Evaluation of Licorice efficacy on melasma

Abstract

Treatment of melasma has remained a hottopic in dermatology because of its resistance totherapy and high recurrence rate. For many yearshydroquinone was the foundation of melasmatreatment, but its use has been limited during theseyears due to a number of adverse events, suchas skin irritation, hyper and hypo pigmentation,nail discoloration, conjunctival melanosis andochronosis. Furthermore hydroquinone is quiteunstable and is quickly oxidized and becomeinactive. So Hydroquinone is gradually beingreplaced by new lightning substances, such as kojicacid, phytic acid, azaleic acid, arbutin, mequinol,aleosin, ascorbic acid, soya proteins, N-acetylglucosamine and licorice. In this study weevaluate the effect of a licorice containing product(lightening serum, LANGE Paris) for the treatmentof melasma. There are several active ingredientsin licorice extract effective on melasma. These areliquiritin, glabridin, licochalcone A and isoliquertin.