EFFECTIVENESS OF INTENSE PULSED LIGHT AS A SINGLE OR COMBINED TREATMENT IN MELASMA

Abstract

Melasma is a complex multifactorial pathology of skin pigmentation with increased deposits of melanin with or without vascular alterations. Many light platforms have been used alone and in combination with topical agents. In this research we found that IPL was combined with oral and topicals to target both melanin and hemoglobin components. However, the efficacy of one or another treatment combination is unknown. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of the use of IPL as a single or combined strategy in the treatment of Melasma. A systematic search was carried out in Pub Med, Science Direct and Cochrane, from March to May 2020, a total of 354 articles were obtained, which when applying selection filters, inclusion and exclusion criteria, left 10. The selected articles were Green and Britten's Evidence Categorization and Strength Rating scales applied.The sample consisting of 10 articles gathers 355 patients, 98.8% were female, and of high phototype, 10.7% treated with IPL alone, 37.5% combined with laser and 51.8% with topical or oral depigmenting agents. The IPL is a device that has a modest effect in the treatment of Melasma. Using the IPL combined with lasers reduced the MASI by around 60%, and the combination with topical or oral depigmenting agents by about 40%. The IPL plus laser combination is the most effective combination, especially if the laser is in Q-Switched combination, in the treatment of Melasma.