Does azelaic acid have any side effects?
A. It can cause slight depigmentation of the skin if applied to areas of abnormally dark pigmentation. Curiously enough, it won’t affect normal melanocytes, so it won’t change the normal color of your skin or lighten freckles, but it can be used to treat melasma or vitilago. On application, it may cause a mild transient burning sensation that may last for up to twenty minutes. Eventually the skin acclimates and patients don’t notice any sensation.
