Treatments For Melasma
Melasma, also known as chloasma, appears as a blotchy, brownish pigmentation on the face that develops slowly and fades with time.
Although it can affect anyone, it is particularly common in women, especially pregnant women and those who are taking oral or patch contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medications. It may also increases in patients with thyroid disease.
The symptoms of melasma are dark, irregular patches commonly found on the upper cheek, nose, lips, upper lip, and forehead. Because it is a common disease, and has a characteristic appearance on the face, most patients can be diagnosed simply by a skin examination.
The precise cause of melasma remain unknown, but common factors linked to the disorder include pregnancy, use of oral contraceptives (BCPs), hormone replacement treatments (estrogens), hormonal abnormalities, as well as a family history. Other rare causes include allergic reaction to medications and cosmetics. Melasma doesn't cause any other symptoms besides skin discoloration but may be of great cosmetic concern.
Melasma Treatments
While there there is no melasma cure, many treatments have been developed. There have been options that are really expensive and may cost you thousands of dollars; while there are other options like natural wrinkle cure treatments that would be available in just about any store around your neighborhood.
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| TreatmentsForMelasma.com |
Treatment to lighten the dark spots includes:
Cosmetics skin care products to cover and hide the spots
Over-the-counter lightening cream with 2% hydroquinone
Prescription lightening cream with 4% hydroquinone
Tritenoin cream
Chemical peel using alpha-hydroxy acids
Microdermabrasion products
Laser treatment
Underlying causes of melasma, such as the oral contraceptive pill, need to be addressed first. If treated inappropriately, the symptoms can actually worsen. Fortunately, there are some very effective treatments that will help even the skin tone more rapidly.
Melasma Cream
A variety of bleaching creams are available for the treatment of melasma . Bleaching preparations include 2 or 4% hydroquinone-containing creams or gels and 3% hydroquinone solution. Bleaching agents such as Hydroquinone do not “bleach” the skin but instead decrease the activity of the melanin, or pigment-producing cells in the skin.
Patients can obtain over the counter acne treatment, bleaching creams such as Porcelana (2%) or prescription concentrations such as Melanex (3%) solution (on formulary) or those following 4% hydroquinone topical:
Lustra
Eldoquin Forte
Eldopaque Forte
Viquin Forte
Solaquin
Start with a bleaching agent by itself or in conjunction with Retin-A. This cream may be applied to the entire face each night, but bleaching creams should be applied as a spot treatment only on areas of hyper pigmentation. Retin-A cream applied to before bed has been shown to be an effective treatment.
Taylor, a particular type of alpha hydroxy acid, known as mandelic acid has been shown to improve a type of melasma that is often resistant to topical treatments, dermal melasma. Because this alpha hydroxy acid is also safe on Latino and Asian skin, it can also be considered as a possible treatment. Without daily use of opaque sunscreen, treatment will fail (a broad-spectrum formulation with an SPF over 30 plus cover up is adequate).
Some of the melasma treatments that your doctor may prescribe may be: bleaching cream used with or without the anti aging treatment cream Renova and the anti acne cream Azelex. These peels are often used in combination with nightly creams like Renova or alphahydroxy acids, glycolic acid cream and bleaching creams.
Doctor's need to give the approval for any skin bleaching treatment since it can impair the melanin production and could energize a cancerous reaction.
Remember, a sunscreen should be applied daily in addition to the bleaching cream. Any facial cleansers, creams, or make-up which irritates the skin should be stopped, as this may worsen the melasma.
Laser
Chemical peels, microdermabrasion products, and laser surgery may help melasma, but results have not been consistent. These treatments do not necessarily cure acne and melasma cause, and the effectiveness of each will vary from patient to patient.
Depending on whether the Melasma is dermal or epidermal, it can be treated topically or with laser therapy.
Various light and laser treatment may include the Fraxel laser and Q-switch YAG laser.
Fraxel laser treatments are performed monthly for a three or four month period. This laser uses millions of microscopic thermal spots to gently resurface only portions of skin at a time; with the ability to penetrate deep enough into the skin to eliminate the skin cells that cause melasma while protecting the skin’s outer layer. It is a remarkable laser system that targets the affected skin aggressively, yet is non-ablative and requires no downtime as the condition improves.
Other lasers or IPL are often used in the treatment of melasma, however, they are often unsuited to this treatment, and cause worsening of the pigmentation. If the melasma is dermal, laser (or "IPL") will actually darken and worsen the appearance of the spots. This occurs when excessive heat/energy is transferred to the skin by the laser/IPL causing inflammation which leads to the formation of extra pigmentation.
The Medlite q-switched laser has extremely short pulses which deliver minimal heat energy to the skin, and therefore have more of a mechanical effect on the pigmentation rather than a heating effect on the pigmentation.
One should keep in mind two very important points when it comes to the treatment of melasma. One, Treatment is a slow process usually taking several months or more. Two, Treatment results depend on the depth of the pigmentation.
Even after treatment, skin discoloration may not always disappear completely and each patient may have to try various different treatment options to see a satisfactory result. Some treatments may have to be continually performed to sustain results, such as applying a skin lightening agent on a regular basis, combined with effective sunscreen usage and sun exposure avoidance. No matter what treatment regimen a patient follows, the use of a broad spectrum sun screen is mandatory.
Heavy peeling effect that effectively removes undesirable dark pigments & skin blemishes.
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Melasma, sometimes referred to as a pregnancy mask, is a skin condition in which parts of the facial skin darken into noticeably darker patches.
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