PATH-3 Technology exhibits long-term tolerability in treatment of facial dyschromia

Key takeaways:

• Patients treated with the serum experienced significant improvements in facial dyschromia from week 12 to week 24.
• No significant improvements were seen in the hydroquinone 4% cessation group.

A topical formulation with PATH-3 Technology demonstrated long-term effects and tolerability in the treatment of facial dyschromia, according to a study.

“Dyschromia continues to be a challenging cutaneous condition to treat, which has been complicated by the complex pathways involved and the nuances of individual cases,” Jordan V. Wang, MD, MBE, MBA, FAAD, of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, and colleagues wrote.

Building on the 12-week study that these researchers conducted comparing A-Luminate (AL; Alastin Skincare) brightening serum, a novel, topical formulation with PATH-3 Technology, with hydroquinone 4% (HQ4%) for the treatment of mild to severe facial dyschromia, Wang and colleagues conducted a 3-month extension trial to evaluate AL’s long-term effects and tolerability.

The 13 participants from the AL cohort continued their treatment regimen in the extension trial, whereas the 13 in the HQ4% group stopped treatment altogether.

Results showed that those in the AL cohort experienced improvements in facial dyschromia (P = .0158) and skin tone, clarity and evenness (P = .0067) from week 12 to week 24. On the other hand, no significant improvements were seen in the cohort that discontinued hydroquinone. In fact, a higher proportion of patients in this cohort experienced worsening facial dyschromia (4 vs. 1) and skin tone, clarity and evenness (5 vs. 1) compared with the AL cohort.

Compared with week 12, patients in the hydroquinone cessation group significantly regressed by week 24, whereas patients in the AL cohort continued to improve (P = .02).

“Although the original pivotal trial demonstrated AL to be superior to [hydroquinone 4%] up to 12 weeks, this extension phase demonstrated its long-term effects and tolerability profile,” the authors concluded.

While patients using hydroquinone 4% require a break from medication, those using AL do not due to the product’s composition of nonirritating chemical ingredients. This may contribute to the long-term tolerability demonstrated by AL in this trial, according to the authors.