Fair Skinned Melasma

by Maddie
(UT, USA)

Hello, I am a female 42 years of age, no children yet. I've had Melasma on my forehead for a few years now and I can't seem to get rid of it. The Melasma isn't as dark as what I've seen but I don't want it to get darker and spread. I'm fair skin, dark hair, brown eyes, and I don't worship the sun! I've always been a faithful user of sunscreen! I've tried bleaching creams; hydroquonine, Tri-Luma, Meladerm, and even Acive FX Laser once ($400)...didn't seem to work. After trying all these methods, I noticed some fading but it seemed to come back.

I was on Birth Control for about 20 years but I stopped taking it back in May of this year, I'm hoping this will help. I was also told that possibly what I eat could be the issue. I eat right and get moderate exercise, and take a multi-vitamin...what could I possibly be doing wrong?

I hope to have kids in the near future, and part of me is dreading it because of the so called "pregnancy mask". My Dermatologist told me to stay away from Soy products, Flax Seed, or any food that contain or acts as a hormone/estrogen. I did a little research and there is a lot of soy products in food...all kinds of food! I've also heard that a lot of food we eat today is treated with extra hormones we don't need! Research says kids today are going through puberty a lot earlier than when they used to! Should I get my hormone levels tested? Could my hormones be out of whack and that's why the melasma?

Right now, the only vitamins I'm taking is Vitamin C, Calcium, Zinc, and B-Complex. I've used sunblock as long as I was on birth control for over 20 years. I have sensitive skin so I use Cetaphil for cleansing, I also use Clarins Toner (no alcohol), and a mild moisturizer, and then follow with my Neutrogena sunblock 60 for sentsitive skin...then makeup to hide everything.

My dermatologist told me to continue using they hydroquoinine cream even after I just had the active FX earlier this month (September)! I stopped using it because of the dangers I've read about it.

Any suggestions? Should I be taking a combination of foods, vitamins, creams??? How do I know your skin whitening products will work?

Help! Melasma has really consumed my life, and my self esteem! I'm trying to keep a good sense of humor during my ordeal but it's hard to ignore it when the mirror is staring right at me the first thing when I wake up! Uggh!

Thank you,

Melasma hater :)

Answer:

Hi Maddie, when someone writes a long article about something that bothers them, it REALLY bothers them. Believe me, I know how bad you feel about melasma.

if you haven't seen our page about melasma, take a look.

One sure cause of your melasma is the long-term use of birth control pills. Over time, your hyperpigmentation now comes from within your system, and is not epidermal anymore (topmost layer of skin). That's why it's giving you a hard time to get rid of it. There may be other causes, but I believe the oral contraceptives triggered it.

Pardon me if I'm not a medical expert on melasma, but I'll do my best and hope the information I can humbly give you can help a bit.

Yes, do have your hormone level checked out. It will give you peace of mind in determining how to approach your problem better.

From my knowledge, some ways to worsen melasma are yes, soy products, taking hormones, pregnancy, acid-based cosmetics, scrubbing or rubbing skin, washing face with hot water, fragrance (induces sun reaction), heat (not just sun exposure, but also heat from light and ovens), obesity, not drinking enough water daily, and of course, sun exposure.

So the way to treat or at least make a way to reduce melasma is - avoiding all the above mentioned.

There is no cure for melasma. Not even our skin lightening products are guaranteed to work for you, because that will depend on your skin sensitivity. You can try our Treatment for Melasma Kit (under "Skin Whitening Kits" bottom page). Bear in mind that recurrence is alwyas likely, as long as the factors that cause melasma will be there.

So how do you know our products will work?

Sorry dear, I can't tell you it WILL. But it CAN. Let's hope for the best for you. :)

Take care,
Maria