Melasma is a relatively common skin condition characterized by dark, discolored patches on the face. It usually occurs on the cheeks, bridge of the nose, forehead, chin, and above the upper lip.
It can affect men and women of all skin types and ethnicities but is most common in women between the ages of 20 and 50. It’s also more likely to affect pregnant women.
What Causes Melasma?
The exact cause of melasma isn’t known. Doctors know that it’s triggered by sun exposure, which causes cells in the skin to produce more melanin, or pigment. Hormone changes during pregnancy may also be a trigger for some women.
How Is Melasma Treated?
To treat melasma, you can try over-the-counter products, prescription creams or chemical peels or laser treatments performed by a dermatologist. There are no cures for melasma at this point; treatment helps lighten dark patches but doesn’t remove them completely.
Melasma is a skin condition that causes brown to gray-brown patches, usually on the face. Anyone can develop melasma, but it’s more common in women, especially pregnant women and those who are taking oral or patch contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy. Melasma is also more common in people with darker complexions.
Melasma is often referred to as “the mask of pregnancy” because of the brown patches that develop on the forehead, cheeks, nose, lips and chin during pregnancy. It’s also called chloasma if it occurs during pregnancy.
Treating melasma can be challenging because there are many factors that may contribute to its development and it often returns after treatment is stopped. It usually fades gradually on its own after childbirth or when oral contraceptive use or hormone therapy is discontinued.
If you have melasma, your dermatologist may recommend treating the skin with a prescription cream or lotion containing retinoids or hydroquinone, a lightening agent. Your dermatologist may also combine topical treatments with chemical peels, dermabrasion or laser surgery to lighten and remove the layers of darkened skin safely, effectively and quickly. Your dermatologist may also use all of these treatments when treating melasma that develops during pregnancy.
Melasma is characterized by hyperpigmentation of the skin that creates brown or gray-brown patches, typically on areas of the face exposed to the sun. The condition is caused by a combination of genetics and hormones, though it can be made worse by sun exposure.
Melasma affects more women than men, particularly during pregnancy and in the months following childbirth, when it also goes by the name “mask of pregnancy.” Women with olive, Asian, or Hispanic skin types have a higher risk for melasma. Using oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and other medications that contain estrogen or progesterone can also contribute to melasma.
Melasma can be difficult to treat because it usually returns after treatment ends. For this reason, sun protection is an important part of any melasma care plan. When treating melasma, dermatologists will often prescribe products containing hydroquinone or azelaic acid. They may also use chemical peels and laser treatments to help lighten skin discoloration.
Melasma is a skin condition that causes brown patches to appear on the face. It can occur in both men and women. However, it occurs most often in women between the ages of 20 and 50 years old.
Melasma is also called the mask of pregnancy because pregnant women are more likely to develop melasma.
The patches of melasma often appear on both sides of the face in a nearly identical pattern. They most commonly occur on the cheeks, bridge of the nose, forehead, chin, and above the upper lip. They also can appear on other parts of the body that get lots of sun, such as the forearms and neck.
Melasma can be challenging to treat because it may return after treatment is discontinued. A variety of treatments are available. The best results are usually achieved with a combination approach that includes use of prescription creams and protection from ultraviolet (UV) light.
If you have melasma that doesn’t go away or gets worse, see your doctor for an evaluation. Some conditions cause similar skin changes, such as Addison’s disease or overactive thyroid.
Melasma is a skin condition that causes brown or gray-brown patches, usually on the face. Melasma is also called chloasma. This condition most commonly occurs in pregnant women, but it can affect anyone. It tends to flare up with sun exposure.
Melasma affects both women and men of all races, but it’s more common in women. Pregnant women are at especially high risk of melasma. Women going through menopause are also at increased risk of this condition because of hormonal changes that occur during menopause. People with darker skin tones are more likely to develop melasma than those with lighter skin tones.
Melasma may cover large areas of the face, or it may only appear in small patches on one side of the face. The upper lip and cheeks are the most common sites for melasma patches, but they may also appear on the forehead and chin.
What Causes Melasma?
While doctors don’t know exactly what causes melasma, there are some factors that increase your chances of developing it:
Sun exposure: When exposed to sunlight, your skin produces extra melanin to protect itself from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. This extra melanin can cause dark patches on your skin.
Pregnancy: Women who
Melasma is a skin condition of the face, which causes brown patches to form on sun-exposed areas. It is more common in women than men and usually develops during pregnancy or as a result of hormonal changes that occur with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or contraceptive pills.
As melasma affects self-esteem, it is important to understand the condition and its treatment options.
Melasma causes brown or grey patches on the skin, usually appearing on the face. The most common areas affected are across the cheeks, nose, forehead, chin, or above the upper lip.
Patches tend to be symmetrical and can appear in various shapes, such as dots or lines. They can vary in size from small freckle-like spots to large blotches that cover a significant area.
Symptoms are more likely to appear in summer months due to sun exposure, but they may also get worse in winter due to cold weather and central heating.
What causes melasma?
The exact cause of melasma is not fully understood. However, it is thought that higher levels of estrogen and progesterone may trigger increased activity of melanocytes (the cells responsible for creating pigment).
This results in an increase in melanin production, causing darker patches on
Melasma is a common skin condition that causes brown to grey-brown patches, usually on the face. It’s also called chloasma if it occurs during pregnancy and is sometimes known as the “mask of pregnancy,” although it can affect anyone.
Melasma is also more common in women than men, possibly due to a combination of genetics and female hormones.
The main cause of melasma is sun exposure. Melasma can also be caused by hormone changes such as those experienced during pregnancy, hormonal contraceptives, and hormone replacement therapy. The condition tends to run in families and affects all races, but it’s more common in people with darker skin tones who are exposed to sunlight often.
Melasma appears most commonly on the forehead, cheeks, upper lip, nose, or chin. It rarely affects the arms or chest. The brown or grayish-brown patches appear symmetrically — meaning they show up on both sides of your face — and are usually most noticeable in natural light.
The exact cause isn’t known, but researchers think what triggers melasma include: