A Pilot Study Testing 1064nm Q-switch Laser Versus Glycolic Acid Peels for the Treatment of Melasma

December 2, 2021 updated by: Murad Alam, Northwestern University

A Pilot Study Comparing the Efficacy of 1064 Q-switch Laser vs. Glycolic Acid Peels for the Treatment of Melasma: A Randomized Control Trial

The purpose of this study is to find out the safety and effectiveness of 1064 Q-Switch Laser Therapy compared to Glycolic Acid Chemical Peels for the treatment of melasma.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Participants in this study will be patients at the dermatology clinic who are clinically diagnosed with at least a 2X2 cm patch of melasma on each side of their face (forehead or cheek). Starting at 2 weeks before treatment (week 2), both sides will be pretreated and primed with 4% hydroquinone with, if necessary, 2.5% hydrocortisone cream BID. On the treatment day (2-weeks) and 6-weeks one half of the subject's face will receive glycolic acid peels and the other half of the face will receive 1064nm Q-switch laser. This study is a pilot study designed to determine feasibility of these procedures.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

20

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
        • Northwestern University Department of Dermatology

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Subjects aged 18 years or older
  2. Subjects with at least a 2 x 2 cm patch of melasma on each side of the face (forehead or cheek)
  3. Subjects in general good health
  4. Subjects must be willing and able to understand and provide informed consent for the use of their tissue and communicate with the investigator
  5. Subjects must be willing to not apply other treatment options for melasma during the course of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Subjects under 18 years of age
  2. Subjects who are pregnant and/or lactating
  3. Subjects who are unable to understand the protocol or to give informed consent
  4. Subjects diagnosed with mental illness
  5. Subjects who have concurrent active uncontrolled disease to facial area (i.e uncontrolled acne)
  6. Subjects who have had a chemical peel in the past 3 months
  7. Subjects who have used a prescribed retinoid in the past 3 months
  8. Subjects with a bleeding disorder
  9. Subjects with a history of abnormal wound healing
  10. Subjects with a history of abnormal scarring
  11. Subjects who report being allergic to glycolic acid

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
  • Masking: SINGLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: 1064nm Q-switch Laser
The 1064 Q-Switch Laser is a medical device that uses a focused laser to remove dark pigment (color) from the skin.
Device: 1064nm Q-switch Laser
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Glycolic Acid Peels
A Glycolic Acid Chemical Peel is a mild skin treatment used to correct uneven texture and color by removing dead cells from the skin's outermost layer.
Other: Glycolic Acid Peels

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of Improvement Rated by a Blinded Dermatologist From at Week 10
Time Frame: Week 10
The primary outcome was a blinded rating of improvement of the treatment area (1064nm Q-switch Laser Versus Glycolic Acid Peels) using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). A dermatologist blindly evaluated the treated areas of each side from live subjects at baseline on the final follow up visit (week 10). The VAS of improvement was rated on a scale of 0 to10, with 0 being no improvement and 10 being the most improvement seen by the treatment.
Week 10

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Northwestern University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2013

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

January 7, 2015

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

January 7, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 15, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 29, 2013

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

November 5, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

December 6, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 2, 2021

Last Verified

December 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STU84150

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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