MELASMA

 – Harley Street, London

Melasma is darkened patches on your skin that seem to be sticking around. These brown or grayish-brown blotches, typically on the forehead, chin, cheeks, upper lip, or nose, may signal a condition called melasma.

Melasma isn’t painful and doesn’t present any health risks, but affects more women than men and the individual develop dark patches on their faces. The condition can be difficult to treat. Melasma appears when these cells become hyperactive and produce too much pigment in certain areas of the skin. The mechanism is similar to what causes brown age spots and freckles, but melasma patches tend to be larger.

Melasma is more common in women, but it can also affect men. It may have a genetic component, as it often runs in families.

Melasma has a lot of different causes but the two main causes are:

Hormones (including hormonal medications). Fluctuations in certain hormones can cause melasma, which is why it commonly occurs during pregnancy. Melasma may also occur when you either start or stop hormonal contraception, including birth control pills, or when you take hormone replacement therapy.

Sun exposure. The sun is the big culprit in triggering melasma. The sun is the major exacerbating factor, whatever the underlying cause. Melasma can be caused or worsened by not only the sun’s rays, but also heat and visible light. This means that even sunscreens that protect against skin cancer aren’t enough to ward off melasma.

TREATMENTS FOR MELASMA

Rupesh may prescribe medications or topical treatments to help lighten melasma. Some commonly used options are topical retinols and retinoid treatments, which are applied to the skin to help speed your body’s natural cell turnover process. This may help dark patches clear more quickly than they would on their own.

In addition, Rupesh may prescribe bleaching agents, such as hydroquinone, which works by blocking melanin production.

Other treatments that are sometimes recommended for melasma include chemical peels (The Perfect Peel) and skin microneedling (Dermapen).