Melasma

Melasma is a skin condition that causes patches and spots, usually on the face, which are darker than your natural skin tone.  

Many women first see these blotchy patches and freckle-like spots on their face during pregnancy, when they start taking birth control pills or have a change in hormones.  Women who have medium to dark skin tones are most likely to develop melasma. When melasma appears, it can cause tan, brown, grayish brown, or bluish gray patches and freckle-like spots. These usually appear on certain areas of face like the cheeks, forehead, chin, and even above the upper lip. While less common, melasma can develop on the arms, neck, or elsewhere. 

Melasma may go away on its own. This usually happens when a trigger, such as pregnancy or a medication, causes melasma. When you deliver your baby or stop taking the medication, melasma can fade.  Melasma can also last for years, or even a lifetime. While melasma cannot harm your body, it’s understandable that many people want to treat it.  

Treatments such as creams & peels and daily use of physical based sunscreens can help fade the discoloration, but treatments cannot make melasma go away forever. This skin condition can come back when exposed to heat and sun. In fact, many people who have melasma say the dark spots and patches become more noticeable during the summer and fade in winter. For this reason, it is important to use sunscreen every day and wear a wide-brimmed hat to keep the spots from getting darker or returning.  It is also important to have both a short term plan to reduce the signs of Melasma,  and then a long term plan to maintain it.

Treating melasma in darker skin tones requires a different approach from treating melasma in lighter skin tones. For example, some melasma treatments can irritate darker skin, which can worsen melasma and make it darker.

We have extensive experience in treating melasma.  It is important to book a consultation so that we may organize a plan that works for you.