Melasma
Melasma is a common pigmentary condition which develops mostly in woman, however it can occur in men as well.
Melasma is a common pigmentary condition which develops mostly in woman, however it can occur in men as well . It can present as either a singular lesion or multiple pigmented patches, which usually appear brown or grayish. Melasma doesn’t hurt rather it can be distressing for the sufferer to look at. The most common distribution of this pigmentation is in a Centro facial pattern, which involves the forehead, cheeks, nose, upper lip and chin.
Melasma is mostly common in woman with natural dark skin, however it can affect anyone of any skin colour. Melasma is the results of our pigment producing cells (melanin/melanocytes) producing too much pigment. The trigger for this pigment (melanin) to be production by a melanocyte is UV rays (SUN). So this means that the sun is a huge trigger for melasma, with even just the tiniest bit of sun causing melasma in some people. Melasma can reoccur after its been faded way by treatments if exposed to UV and thus is inevitably worse in summer months. Some other triggers can be hormones and genetics. If a family member has had it theres evidence to suggest that you are more likely to get melasma. Hormones play a role in melasma with pregnancy, hormone replacements, ovarian or thyroid issues and contraceptive pills all being a possible trigger.
Overall the development of melasma is multifactorial process, which involves UV exposure, Genetic influences, pregnancy, hormone therapy, certain cosmetics, endocrine or hepatic dysfunction and some anti-epileptic drugs.
Treatment
Treating melasma can present with some difficulties, since if the wrong treatment is performed melasma can actually worsen. This is what we call rebound pigmentation, its significantly darker pigmentation then what the original pigmentation was. This is why it’s important to only see highly qualified clinician, whom have the knowledge and experience to actually tackle your melasma concerns without making them worse. With the use of proper sun protection and removal of the trigger i.e. pregnancy, birth control, melasma can be a lot simpler to treat and fade. Here at revita skin clinic we use a combination approach, with each treatment program customized for you. Any melasma treatment will take time and be a long term treatment plan as opposed to a short term fix, when it comes to melasma there is no such thing as a quick fix.
To truly combat melasma we recommend a course of jessner peels 3-6 depending on the level of pigmentation. This will also involve the use of active skinstitut products at home such as the glycolic cleanser, glycolic scrub, even blend serum with the Vitamin C powder, retinol and a spf 50 moisturizer. These are all designed to help treat the pigment and block new pigmentation formation. If there is any remaining pigmentation after the jessner peels, a dermapen treatment might be recommended to further deliver results.