A Pilot Study Testing Salicylic Acid Peels Versus Glycolic Acid Peels for the Treatment of Melasma

January 29, 2025 updated by: Murad Alam, Northwestern University

A Pilot Study Comparing the Efficacy of Glycolic Acid Peels Vs. Salicylic 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 Glycolic Acid Chemical Peels compared to Salicylic Acid Chemical Peels for the treatment of melasma.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Participants in this study will be patients who are clinically diagnosed with at least a 2 x 2 cm patch of melasma on each side of their face (forehead or cheek). One half of the subject's face will be randomly selected to receive 4 treatments of 30% glycolic acid peels and the other half of the face will receive 4 treatments of 30% salicylic acid peels/ weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12. Follow up visit will be at week 16. This study is a pilot study designed to determine feasibility of these procedures.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

21

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

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

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 Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Salicylic Acid Peels
Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid Chemical Peels are skin treatments used to correct uneven texture and color by removing dead cells from the skin's top layer.
Other: Salicylic Acid Peels
Active Comparator: Glycolic Acid Peels
Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid Chemical Peels are skin treatments used to correct uneven texture and color by removing dead cells from the skin's top layer.
Other: Glycolic Acid Peels

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in best overall cosmetic appearance (right side or left side better)rated by a blinded dermatologist from baseline to week 16
Time Frame: 1 hour at baseline and week 16
The primary outcome was a blinded rating of the treatment area (Salicylic Acid Peels Versus Glycolic Acid Peels) with the best overall cosmetic appearance. A dermatologist will blindly evaluate the treated areas of each side from live subjects at baseline and on the final follow up visit (week 16).
1 hour at baseline and week 16

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Northwestern University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Murad Alam, MD, 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

January 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 15, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 29, 2013

First Posted (Estimated)

November 5, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 29, 2025

Last Verified

January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STU84250

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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