Sleep hormone melatonin tested as new melasma treatment
NCT ID NCT07169383
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests if a daily melatonin pill can treat melasma better than tranexamic acid, a standard treatment. 160 adults with melasma will take either melatonin or tranexamic acid for 3 months. Doctors will measure skin improvement using a standard score. The goal is to see if melatonin, known for its antioxidant effects, is more effective and easier to tolerate.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- melatonin tablet and tranexamic acid tablet
- What this could lead to
- If melatonin works better, it could offer a new, well-tolerated treatment option for melasma, a persistent skin condition.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small Phase 2 trial with 160 people. Results may not apply to everyone, and melatonin may not prove more effective than the current treatment.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 160 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2025
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
* Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients aged 18-50 years diagnosed with melasma. * Both genders. * Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with contraindications to melatonin, including pregnancy, breastfeeding, autoimmune disorders, bleeding disorders, and diabetes, or contraindications to tranexamic acid, including thromboembolic events, history of thrombosis, renal impairment, and pregnancy or breastfeeding. * Patients with a history of hypersensitivity to any of the medications. * Patients already taking treatment of melasma
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Get notified about this study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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PAEC General Hospital Islamabad Pakistan
Islamabad, Punjab Province, 44000, Pakistan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a simple pill make melasma creams work better?
- Microneedling boosts melasma treatments: could metformin or tranexamic acid outperform standard creams?
- New triple cream takes on melasma in Head-to-Head trial
- Diabetes drug cream shows promise for treating stubborn facial melasma
- Cream showdown: which works better for dark spots?