What causes melasma?

The exact cause of melasma is unclear. People with darker skin are more vulnerable than those with pale skin. However, melasma does have a genetic propensity.

Melasma has various triggers, and these can include:

• Hormonal changes
• Hormonal contraceptives
• Hormone therapy
• Pregnancy
• Radiation
• Scented toiletries and cosmetics
• Stress
• Sun exposure
• Light exposure, especially bright lights like LED
• Radiation from heat
• Thyroid disease

Types of melasma

Melasma can be divided into three separate categories:

• Dermal - melasma has a light brown or bluish colour, a hazy border, doesn't change under a black light, and doesn't respond well to treatment.
• Epidermal - Brown discolouration with well-defined margins is present on the epidermis, or top layer of skin, in epidermal melasma. This form of melasma becomes lighter or fades under black light and generally responds well to treatments.
• Mixed Types - The most prevalent type of melasma exhibits a mixed pattern under black light. This melasma type includes bluish and brown areas and responds to treatment to some extent.

What are the symptoms?

Patches of discolouration are a result of melasma. Normally, your normal skin tone is lighter than the spots. It often affects the face and has identical marks on both sides of the face. Melasma can also appear on other parts of your body that get sunburnt frequently.

How do you treat melasma?

It is not easy to treat melasma. Restore will identify the potential causes before developing a treatment strategy. Melasma can disappear naturally, remain a permanent condition, or react to treatment within a few months, depending on the individual. Most melasma cases will go away with time and adequate shielding from sunlight and other light sources. Restore may treat your melasma with creams, antioxidant supplementation, retinoids and skin peels. To avoid a recurrence or prevent melasma from worsening, Restore will also provide you with a list of things to stay away from.

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