SynthesisLasers in medical science2022
Laser therapy in the treatment of melasma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Lasers in medical science, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05911698 (Fractional co2 Laser Followed by Either Vitamin c or Tranexamic Acid in Treatment of Melasma. Asplit Face Dermoscopic and Clinical Study.), which is not on this map. Cited by 21 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Fractional co2 Laser Followed by Either Vitamin c or Tranexamic Acid in Treatment of Melasma. Asplit Face Dermoscopic and Clinical Study.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Efficacy of Laser Therapy in Melasma Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Pooled it
- Comparison of The efficacy and safety of fractional erbium: YAG laser in combination with Tranexamic acid delivery by different methods versus Tranexamic acid alone: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of dermatological research · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of high-intensity laser therapy and photobiomodulation therapy on oral lichen planus-a systematic review and meta-analysis.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Ablative Fractional Laser in Melasma: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review.Lasers in medical science · 2024Pooled it
- The Low-Fluence Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser Treatment for Melasma: A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Pooled it
- Novel melasma therapy using combined low fluence and microsecond pulse Q switched 1064 nm neodymium doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Laser-Based Therapies for Melasma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2026Review
- Efficacy and Safety of 675-nm Laser Monotherapy for Melasma in Fitzpatrick Skin Types III-V: A Prospective Pre-Post Intervention Study.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Article
- Red light (630 nm) combined with low-dose ALA-PDT: a novel strategy for collagen remodeling and anti-aging efficacy.Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology · 2026Article
- Androgenetic alopecia.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025Review
- Fractional and Non-Fractional Picosecond Nd:YAG Lasers Combined With Fractional Picosecond KTP Laser for the Treatment of Melasma in Female Chinese.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2025Article
- Comparative Analysis of Laser Therapies for Striae Distensae: Fractional CO₂ vs Combined Q-Switch Nd:YAG.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025Article
- Successful Treatment of Recalcitrant Melasma with Picolaser and Isobionicamide-Cysteamine Combination.The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology · 2025Article
- Value of Q-switched 755-nm alexandrite laser combined with topical tranexamic acid in the treatment of melasma.American journal of translational research · 2025Article
- Combination of Three Treatment Modes of 1064 nm Nd: YAG Laser in the Treatment of Melasma: A Retrospective Observational Study.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025Article
- Tape-Strip Proteomic Analysis of Female Melasma Skin Lesions in a Chinese Population.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025Article
- Management of Melasma: Laser and Other Therapies-Review Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Laser ablation: a unique and beneficial therapeutic option for pilonidal sinus? And the potential for further innovation-a review.Lasers in medical science · 2023Review
- Comparison of the efficacy and safety of picosecond Nd:YAG laser (1,064 nm), picosecond alexandrite laser (755 nm) and 2% hydroquinone cream in the treatment of melasma: A randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Understanding Melasma-How Can Pharmacology and Cosmetology Procedures and Prevention Help to Achieve Optimal Treatment Results? A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Melasma is a highly prevalent and cosmetically disfiguring pigmented skin disease. The post-treatment results are often unsatisfactory. A large number of clinical trials have tried to prove the effectiveness of the combination therapy involving laser therapy, but the results have been indeterminate. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of laser treatment for melasma via a systematic review and meta-analysis. We respectively searched 4 databases and clinicaltrials.gov as of June 8, 2021. Two researchers independently searched for literature and extracted data. Study outcomes were computed by weighted mean differences (WMD). All statistical analyses were performed by the Review Manager version 5.3, STATA version 14 software at 95% confidence interval. We obtained 22 eligible studies which involved a total of 694 patients. After the heterogeneity test and sensitivity analysis, we took a subgroup meta-analysis on the before and after treatment of different laser types. We found that most lasers and laser-based combinations were associated with reduced melasma area and severity index (MASI), such as low-fluence Q-switch 1,064-nm Nd: YAG laser (QSNYL) (WMD: - 2.76; 95% CI: - 3.53 to - 1.99), fractional ablative CO2 laser (WMD: - 9.36; 95% CI: - 12.51 to - 6.21), and fractional ablative 2940-nm Er: YAG laser (WMD: - 2,72; 95% CI: - 3.94 to - 1.49). Significant decrease was seen in neither MASI score of non-ablative 1550-nm fractional laser (WMD: - 1.29; 95% CI: - 2.80 to 0.21) and picosecond laser (WMD: - 0.58; 95% CI: - 1.43 to 0.27), nor melanin index (MI) of low-fluence QSNYL treatment (WMD: 10.17; 95% CI: - 4.11 to 24.46). When using laser to treat melasma, various adverse reactions may occur, most of which will resolve quickly without subsequent treatment, such as edema, erythema, scaling, and burning sensation after treatment. However, for patients with darker skin, there are risks of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation. The laser and laser-based combination treatment for melasma could significantly reduce the MASI score, which was showed by our systematic review and meta-analysis.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.