Melasma
What is melasma?
Melasma is common skin condition characterised by brown patches on the face, cheeks, forehead, upper lip, nose or chin area. It occurs due to the excessive production of melanin, the pigment that causes the skin to tan. It is more common among women of child bearing age.
What Cause Melasma?
The primary culprit for the initiation and exacerbation of melasma is exposure to sunlight. Several other factors that may play a role in its severity are:
- Genetic influence
- Increased exposure to female hormones as in
- Pregnancy
- Use of oral contraceptive pills
- Post menopausal jormonsl replacement therapy
- Use of certain cosmetics, drugs or as a consequence of certain hormonal conditions such as thyroid dysfunction.
What treatment are available for melasma?
1. Physical/Procedure
-Chemical procedure and some light-based procedures have been used to remove some pigmentation
2. Medical
- Hydroquinone is a lightening agent commonly used in the treatment of melasma. Other lightening agents include kojic acid, tretinoin, arbutin, niacinamide, ascorbic acid and liquarice extract. These can either be used alone or in combination.
There is now available prescription treatment that can lighten moderate to severe melasma effectively. Such treatment combines 3 active ingredients in an easy-to-use cream that is applied once daily.
What are the benefits of "combination therapies"?
-Drastic improvement of melasma can be seen after 8 weeks of treatment, in more than 75% of patients.
How to prevent melasma from getting worse?
- Avoid sun exposure can help prevent further. darkening of existing melasma as well as the formation of new patches.
- Apply sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on a daily basis. This will protect your face from the harmful rays of the sun.
Why should you see a doctor for your melasma?
1. A doctor will be able to confirm the diagnosis and to check that there is no underlying or associated skin disease that would require immediate and adequate treatment.
2. Melasma can worsen over time and even become permanent, so you should not heefore seeking advice.hesitate before seeking advice.
3. Effective medical melasma treatment require a prescription. As these treatments may sometimes produce mild side effect, as they need to be taken under medical supervision.
If you think you may have melasma, speak to your doctor for effective and safe treatment. You don't have to hide any longer.
Melasma
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