Search

Background: Tranexamic acid (TA) is a new and promising drug for the treatment of melasma. Objectives: This network meta‐analysis aims to compare the efficacy and safety of various ways of administration of TA on melasma. Methods: We collected researches from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Melasma area severity index (MASI) is used to evaluate the severity of melasma. After treatment with different TA administration methods, a difference in MASI is named ΔMASI. We evaluate the curative effect by comparing the ΔMASI of different TA administration methods at a certain time point. Results: At the Weeks 4, 8, and 12 and the last follow‐up, the ΔMASI of oral TA combined with routine topical agents (oTA + RTA) was higher than that of intradermal TA (iTA), topical TA (tTA) as well as microneedling TA (MNsTA), with statistical significance. At the 8th week, the ΔMASI of oTA was higher than that of iTA, with statistical significance. Compared with placebo, oTA showed statistically significant differences at Week 4, while tTA, iTA, and MNsTA showed statistically significant differences starting from Week 8. Conclusions: Among various ways of administration of TA, oTA + RTA has the best effect on melasma. In the short term, the curative effect of oTA is better than that of iTA, and the onset time of oTA is faster than that of tTA, iTA and MNsTA. In the long run, the curative effect of TA alone has nothing to do with the mode of administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the connection between beverage consumption and facial aging, using Mendelian randomization analysis to explore the potential causal relationship between the two. However, the article raises concerns about the methodology used. The study utilized data from the same database, which can lead to sample overlap and bias. The authors also did not disclose specific information about instrumental variables and did not conduct certain tests that could impact the results. The article suggests that further research is needed to establish a stronger causal relationship, including large-scale prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials. [Extracted from the article]