with a trend towards greater improvement and patient satisfaction, but recommends further research before clinical use. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
This study compared 1% topical flutamide cream to 4% hydroquinone cream in treating melasma in a randomized clinical trial with 74 women. Flutamide demonstrated higher efficacy in terms of patient satisfaction and Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) scores, and was relatively safe compared to hydroquinone. The study suggested flutamide as a promising alternative for melasma treatment, highlighting the potential hormonal role in melasma's pathogenesis. However, the study was limited by its short duration of 120 days and small sample size, indicating the need for larger and longer studies to confirm flutamide's efficacy and safety.
