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)