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Tranexamic Acid for melasma?

270K views 561 replies 72 participants last post by  tiny307 
#1 ·
here in brazil i realize that the doctors treat melasma very differently. they treat melasma here with this acid called tranexamic, which is a medication that is used for women, who have heavy periods, so i don't get why its used for the melasma.

a lot of doctors prescribe this is a topical, but mainly orally, along with absorbic acid. some doctors even do tranexamic injections, into the darker areas of the melasma, and say it lightens the melasma.

i've been trying to do research about it, and i find a lot of articles about doctors in asia who use this method. did anyone ever hear about this?

here are a couple of articles i found that explain more how it works.

All About Skin Lightening: Featured Ingredient: Tranexamic Acid

Tranexamic Acid
 
#209 ·
I just started taking my tablets. I was honest with the Doctor and told him exactly what i was using it for. I think it helped that i said that i really didnt want to buy medication online. Here in Australia the tablets are called cyklokapron and are made by Pfizer (same company that makes Advil)

I started yesterday and so far no side effects. i have increased my water intake to ensure that my already low blood pressure doesnt get worse by taking the tablets - not that the doctor mentioned anything about low blood pressure.

I will post back in a couple of weeks, fingers and toes crossed!!
 
#211 ·
I just started taking my tablets. I was honest with the Doctor and told him exactly what i was using it for. I think it helped that i said that i really didnt want to buy medication online. Here in Australia the tablets are called cyklokapron and are made by Pfizer (same company that makes Advil)  I started yesterday and so far no side effects. i have increased my water intake to ensure that my already low blood pressure doesnt get worse by taking the tablets - not that the doctor mentioned anything about low blood pressure. I will post back in a couple of weeks, fingers and toes crossed!!
by the way my tablets cost 30us for 100
 
#210 ·
Hi,

I've been taking Transino for almost 2 weeks now. In addition to the pills, I also purchased the Transino serum. I started noticing fading after started the serum about a week ago. The color is fading from brown to a lighter shade but the size of the patches are still the same.

Just got my blood test back and found my LDL is high this time. It used to be 100 and not it is 150. Even though Transino is to be taken 3 times a day for a total of 750 mg, I am cutting it back to twice a day, 250mg each time. This is how TA is usually taken in Asian.

In the brochure of Transino it stated it is not for people with high blood pressure. Did not mention high cholesterol, but I just wanted to be careful about this medication even though it is a OTC.

Very thankful for this forum and for all of your sharing..
 
#214 ·
Hi all Haven't been able to log on for ages on my phone but am finally back on my PC so thought I'd drop by. Its great to hear so many of you have had success with the TA. It's been incredible for me and I've now been off the tablets for almost 2 months with no sign of the melasma returning. I guess time will tell if this is long term or not, so fingers crossed! Am still using the bio oil and rosehip oil, and am still taking 1000mg vitamin C per day...and of course using sunscreen come rain or shine. I also wonder if those not experiencing positive changes are those of us using Transino rather than actual tranexamic acid from a pharmacy? The poster above who is going to take 375mg twice per day - you only need 250mg twice per day, as stated in medical trials linked on this thread. And congratulations marzipan :) Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy x
 
#215 ·
Hi all,

I have been taking tranexamic acid for exactly one week now. I tried to post about my experiences on the first day I took the medicine, but it gave me a "moderator must approve this message" and then it never showed up. So here goes with my second attempt.

I have been suffering from melasma since the birth of my first child. It got really bad after my second child. I went off of birth control, wore sunscreen religiously, and after seeing no difference, began more serious treatments two years ago. I have spent a lot of money on two IPL treatments and two Vi peels. I went to a reputable cosmetic surgeon's office and a nurse administered the IPL. I wasn't going to take any risks with a "medi-spa." The IPL seemed to work a little after the first treatment, but to my horror, after the second treatment it was darker and covered a larger area. I have also been using tretinoin .05% and hydroquinone 4% prescribed by my dermatologist. These ointments seem to fade it a little, but it never fully goes away. I live in Florida and have young kids, so I'm out in the sun a lot. So basically after the winter when I'm indoors more, all it takes is one day in the sun (with sunscreen and hat of course), and it's back with a vengeance.

In fact, this is what happened when we went to Puerto Rico for spring break last month. I had been using the creams regularly all winter, and after one day of surfing and building sand castles, I returned to the house, looked in the mirror, and almost screamed. "Africa" had reappeared on my right cheek. "Asia" was back darker than ever on my left cheek. My "Hitler" moustache was also there, loud and proud . And even worse, a new, amorphous area on my chin had appeared--dear God no! I wanted to cry.

