Melasma is a skin disease that causes brown or tan patches on the face including upper lip, cheeks, forehead, and chin. These discoloured patches may appear due to hormonal changes, ageing, sun exposure etc. Reduction and elimination of these causes may prevent melasma.
Time heals the biggest wound and Melasma is just a common skin condition!
Brown and dark discoloured skin patches signify Melasma. No one exactly knows the cause that why melasma occurs. The common factors that trigger melasma may count as hormone therapy, pregnancy, birth control pills, usage of harsh chemical cosmetic products, and certain types (i.e. anti-seizure) of medications. It generally targets women in the middle of their reproductive
Melasma is more common in women than in men. It generally appears on the face (including forehead, nose, chin, and upper lip area) but can also develop on the neck and forearms area. As per the American Academy of Dermatology, 90% of people who develop melasma are women. As per research, more than 6.5 million women in the USA have melasma while men ratio is only 10%.
Melasma doesn’t have any serious health consequences but these patches generally cause embarrassment and distress. Thanks to our advanced technology, dealing with these marks is easy now. Plenty of options are there in the market to reduce the appearance of melasma, choose the best one that suits your skin.
Who gets Melasma?
Visiting a dermatologist is the right approach to get to know if your skin has melasma. In general, melasma appears as brown or grey-brown patches on the face.
The dermatologist will diagnose your skin to identify about the patches on your face are melasma or something else.
Though melasma can trigger to anyone, normally people with a dark complexion and who belongs to some specific geography (like Asian, Latin, North African, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranea) got melasma patches easily. A person who has a family history of melasma is also more likely to suffer from the condition.
How to prevent Melasma?
With certain precautions, melasma can be prevented. Some measures can help you to reduce the risk of your melasma from developing it. But in general, it is not possible in every case.
Here are some tips to prevent melasma:
Sun Exposure - The most common treatment to prevent your skin from melasma is to protect your skin from the sun. Applying a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher daily can help to a certain level and wearing a hat or holding an umbrella while going out in the sun is also needed for more protection. Although, if you have melasma condition then you should avoid or minimize your exposure to sunlight.
Shed - Try to take a shed in sunlight.
Skin Care – If you are suffering from this condition, you should be extra cautious towards using skin care products. Use gentle/herbal products that don’t hurt or burn your skin. Harsh and strong chemicals of cosmetic products trigger melasma more quickly.
Birth Control pills – Since the hormone imbalance is considered one of the main causes of melasma, you should also avoid consuming too much birth control pill especially the one consisting of estrogen.
