Melasma

 

What is Melasma?

Melasma, common among the pregnant women, is a blue-gray discoloration or the appearance of brown patches on the facial skin. These patch marks are generally found on the forehead, upper lip, upper cheeks and chin of those women between the age groups of 20-50 years. There are chances for it to occur to males but is very uncommon to be found. Melasma often occurs among the pregnant women, especially those who are natives of Saia and Latin America. There are about 6 million ladies in America who suffer from melasma and there are 40-50 million women who suffer from melasma worldwide.

 

What are the Causes of Melasma?

Melasma happens on account of excessive exposure to sunlight, intake of external hormones like birth pills or a gradual change in the internal hormones of the body. There could also be other possible reasons like replacement of hormones, ant seizure medication, family heredity and the use of those medicines that can lead to pigmentation of the skin. When the skin is exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun for long periods, it can lead to melasma. Clinical research and studies have shown that melasma mostly occurs during the summer than in the winter months.

 

How is Melasma Diagnosed?

To get the right diagnosis for melasma, you must visit a dermatologist. The dermatologist will study the patch marks on your skin and question you on matters related to the birth control pills that you intake. To mark out the clear difference between melasma and other skin problems, he/ she will conduct a lamp test. For this, a Wood lamp that emits fluorescent light will be used which will highlight the pigmented areas and will let them know if it is a result of excessive melanin in the skin.

 

What Parts of the Body Does Melasma Infect?

There are three patterns that have been identified in case of melasma, which are malar (cheekbones), centrofacial (at the center of the face) and mandibular (jawbone). The centrofacial part that is infected by melasma includes the chin, nose, upper lips, cheeks and forehead. The mandibular part of the skin includes the jaw line and the malar part constitutes of upper cheeks. The chances of occurrence of melasma on other parts of the body are very unlikely as per the research.

 

How to Treat Melasma?

You will have to make use of creams that contain HQ above 2% on the recommendation of the doctor. The use of HQ lightens your skin and makes your skin less itchy and irritable in the future too. You can also make use of sunscreen creams and also avoid exposing your skin to the sun. The use of all these creams may temporarily irritate your skin, but they will be effective in the long run. Today, there are all sorts of therapies available for dealing with all the types of melasma. There are also chances that melasma may not require any treatment at all. It may heal gradually with time.