What Are the Most Effective Treatments for Melasma?

Melasma is most effectively treated with cream, injections, and procedures such as light therapy and chemical peels.

FREMONT, CA: Melasma is a skin ailment characterized by brown, blue, or freckle patches that form what is commonly known as "the mask of pregnancy." It's a dark, mask-like mark that is common, harmless, and usually fades within a few months. This is not to say it isn't irritating while there. Pregnant women have a higher chance of getting Melasma due to hormonal fluctuations. Because of their appearance on the face or neck, the black spots are commonly referred to as "the mask of pregnancy ."Melasma can affect anyone, although pregnant women are 90 percent more likely to develop it than males.

More research is needed, but additional potential factors include prolonged exposure to sunlight, tanning beds, stress, seizure medicines, birth control pills, and thyroid disorders.

Women with dark skin tones, twenty-to-forty-year-old women, or relatives with Melasma are more prone to getting it.

Symptoms of Melasma: Melasma symptoms are quite obvious. It leaves light brown, dark brown, and bluish patches or freckle-like marks on the skin. The areas could also be red or irritated. Melasma often appears in six or a mix of spots on the skin. One may see it on their cheekbones, nose, chin, upper lip, or forehead. It can also appear in other places, such as their arms, neck, and back. While it is more common in certain regions, Melasma can appear in places on the body that are exposed to sunlight. This is why symptoms may worsen during the summer.

Treatment for Melasma includes: Depending on the type of Melasma, topical treatments can be used to prevent new dark spots from developing. These topical therapies are known as tyrosinase inhibitors. Melasma treatment options include creams, injections, and oral medications.

Cysteamine: Some research indicates that it can be an effective treatment.

Hydroquinone: A cream or lotion is administered directly to the melasma spots at night for 2-4 months.

Azelaic acid: Pregnant women can safely use a cream, lotion, or gel twice daily.

Hydrocortisone: This helps decrease the dark color caused by Melasma and may reduce the risk of dermatitis from other drugs.

If medication or topical therapies do not work for individuals, they have other options. The dermatologist can undertake procedures to treat the melisma, such as:

Chemical peel: One may have had a peel in a day spa. The doctor can also perform one to assist in peeling (removing) damaged skin, allowing new, smoother, more even-toned skin to emerge.

Platelet-rich plasma: This procedure involves drawing a small amount of one's own blood, processing it in a machine, and then injecting it back into the body. It can help balance out skin tone. This form of therapy is utilized for various problems, including sports injuries and hair loss.