Melasma Cure: Melasma Treatments That Work

One of the most common and persistent skin conditions out there today is melasma. If you’re looking for a melasma cure or a melasma treatment that really works you need to first learn what you’re dealing with.

This hyper-pigmentation disorder causes brown patches or spots to show up on the skin. Your face is the most common area where melasma will show up.

Areas on the face where melasma will commonly show up include:

the upper lip

the bridge of the nose

the (upper) cheeks

the forehead

the jaw line

the middle region of the face

It can also show up on other areas on your body such as your forearms or neck.

Melasma isn’t life threatening and won’t even cause any itching or pain. However, it can make you to feel embarrassed and even depressed.

When I had it I was so embarrassed I didn’t even want to look people in the face. I would just put my head down and look at the ground as I walked into stores and passed other people.

We know looks aren’t everything, but we also know how damaging the depression and loss of self esteem melasma causes can be. We also know you’ve probably tried several treatments in your quest for a melasma cure.

If you want your life back you can’t give up. We hope you’ll give one of these melasma treatments we’ve listed below a try and give yourself a chance to become Finally Melasma Free.

What Exactly is Melasma?

The term melasma refers to brown skin, due to the patchy brown pigmentation it causes. This hyperpigmentation of the skin is usually symmetrical which means the brown patches will show up on both sides of your face.

It is sometimes called chloasma and despite what some people may believe it isn’t contagious, it isn’t caused by an infection and it won’t turn into skin cancer because it isn’t cancerous.

During the summer months melasma will become darker and easier to see, but then it will improve during the winter as there is less sunshine.

Who Gets Melasma?

Melasma is a skin condition that affects women more than men (around 90% of melasma patients are women). Especially women who are going through a pregnancy, menopause, or who are taking oral birth control pills.

Men are affected by melasma as well, but it’s estimated that only 1 in 20 men will experience it.

People who tan easily or who have naturally darker skin (for example: South Asian, Hispanic, North African, or Mediterranean women) are also more likely to get melasma.

You are also more prone to get melasma if:

you live in an area where there’s a lot of sunshine.

work at a job that requires you to be around heat a lot (like if you work in a kitchen).

you have a family history of this hyperpigmentation disorder.

What Is Melanin?

In order to understand why you are getting melasma and how to treat it you need to have a better understanding  about what melanin is. Melanin is pretty much the pigment that determines the color of your skin, hair, and even your eyes.

People who naturally have dark colored skin have a high amount of melanin present in their skin. Meanwhile people who are light or fair skin have a lesser amount of this skin pigment present.

The cells responsible for producing this skin darkening pigment is known as melanocytes. Melanocytes can be found inside the epidermis of your skin and it either increases the production of melanin or transfers it to its neighboring cells called keratinocytes.

There are different types of melanin that the melanocyte skin cells will produce which are:

Eumelanin – Found mainly in people with dark/black skin or hair. This type of melanin is present in small amounts in people who have lighter skin or blonde hair. (Protective against UV radiation)

Pheomelanin – Found mainly in people with red or pinkish skin color. People with red hair have this kind of melanin. (Not protective against UV radiation)

Neuromelanin – This type of melanin isn’t found in the hair or skin like the other two. It’s found in various parts of your brain and you would experience neurological problems if you were to lose any of this type of melanin.

The main purpose for the production of melanin is to protect us against UV radiation from sun exposure that can cause skin cancer.

Keep in mind that this natural protection provided by melanin doesn’t completely keep you safe from the harmful effects of the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

However, people who have more melanin (dark skin tones) can tolerate sun exposure much longer without getting sunburn compared to those with less melanin (lighter skin tones) who will get sunburn within minutes of being exposed to the sun.