For how we live.
The brown facial patches come from overactive pigment cells in sun-aged skin. Triple-combination cream beats hydroquinone alone (risk ratio 1.58) and tranexamic acid helps, but relapse is the rule.
A split-face melasma trial put niacinamide within reach of prescription hydroquinone with fewer side effects. But much of the anti-ageing evidence comes from the ingredient's own manufacturers.
Sun-driven brown patches are hard to shift. A Cochrane review found a triple-combination cream beat hydroquinone alone; newer meta-analyses point to tranexamic acid and PRP, on thinner evidence.