Tranexamic Acid

Tranexamic acid is a synthetic analog of the amino acid lysine. This substance is commonly used by surgeons and other medical practitioners to stop bleeding, either taken by mouth to stop internal bleeding or applied to the skin to stop bleeding from wounds and surgical incisions.

Tranexamic acid protects the framework of fibrils, which is created while the wound heals. It is one of the safest substances for this purpose, even during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

It can be used as an astringent ingredient in skincare products, with the same mechanism of action – it helps to close small nicks and cuts (e.g. after shaving), giving the skin a tightened feeling and stopping any bleeding.

Another, more important use in skincare is its ability to treat melasma and other types of abnormal pigmentation. The exact mechanism of action is not fully known, although the current hypothesis is that tranexamic acid stops the factors that usually stimulate the pigment cells in our skin.

The application of tranexamic acid varies – from oral intake to injections and creams with a special delivery system to assist with the absorption of very water-soluble tranexamic acid through the skin’s lipid barrier.

Topically applied tranexamic acid shows similar efficacy to hydroquinone, as an anti-pigment agent, but with fewer side effects and superior stability. Its efficacy is good even in the combination with other anti-pigment ingredients such as kojic acid and niacinamide.

The last use of tranexamic acid is to prevent and treat a common problem in dermatology – post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and redness. Many inflammatory diseases such as rosacea or acne change the appearance of the skin, resulting in widened blood vessels, redness, and pigmentation spots in places that have already healed.

According to some recent studies, topically applied tranexamic acid can normalize the growth of new blood vessels in inflamed skin, helping with redness that is already in place and preventing the formation of more widened blood vessels.