Skin Clinic Questions:What On Earth Is Melasma?
Skin Clinic Questions:What on earth is Melasma?
It can certainly look frightening, melasma is a common and purely cosmetic skin disorder that triggers darker, abnormal spots on the neck and face.
Melasma is usually prompted by a mixture of extended sun exposure and hormonal variances, which is why it is also generally known as “chloasma faciel,” and the “face of pregnancy.” With the 2 things together, melanin-generating cells (which are responsible for skin color) go into overdrive, making skin to look darker than it should in areas.
Along with pregnancy and genetic factors, melasma may very well be brought about by contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, skin swelling, hair waxing, thyroid health issues, and extreme stress levels. Also, some prescribed medicines like tetracycline and quinine can cause melanin production.
The most effective way to prevent melasma, or keep it from getting worse, is to protect the dermis from sun exposure. Keep out of the sun as much as possible, and if you must stay outdoors long, wear protective clothing and a hat, and be sure to use sun protection daily to prevent UV damage. For increased protection, find a sunblock that uses physical blockers such as zinc dioxide and titanium dioxide, with an SPF of no less than 30.
For most pregnant women, melasma can disappear by itself after giving birth. Other times it can persist for several months, or even years, before disappearing.
Even though there isn’t a cure for melasma, there are many ways to minimize the appearance of it by lightening the brown sections with time.
One of the most well liked techniques is choosing a hydroquinone-based chemical peel, which, after using, can travel deep into the layers of the epidermis to reduce dark discoloring and prevent it from getting worse.
Superficial peels with alpha hydroxyacids or glycolic acid can also help, albeit with several more treatments than what a hydroquinone chemical peel would require. The upside is that superficial peels have a much quicker recovery time. Both of these options are available without a precription.
Treatments with a Fraxel laser or intense pulsed light therapy are a more dramatic and costly alternative, but may provide better results at times. Make sure to consult a qualified and highly regarded health care practitioner for any laser treatment.
For anyone learning exactly what plastic surgeons and various medical doctors leading medical spas think of the next Intense pulsed light (IPL) and skin fractional skin technologies systems by Palomar, Sciton, Solta, Alma, Cutera, Candela, Cynosure, Lumenis, Syneron and others, and procedures such as Thermage skin tightening, Smart lipo, Botox, tumescent liposuction and other IPL and cosmetic laser treatments, make sure to take a look at the cosmetic laser opinions on Medical Spa MD, a group of medical doctors practicing cosmetic medicine.