I immediately began to search for melasma treatments, vowing to take a more aggressive approach--maybe a CO2 laser, or something like that. That's when I stumbled upon a clinical trial for tranexamic acid in Chinese women. I read the study--250 mg twice a day for six months--and the results were impressive. I've cut and paste them here: "After 6 months of treatment, the effects were graded as follows: excellent (10.8%, 8/74), good (54%, 40/74), fair (31.1%, 23/74), and poor (4.1%, 3/74). Side effects of TA such as gastrointestinal discomfort (5.4%) and hypomenorrhea (8.1%) were observed, but no severe complications were found. The recurrence of melasma was observed in seven cases (9.5%).

After reading the study and searching the web further, I found Skin Care Talk and read about other people's experiences with the drug. Thanks to your posts, I decided to go for it and try to track down the drug (through some questionable websites). I decided not to go the Transino route after reading that some people did not respond to it. I wanted to stick as closely to the clinical trial as possible, so I found Trenaxa through a company called alldaychemist.com. I bought two ninety-day supplies ($50 each), and the shipping was $25. Tranexamic acid is sold in a variety of brand names--Cyklokapron, Lysteda, and Femstrual are others I've heard of.

I received the shipment last week, and after a little bit of nervousness about taking a drug that wasn't prescribed to me, I decided to go for it. I don't have any of the risk factors mentioned in the contraindications (history of blood clots is one). I also figured that since the drug is basically available over the counter in Britain, it couldn't be that bad. Thanks to the Brits who posted that they walked into a pharmacy, asked for it, and were handed the drug. Too bad I couldn't get it at the same price.

So it's been a week, and aside from a few headaches in the first three days, it's been smooth sailing. I can't attribute the headaches 100% to the tranexamic acid since I frequently get migraines. However, I haven't had a headache since after the first few days. I plan on taking the Trenaxa for three months, and if it seems it's working, I will continue for another three months. I can say that my skin seems different--I don't know what it is, exactly, or if it's just my imagination, but it seems more luminous/moisture-rich. Just...better. It's only been one week, so the melasma is still there, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed I start to see a difference. I am also continuing the use of hydroquinone and tretinoin to encourage fading.

I just wanted to let you know about my experiences, and to also say thank you to those of you who already posted. You were very helpful.

I'll keep you posted. (Apologies for the long post--brevity is not my strong suit)
 
#216 ·
Omg, I'm so frustrated. On April 5 I tried to post about my experiences with melasma and how I was starting tranexamic acid. I wrote a lengthy post about my experiences, hit "reply," and got a response that said "we are holding your post because you're new here." Ok, well I checked all week long for my post to show up, and it didn't. Friday, I decided to do a test post to see if it would go through, and it did. So I thought I'd try to post again today. I just spent 30 minutes writing my post, and I just got the same message--"we are holding your post because you're new." It allowed me to post Friday with no hold, but now it's holding my post. Ugh. What gives? I'm ready to give up. And I can't PM any of the moderators because I'm new. I'd like to communicate with others about their use of this drug, but I don’t know if I have the patience. If I ever get this figured out, perhaps I can tell you all what I’ve been doing for my melisma. If not, then let me at least say thank you to those of you who were able to post—you were very helpful.
 
#217 ·
Hi

Hi Maya thanks for posting your review. Yes certain posts by new members are usually held by the system for a routine spam check. When you get a notification informing you of this there's no need to try and post multiple time as the system will just continue to hold you posts because it mirrors spamming
Once a post is sent to be moderated we will look it over as soon as we can. Sorry for causing you any distress lol.
 
#220 ·
For whose who did not get good results from Transino and purchased them on ebay, I am wondering if the pills are real….

I can't say for fact that the pills are fake just because they came from ebay. However, maybe it is worth another try to get TA pills or get Transino directly from Japan.

I really want it to work for everyone. Having melasma for the last few months made me realize it is not easy to say the least….
 
#221 ·
The Transino I purchased came directly from Japan, but it did not work for me. I believe that I'm just one of those people who have EXTREMELY stubborn melasma. Or maybe my body chemistry is just off, because most things that are highly touted ("gave me great energy, " "lessened my menstrual flow," et cetera) don't work for me.

But I still keep hope alive that my face will clear up one of these days. I just need to put the pieces of the puzzle together!
 
