Treatment of melasma with Jessner's solution versus glycolic acid: a comparison of clinical efficacy and evaluation of the predictive ability of Wood's light examination.

BACKGROUND: Melasma can be resistant to topical therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy of superficial peels in conjunction with topical tretinoin and hydroquinone in patients with melasma and to evaluate the ability of Wood's light examination to predict response to treatment.

METHODS: We measured increased light reflectance in melasma areas with a colorimeter. Clinical observations were scored through an index designed to weigh numerically homogeneity, intensity of color, and area of melasma.

RESULTS: Colorimetric analysis showed an average lightening of 3.14 +/- 3.1 on the glycolic acid-treated side and 2.96 +/- 4.84 on the Jessner's solution-treated side. There was no statistically significant difference between the right and left. There was an overall decrease in melasma area and severity of 63%.

CONCLUSION: Superficial peels hasten the effects of topical therapy in melasma. Wood's light examination did not help predict response to treatment.