Sadra Medical Journal

Quality of Life in Patients with Melasma and Its Association with Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad Mahdi Parvizi 1, 2, 3
Mozhdeh Sepaskhah 4
Nasrin Saki 4
Negin Fazelzadeh Haghighi 4
Soliman Mohammadi-Samani 5, 6
Parisa Ghasemiyeh 5
Fatemeh Karimi 7
Soodabeh Samimi 2
Sara Ranjbar 1
Zahra Bagheri 8

1 Molecular Dermatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Department of Medical Journalism, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

4 Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Molecular Dermatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

5 Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

6 Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

7 Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

8 Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30476/smsj.2026.109009.1699
Abstract
Introduction: Melasma is a prevalent pigmentary disorder that often affects quality of life. Prior studies reported inconsistent associations between clinical factors and quality of life in these patients, which highlighted the need for further research.
Methods: Demographic and clinical data of 211 melasma patients, including severity of melasma assessed by modified Melasma Area and Severity Index (mMASI) and melanin index, were collected. Quality of life was evaluated using the validated Persian version of the Melasma Quality of Life (MELASQoL) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Stata software (version 14.2). P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 39.20±6.61 years, and the mean of disease duration was 7.34±5.72 years. About 164 (77.73%) patients were married, 54.81% reported a family history of melasma, and 54.63% had received prior treatment. No significant association was found between mean mMASI (5.80±3.09) and MELASQoL (43.42±18.24) scores (r=0.136, P=0.051). Patients with education at the Master’s level or higher reported significantly better quality of life (P=0.005). No significant association was found between other demographic or clinical factors and quality of life or disease severity (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Despite the substantial impact of melasma on quality of life, its severity was not significantly associated with patient’s quality of life. Although higher education level was associated with better quality of life, other demographic and clinical variables showed no significant effects.

Keywords

Melasma
Epidemiology
Demography
Quality of life
modified Melasma Area and Severity Index
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Sadra Medical Journal
Volume 13, Issue 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 686-697

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