If you glance in the mirror and sees greyish-brown patches over your cheeks, nose, forehead, or chin it may signal a condition called melasma.
Melasma is a common skin problem that causes brown to grey-brown patches usually on the face. Sometimes it is also called a ‘mask of pregnancy’ because of its first appearance in pregnancy due to the high level of blood hormone levels. It has been found that 20 % of females in the age group of 40-60years in India are affected by melasma. It doesn’t cause any physical harm, but one may feel self-conscious by the way it looks.
Causes of melasma
- UV rays exposure
- Hormonal pills
- Pregnancy
- Harsh cosmetics
- Genetic
Do’s & Don’ts of Melasma
DO’S
- Wear sunscreen daily.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and protective clothing when you’re outside.
- Eat vitamin C rich food.
- Clean your face every night before bed.
- Take prescribed medication appropriately.
DON’TS
- Don’t expose your skin to direct sunlight for a long time.
- Avoid going outside when it’s sunny (between 11 am and 3 pm).
- Don’t wax the areas of your skin affected by the condition
- Don’t use products that irritate your skin.
- Don’t scrub your skin.
Alert!
Many patients tend to buy OTC skin lightening cream from a local pharmacy without knowledge of its composition and apply it over the face to find side effects like worsening of dark pigmentation, redness of the face, increased acne breakouts, thinning of skin(striae), increased hair growth and many more. These side effects can be due to hazardous and habit-forming contents like potent topical steroids in these creams and which may take a long time to recover or permanent skin damage. Don’t fall prey to such creams.
Whom to visit?
If you are having symptoms of melasma and wondering to whom to visit? Then Dermatologists are the health professionals specialized in diagnosing and treatment of melisma, dark pigmentation over face and other skin concerns.
Dermatologist offers a variety of melasma treatments from sunscreen (according to your skin type), depigmenting cream, oral medications to procedures like chemical peels, microneedling, PRP therapy, Q-switched Nd-YAG laser depending on the gravity of the problem.
