Melasma is a common skin problem that causes brown or gray-brown patches on the face. While commonly appearing on the forehead, melasma also appears on cheeks, nose, chin or above the upper lip. Moreover, it can also appear on the parts of the body that bear lots of sun, like forearm and neck.
Though melasma does not or rarely cause irritation or physical trouble to the skin, it mentally troubles people. Patches on the face affect a person’s personality!
What causes melasma?
The causes of melasma are yet not clear. It occurs when the colour making cells of skin produce more than adequate colour.
The below-mentioned causes are considered to be related with melasma:
- Sun exposure: Experts point sun exposure as the chief cause of melasma. The UV rays from the Sun stimulate the melanocytes (colour making cells) in the skin. Because of sun exposure, melasma affects worse during the summers.
- Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes are also associated with melasma. Birth control pills or hormone replacement medicines also trigger melasma in women.
- Cosmetics: Some skin care products that irritate your skin can also trigger melasma.
People at risk of melasma
More often than men, women are at the risk of melasma. It is a fact approved that only 10 percent of men are there in the total number of persons getting affected with melasma. Who are at the risk of melasma?
- People with dark skin: People with dark skin are more at the risk of melasma than people with light skin. They have more active melanocytes in their skin.
- Genetic: People having a blood relative with melasma are often at the risk of it.
- Women during pregnancy: During pregnancy, women are often at the risk of developing melasma. It happens due to the hormonal changes during the pregnancy.
Signs of melasma
The only visible sign of melasma is brown of gray-brown patches on the face. These patches often appear on the cheeks, chin, forehead and the part above the lips.
Prevention of melasma
The best prevention from melasma is avoiding the exposure to the sun. However, there are certain other tips to prevent melasma that Dermatologists recommend:
- Sunscreen: First things first! Always wear a good quality sunscreen whenever you go out. A sunscreen with SPF 30 or more is good for everyday use. Since exposure to the sun is the prime cause of melasma, you should take it into serious consideration.
- Use gentle skin care products: Using skin care products that might irritate your skin or cause burning sensations, is not a good idea. Avoid them and use gentle products.
- Avoid waxing: You should avoid waxing near the areas affected with melasma. Waxing causes inflammation and it may worsen melasma!
Best Melasma Treatments at MedLinks
Skin experts or the Dermatologists at MedLinks believe in providing the best possible assistance and treatment to the patients in Delhi. The Melasma treatment starts with a diagnosis. An expert can easily diagnosis Melasma by examining your skin. To know the depth Melasma penetrates your skin, a device, Wood’s light is used. After the diagnosis, these are the treatment options for melasma:
- Medications: The first choice of Dermatologists is to use medicines for the treatment of melasma. HQ or hydroquinone gel is often the first gel or cream to be applied for the purpose. HQ works on your skin by lightening it. Based on the results and requirements, other medications can also be prescribed by the Dermatologist. Corticosteroid, azelaic and kojic acid are some of the options available to the expert to choose from.
- Procedures: If required, there are certain procedures that a Dermatologist has to perform to treat your melasma. The procedures for melasma treatment includes a chemical peel, microdermabrasion, and dermabrasion. Glycolic acid or another suitable agent is used for the chemical peeling procedure. After the chemical peel, other procedures in the list are performed.
Your experience at MedLinks
MedLinks focuses on providing people the best personalized skin treatment experience. You will notice it yourself, once you are at MedLinks. We start treatment of melasma with a friendly talk and end it with the optimum result. We have the experts trained and educated from the best institutions to ensure that no side-effects occur after the treatment. Moreover, at MedLinks, many people have seen their melasma fading away! You can choose us; you can trust our treatment; you can look the real you with our trusted melasma treatment!
