Comparison of the Efficacy of Kligman's Formula Combined With 30% Topical Metformin Versus Kligman's Formula Alone in the Treatment of Melasma

Fariba Iraji, Fatemeh Mokhtari, Zeinab Kassab, Sarah Seyedyousefi, Jaleh Varshosaz · 2026

Read Comparison of the Efficacy of Kligman's Formula Combined With 30% Topical Metformin Versus Kligman's Formula Alone in the Treatment of Melasma by Fariba Iraji, Fatemeh Mokhtari, Zeinab Kassab, Sarah Seyedyousefi, Jaleh Varshosaz (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13263544.txt.

Description

Fariba Iraji and colleagues ran in 2026 a split-face trial testing whether adding topical metformin boosts a classic melasma cream. Melasma paints symmetrical dark patches on women's faces, driven by sun, hormones, and inheritance. Thirty-one patients applied the standard Kligman formula to one cheek and the same formula plus thirty percent metformin to the other, for two months.

Both sides lightened significantly and evened out. The plain side reduced darkness a touch more, while the metformin side held its repigmentation steadier and produced fewer rebound darkening cases. Differences between sides never reached statistical significance at any visit. Patients reported high satisfaction with both creams. The authors judge the addition safe and comparably effective, with hints of better pigment stability. They call for larger, longer trials to settle the question.

Catalog record

CREATORFariba Iraji, Fatemeh Mokhtari, Zeinab Kassab, Sarah Seyedyousefi, Jaleh Varshosaz
YEAR2026
COLLECTIONPAPERS
FORMATTXT
FILE SIZE29 KB
VERSION1.0
LICENSECC BY 4.0
RIGHTSCC BY
SOURCEEurope PMC

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13263544

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