How to Treat Melasma (part 3)

Treating Melasma with Non-Prescription Home Treatment

Protect your skin from the sun. 

Apply broad spectrum sunscreen and take other measures to protect your skin from the sun. Doing so can prevent an outbreak of melasma and may reduce the risk of current melasma getting worse.[9]

Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you anticipate being out in the sun. Look for a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, and consider getting one with added nutrients, like zinc, to benefit your skin.

You could try “double” sun screening, as well. Layer an SPF 15 sunscreen on beneath an SPF 30 sunscreen for even more protection.

Wear a wide-brimmed hat and large sunglasses to provide your face with additional protection. If your melasma is especially bad, you might also want to consider wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants. Try to stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible.

Calm down. 

Stress can worsen hormonal imbalances, and if a hormonal imbalance is the cause of your melasma, finding ways to stress less can help treat your melasma.[10]

If you have difficulty relaxing, try techniques like meditation or yoga. If these do not work for you or do not appeal to you, simply make time for more things you enjoy—whether that includes walks through the park, reading, or taking a bubble bath.

Look for an over-the-counter hydroquinone cream. 

These medicated ointments lighten the skin, causing melasma outbursts to fade.[11]

Hydroquinone comes as a cream, lotion, gel, or liquid. It works by blocking the natural chemical process in your skin responsible for creating melanin, and since melanin produces dark skin pigmentation, the amount of dark pigmentation related to melasma will also be reduced.

There are even hydroquinone creams that contain a little sunblock, so if you want to protect your skin while treating it for melasma, these options provide an all-in-one opportunity for you to do so.

Nonprescription hydroquinone creams usually have a concentration of 2 percent or less.

Try a cream containing cysteamine. 

Naturally present in human body cells, cysteamine is safe and proven to treat melasma.[12]

Cysteamine, is the natural product of L-cysteine metabolism in the human body. It acts as an intrinsic antioxidant and is known for its protective role against ionizing radiation and as an antimutagenic agent. Cysteamine acts via the inhibition of melanin synthesis to produce depigmentation.

Use a cream containing kojic acid or melaplex. Both ingredients are skin brighteners, but they tend to be less harsh and less of an irritant than hydroquinone. These ingredients slow down the production of skin-darkening pigmentation in your skin. As a result, new skin cells being produced will be less dark, making it more difficult for melasma to set in.[13]

Take tretinoin. 

This is a type of vitamin A that increases the rate at which your skin sheds dead cells. This can help patches of melasma fade faster.[14]

Note, however, that this alone may not cure your melasma if the underlying cause has not also been remedied. The affected skin will shed quicker, but that will have no impact if your new skill cells are all affected.

Try paper mulberry. This plant grows as a small tree or shrub, and while it has many non-medical uses, the extract or products containing the extract can be used orally and topically to treat melasma, as long as you follow the instructions provided on the product.[15]

Experiment with other holistic treatments. Other ingredients that have been known to help when applied topically include bearberry, watercress, mandelic acid, lactic acid, lemon peel extract, apple cider vinegar, and Vitamin C. These are all capable of relaxing pigment-producing compounds in your skin without completely nullifying them and causing irritation or sensitivity to light.

Wait it out. If your melasma has been induced by pregnancy, it will pass when the pregnancy is over. However, it will be more likely to occur in subsequent pregnancies.

Cases of melasma not caused by pregnancy can last longer and might require more active intervention to treat.[16]