How To Treat Melasma

Otherwise known as mask of pregnancy or chloasma, melasma frequently occurs as irregular patches of tan, dark skin, mostly among women taking oral or patch contraceptives in addition to pregnant women. Others who are also susceptible to chloasma are women who are pregnant or are undergoing (HRT) hormone replacement therapy. There has also been research which has given evidence that both men and women of Russian, German, and Jewish descent are also commonly troubled by melasma which manifests as facial pigmentation that looks like discoloration.

The frequently affected skin areas of melasma include the nose, forehead, lips, upper lip, or upper cheeks and can progressively increase as time passes by. To explain the condition medically, the skin discoloration caused by melasma is due to female sex hormones stimulating the body’s pigment-producing cells (melanocytes), causing the melanocytes to produce too much melanin once the skin is over-exposed to sunlight.

Since the ugly patches of irregularly dark skin make a person unattractive, many individuals seek out melasma treatment to eliminate the traces of the skin condition. Fortunately for women who are taking contraceptives or are pregnant, their melasma typically fades away on its own, months after giving birth or after they stop using contraceptives. This also applies for many women who are using HRT medications.

There are several ways of melasma treatment which are basically done to help speed up the fading of the irregularly colored skin areas. Use of hydroquinone (HQ) as a topical depigmenting agent to reduce the making of tyrosinase within the body is one technique of melasma treatment. It is effective due to the fact that the enzyme tyrosinase is essential in the production of melanin. By using tretinoin as another means, this helps cure melasma by increasing the production of skin cells. It is unfortunate, though, that women who are carrying a child in their womb are forbidden from using this method of melasma treatment. Chemical peels with glycolic acid, facial peels with alpha hydroxyacids, use of azelaic acid to hinder melanocyte activity – these are additional methods for treating melasma. There is also the method for melasma removal called the Fraxel laser treatment.

The kind of treatment one must have for their melasma will vary on a case to case basis, seeing that one treatment technique may not be as effective on one person as it may be for another. But regardless of which type of melasma treatment the patient chooses, he or she must definitely avoid the sun after being treated for melasma. Results of the treatment are slow to appear so one must patiently stay out of the sun all the time. For best results, it is extremely suggested that you apply sunscreen on your face and body daily.