Cysteamine Compared to Hydroquinone in Melasma

5% cysteamine cream (Cyspera®) was acquired from Scientis APAC Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, Singapore).Subjects were instructed to thinly apply the designated creams to their whole face every evening 15 minutes after cleansing their faces with a designated soap and the application of a skin moisturizer. The cysteamine cream was washed off 15 minutes after application

4% w/w hydroquinone cream (Melquine™) and 0.06% w/w betamethasone valerate cream (Rinderon®-V; equivalent to 0.05% betamethasone) were acquired from Sinphar Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Yilan, Taiwan). Subjects were instructed to thinly apply the designated creams to their whole face every evening 15 minutes after cleansing their faces with a designated soap and the application of a skin moisturizer. Subjects in the hydroquinone cream group were told to apply a 2:1 ratio of the hydroquinone and betamethasone creams. The hydroquinone/betamethasone creams were left on the skin until the following morning.