Research of melasma treatment effectiveness by combined administration of autologous plasma, dermal optical thermolysis and radiofrequency exposure

Background. Melasma is a multifactorial pigmentation disorder resulting from the abnormal accumulation of melanin. The localization of melasma in the face area causes aesthetic discomfort and reduces the quality of life. The issue of combined therapy with the use of autologous blood plasma (ABP) seems relevant for the treatment of melasma. Objective. To confirm that the injection of ABP in combination with laser and radiofrequency therapy contributes to more effective treatment of melasma than the injection of ABP separately. Material and methods. The study included 28 women aged 23-58 years with melasma. Laser and radiofrequency therapy was carried out, as well as ABP was injected in the study group (n=14). ABP was injected isolatedly in the control group (n=14). The disease severity was assessed on the IGA, MSS, GAIS scales, using the MASI and melanin and hemoglobin values. The effectiveness of applied treatment methods was determined by the decrease of specified indicators compared to the baseline. Results. Positive dynamics of assessment results on the MASI, IGA and MSS scores and values of chromophores (melanin and hemoglobin) has been noted in both groups. The effectiveness analysis confirmed the superiority of studied method relative to the comparison method: an improvement on the IGA scale has been observed in 86% of the study group patients and 31% of the control group patients, on the MSS scale ― of 100% and 23%, on the MASI ― of 100% and 69%, respectively. The compared methods are characterized by a high tolerability and have a similar safety profile. Conclusion. The IGA, MSS and MASI scores, instrumental measurements, and the GAIS aesthetic improvement scores confirm that the studied treatment method exceeds control therapy by several times.