AZELAIC ACID AND GLYCOLIC ACID COMBINATION THERAPY FOR FACIAL HYPERPIGMENTATION IN DARKER-SKINNED PATIENTS - A CLINICAL COMPARISON WITH HYDROQUINONE

This multicenter, randomized, double-masked, parallel-group, 24-week c linical study compared the efficacy of the combination of azelaic acid 20% cream and glycolic acid 15% or 20% lotion with hydroquinone 4% in the treatment of facial hyperpigmentation in darker-skinned patients. At week 24, overall improvement and reduction in lesion area, pigment ary intensity, and disease severity were comparable in the two treatme nt groups. At some visits, patients treated with an azelaic/glycolic a cid combination had slightly greater levels of peeling, burning, sting ing, or dryness than did patients treated with hydroquinone, although scores for cutaneous signs and symptoms were always low. The present s tudy demonstrated that the combination of azelaic acid 20% cream and g lycolic acid 15% or 20% lotion was as effective as hydroquinone 4% cre am in the treatment of hyperpigmentation in darker-skinned patients, w ith only a slightly higher rate of mild local irritation. These findin gs suggest that the addition of glycolic acid to azelaic acid treatmen t for hyperpigmentation is an appropriate alternative in selected dark er-skinned patients.