ArticleFrontiers in medicine2023
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.
Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Efficacy of Laser Therapy in Melasma Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of the safety and effectiveness of laser and light therapies for the treatment of pigmented purpuric dermatoses.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Persistent Hyperpigmentation Following Coretox Injection: A Review of Adverse Events Associated with Polysorbate 20.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Efficacy and Safety of Laser-Based Therapies for Melasma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2026Review
- Targeting Melasma: Innovations in Pigment Deposition and Photoaging in Cosmetic Dermatology.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2026Review
- Comment on "Comparison of the Efficacy of 1064- and 730-nm Picosecond Lasers for Acquired Dermal Melanocytosis".Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Article
- 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
- Comparison of the efficacy of Hydroquinone cream versus Hydroquinone cream plus Danggui Shaoyao powder in the treatment of melasma.Postepy dermatologii i alergologii · 2024Article
- Evaluation of the Efficacy of the 755 nm Picosecond Laser in Eliminating Pigmented Skin Lesions after a Single Treatment Based on Photographic Analysis with Polarised Light.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Increasing numbers of studies demonstrated that picosecond lasers (Picos) were effective and safe for melasma. However, A limited number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding Picos contribute to a modest level of evidence. Topical hydroquinone (HQ) remains to be the first-line therapy. Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of non-fractional picosecond Nd:YAG laser (PSNYL), non-fractional picosecond alexandrite laser (PSAL), and 2% HQ cream in the treatment of melasma. Method: Sixty melasma patients with Fitzpatrick skin types (FST) III-IV were randomly assigned to the PSNY, PSAL, and HQ groups at a 1:1:1 ratio. Patients in PSNYL and PSAL groups received 3 laser sessions at 4-week intervals. The 2% HQ cream was applied twice daily for 12 weeks in patients of the HQ group. The primary outcome, the melasma area and severity index (MASI) score, was evaluated at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24. The patient assessment score by quartile rating scale was rated at weeks 12, 16, 20, and 24. Results: Fifty-nine (98.3%) subjects were included in the analysis. Each group showed significant change from baseline in MASI scores from week 4 to week 24. The MASI score in the PSNYL group showed the greatest reduction compared to the PSAL group ( Conclusion: The efficacy of non-fractional PSNYL was superior to that of non-fractional PSAL, which was not inferior to 2% HQ, thus non-fractional Picos providing an alternative for melasma patients with FSTs III-IV. The safety profiles of PSNYL, PSAL, and 2% HQ cream were similar. Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=130994, ChiCTR2100050089.
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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.