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Melasma Treatment

Melasma Treatment in Lucknow


Melasma is a common skin problem. The condition causes dark, discoloured patches on your skin.
It's also named chloasma, or the "mask of pregnancy," when it appears in pregnant women. The situation is much more familiar in females than males, though males can get it too. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, ninety per cent of people who develop melasma are women.

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What causes melasma?

Melasma has two leading causes: radiation, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared (heat) light, and hormones.

Ultraviolet and infrared radiation from the sun is critical in making melasma worse. Additional potential causes of melasma have:

  • Antiseizure medications: Medications that stop you from having seizures may cause melasma. An example of an antiseizure medicine is Clobazam (Onfi®).
  • Contraceptive therapy (birth control): Individuals who use oral contraceptive pills that contain estrogen and progesterone.
  • Estrogen/Diethylstilbestrol: Diethylstilbestrol is a synthetic (artificial) form of the hormone estrogen. And they are used in therapies for prostate cancer. Again, there's a mark between improved estrogen and melasma.
  • Genetics: About thirty per cent to fifty people with melasma have said that someone in the family has it. The majority of similar twins both control melasma.
  • Hypothyroidism: A state where your thyroid is underactive.
  • LED Screens: Melasma caused by the LED rays from your television, laptop, cell phone and tablet.
  • Pregnancy: It is dark why "the mask of pregnancy" occurs to pregnant women. Yet, experts theorize that raised estrogen, progesterone, and melanocyte-stimulating hormones play a role during the third trimester of pregnancy.
  • Hormones: Hormones like estrogen and progesterone may affect some people. Postmenopausal women are sometimes given progesterone and observed to develop melasma. You likely have elevated estrogen receptor levels in your melasma lesions if you aren't pregnant.
  • Makeup (cosmetics): Some cosmetics can cause a phototoxic reaction.
  • Phototoxic drugs (medications that cause you to be sensitive to sunlight): These include diuretics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, retinoids, hypoglycaemics, antipsychotics, targeted therapies and some other drugs.
  • Skin care products: A development that irritates your skin, in general, will probably cause your melasma to worse.
  • Tanning beds: The UV light delivered by tanning mattresses damages your skin just as severely as the UV light from the sun, sometimes worse.
  • Soaps: Some scented soaps may cause, or worse, melasma.

Symptoms of Melasma

Melasma causes patches of discolouration. The patches are darker compared to your usual skin colour. It commonly appears symmetrical on the face, with matching patterns on both sides. Other areas of your body often exposed to the sun can also develop melasma.

Brownish-coloured patches usually appear on the following:

  • forehead
  • bridge of the nose
  • chin
  • cheeks

It can even occur on the neck and forearms. Skin discolouration doesn't do any physical damage, but you might feel self-conscious about how it looks.

If you detect these signs of melasma, see your healthcare skill. They might refer you to a dermatologist specializing in treating skin disorders.

How do dermatologists diagnose melasma?

A visible exam of the affected area is usually adequate to diagnose melasma. However, to rule out specific causes, your healthcare professional might also conduct some tests.

One testing process is a Wood's lamp test. This particular kind of light is held up to your skin. It allows your healthcare specialist to check for bacterial and fungal disorders and determine how multiple layers of skin the melasma affects. They power also perform a biopsy to check for any severe skin conditions. It involves removing a small piece of the affected skin for testing.

How do dermatologists treat melasma?

Melasma may go away on its own. It usually happens when a trigger, such as pregnancy or a medication, causes melasma. For example, melasma can fade when you deliver your baby or stop taking the drug.

Melasma can even last for years or even a lifetime. So while melasma cannot damage your body, it's comprehensible that multiple people want to treat it.


If you like to treat melasma, ask your dermatologist about the cost of therapy. As therapy for melasma is not believed medically necessary, most insurers will not protect the price.

If you choose to treat melasma, your dermatologist will design a treatment plan tailored to your requirements. Your program will consider your skin tone, how deeply the melasma reaches your skin, and any triggers you may have. For example, sunlight, taking birth control pills, and even stress can trigger melasma.

The goals of treatment are to:

  • Even out your skin tone, you are restoring it to your natural colour.
  • Decrease how much pigment your body makes.

The treatment plan often consists of the following:

Sun safeness: Sunlight causes the skin to produce more pigment, which can darken melasma and generate new patches.

Your dermatologist will advise you on protecting your skin from the sun. It often involves wearing a wide-brimmed hat outdoors, seeking shade, and applying broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) throughout the day.

For patients who include melasma, dermatologists often advise using a sunscreen that provides for:

  • Zinc oxide
  • Iron oxide
  • Titanium dioxide

Medication and procedures: Your doctor may define a drug that can decrease the excess pigment in your skin. Most patients receive a prescription for medication they use for their skin at home.

Your dermatologist may prescribe one or more additional of the following:

  • Hydroquinone: This is a standard treatment for melasma. It is used on the skin and works to even out the skin tone. Hydroquinone is no longer available in products you can purchase without a prescription.
  • Tretinoin and a mild corticosteroid: This mixture contains a retinoid and an anti-inflammatory, which can out skin tone.
  • Triple combination: Lotion contains three drugs — tretinoin (a retinoid), a corticosteroid to reduce the rash, and hydroquinone to even out your skin tone.
  • Other medications: Your dermatologist may prescribe gentler medicines for your skin, like azelaic acid, kojic acid, or vitamin C.

When using makeup to hide melasma, applying everything is essential for the best results. Here's the order that dermatologists recommend:

1. Melasma medication

2. Sunscreen

3. Camouflage makeup

When you track your treatment plan, melasma can be stubborn. Some people still see melasma. Experimenters have been researching this problem, which has led to several therapy advances.

To enhance your results, your dermatologist may count one or better of the cult to your treatment plan:

  • Chemical peel: During this process, your dermatologist uses a chemical resolution to the melasma. Peel can help release excess pigment.
  • Microneedling: This minimally intrusive procedure makes microscopic incisions in your skin. As the skin heals, it manages to have a better even tone.
  • Laser and light treatments: Rare studies have found that counting a laser or light therapy can improve outcomes for patients already applying medication to their skin and protecting them from the sun.
  • Platelet-rich plasma: This process involves taking a small amount of your blood, placing the blood into a device that divides the blood into layers, and then infiltrating the layer of blood known as plasma into the skin with melasma. PRP can help even your skin tone.

Only a board-certified dermatologist should perform the above procedures. Getting the desired results requires in-depth knowledge of the skin. A board-certified dermatologist has the training to select the correct method for each patient, counsel you on what to expect, and perform the procedure safely.