J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025 Jan;24(1):e16707. doi: 10.1111/jocd.16707.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Melasma, a common skin pigmentation disease, can negatively impact patients’ mental health, social interactions, and physical appearance. Although we now have several treatments accessible, such as medicines, chemical peels, and phototherapy, which can help ease symptoms to some extent, the requirement for a long-term effective and safe treatment for patients is far from met. In the face of this problem, microneedling, as an innovative treatment, provides a new avenue for treating melasma. Although microneedling has been extensively investigated for treating other skin issues such as inflammation, scarring, and photoaging, research into its use in melasma treatment is still in its early stages.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to gather and assess clinical information on microneedling’s effectiveness in treating melasma, covering research gaps and serving as a beneficial reference for clinical therapy.

METHODS: We searched PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases for articles with the keywords “microneedling,” “percutaneous collagen induction”, and “melasma.” Following a thorough assessment, we selected 64 clinical studies that matched the requirements for in-depth analysis.

RESULTS: After thoroughly reviewing these data, we concluded that microneedling has tremendous potential for treating melasma. Microneedling can significantly improve treatment outcomes, especially when paired with additional therapies such as topical medicines or phototherapy.

CONCLUSION: Overall, the evidence reported in this study demonstrates that microneedling is an essential advancement in melasma treatment. Not only can it improve the efficacy of topical drugs and other treatment modalities, but it also has an excellent safety and tolerability profile, making it desirable to patients and clinicians. While the current findings are encouraging, more study is needed to refine treatment protocols, investigate the long-term consequences of microneedling, and establish it as the standard of care for melasma treatment. We anticipate that microneedling will play an increasingly important role in the future of melasma treatment, providing our patients with more hope and a broader choice of treatment alternatives.

PMID:39731267 | DOI:10.1111/jocd.16707