Articles

Melasma is a common skin condition that can affect both men and women. It produces large, dark patches of skin over certain parts of your face. This skin discoloration, or hyperpigmentation, usually appears on the forehead, cheeks, and nose.

It is most often seen in people with darker or olive toned skin, but can affect anyone. There are two different factors that can cause melasma: hormonal fluctuations and excessive sun exposure. In pregnant women it is normal to see these marks appear because of hormonal changes.

Melasma is not by any means a dangerous condition, however, it can significantly alter your appearance. In fact, in some people it can show up as very noticeable, dark spots, in which case it is essential that they find proper melasma treatment.

The most common treatment options are the following:

*Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are a great way of treating melasma because the intensity of the peel can be controlled to best suit your needs. The specialist will control the depth of the peel by the chemicals he or she uses. If you experience any discomfort, you can treat it with cooling agents or topical anesthetics.

*Laser Treatment

Laser resurfacing can also be applied at different depths depending on your needs. This procedure permits the specialist to have great control over the area that is being treated. In other words, it can repair the affected skin and not interfere with the surrounding tissue.

When undergoing treatment you will need a local anesthetic. Once the treatment has been completed you may experience some swelling and redness. This is normal and should pass in a couple of days.

*Microdermabrasion

If you prefer a more gentle treatment that requires no downtime, you should try microdermabrasion. It requires no anesthesia, however, you might need to undergo several sessions before seeing definite results.

*Bleaching Creams

Bleaching creams are also used to correct skin tone problems, not just melasma. These products help lighten the skin, and work best over larger areas of the skin.

All of the previous procedures and products have one vital goal in common: to get an even skin tone. Nevertheless, the effects are not permanent if you don't take the proper care. Exposing your skin to sun exposure can cause melasma to reappear.

Therefore, wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and reapply frequently during the day. Also, wear wide brimmed hats to keep the sun from directly hitting your face.