#224 ·
After 3 months of taking 250mgX2 of TA pills I have stopped them. I didn't really notice any change in my melasma, I can still see the outline where my melasma starts. I don't think if I continue using them there will be any improvement as I believe 3 months is enough time to show results.
I'm am devastated to say the least.
 
#225 ·
I took 250mg TA x2 day for 2 months with no noticeable difference at all either. Mine is very stubborn and severe but kept hoping something would help eventually. Great news for those who get results tho with this! Gives me hope that something one day will still help! x
 
#229 ·
I have been taking Transino for 3 weeks now. I am seeing results on the patches on my cheeks but a new patch is getting darker on my forehead.

I am happy with the progress so far. I need way less make up to cover up and got bangs to hide my forehead for now.

I also read two reports in Chinese that showed over all good results using TA 250 mg twice daily. The most important thing is to take it long term. Some patients in the study took it for over a year for prevention even after they are happy with the results.

I wished the doctors in the US can give us TA instead of having us paying high prices ourselves or getting it overseas.
 
#230 ·
I just ordered several Tranexamic product, a toner,lotion and body wash.

For those of you who haven't heard of tranexamic it's an acid used to control bleeding. But it's also highly effective in counteracting melanin growth, removing pigment spots, and brightening.

How ever... I only see a forum about tranexamic pills on sct and not the lotion, toner or soap. So I wanted to dedicate this forum to it.

Questions

Have you used Tranexamic lotion, cream, toner, soap or body wash?

Does it depigment the skin? I don't want to be depigmented if it does.

What were your over all results with it? Did it lighten you well?

Are the ingredients pretty safe to use?

Here is one of the products I got:

INGREDIENTS FOR TONER: D.l. Water, Butylene Glycol, Propyl Glycol, Tranexamic Acid, Malic Acid, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, a-Arbutin, Hydroxyphenoxy, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben


I haven't gotten the other products yet, but I will post the ingredients when I get them.
 
#231 ·
I'm excited for your update on this
 
#232 ·
It's sweet to hear the advertising about the tranexamic acid . In reality , the tranexamic acid does'nt depigment the skin.

On black folks skins ,the tranexamic is effective if you do peeling regularly .
Otherwise , you will have a smooth skin without pimples.

When I used it I was very pale, as if my skin was depigmented, but I'm not sure it was the result of this acid, because I was also using other products and injections.
 
#236 ·
I feel so happy to have found these pages.

I developed melasma on my upper lip a couple of years ago. (What every girl dreams of - a permanent moustache)

I used to make jokes about it and thank my lucky stars I didn't suffer from a serious or life-threatening condition. However, it has affected my confidence, and I am very embarrassed about it. I tried creams and home-made lotions to no avail and have recently been considering asking my doctor for laser-type treatments, because I would LOVE to look at myself in the mirror without feeling a bit sick that I have this moustache, and my make-up never quite covers it.

When researching about it I found it to be hormone related, and often linked to the Mirena. I had been fitted with one of these to help with painful periods about a year before it developed, and as soon as I made the link asked for it to be removed. It did start to fade a bit, and I would wake up happily checking every day... however it seems to be coming back bit by bit and my latest passport photo looks terrible, I can see it so clearly :-(

Before the Mirena I had been prescribed Mafenamic acid and tranexamic acid for the pain and bleeding. I found the regime difficult because the MA was 3 x per day and the TA was 4 x per day, and the results on my periods were not great. Since the Mirena I have been just taking the MA which has actually seemed to help the pain and bleeding. Leaving me with untouched TA in my cupboard.

You cannot believe how happy I am to read the effect TA might have on my skin, and that I can just take it straight away (and being in the UK can get it OTC if I want)

I will keep you posted.

Thank you for giving me hope
xx
 
#237 ·
Hi,

I have been taking Transino since 3/27 and I am very happy with the progress it has made. The patches are getting lighter to the point that I don't need a ton of make-up. I am planning to continue taking it twice a day and I am praying that my melasma will complete disappear.

We should spread the word on the effectiveness of TA on melasma. The FDA and US doctors are not helping us at all.

This message board changed my life… THANK YOU!!!
 
#238 ·
Hey all, just thought I'd carry on updating really. Have been off the TA for a while now and today I spent the whole day in the sun (having applied sunscreen of course). I'm delighted to report that even though my face did tan ever so slightly, I still remain free of melasma (well, 90% - I don't think it'll ever be completely gone). Sending out positivity to all you ladies xx
 
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