I spoke to a derm about mine and she said, we can put all the creams in the world on your face and it's not going to help much. She suggested the laser treatment but I'm not willing to undergo that procedure, so I've decided to just be okay with them. I use a little makeup but I don't mind them peeking through. When I'm having a conversation with someone, their eyes inevitably move to my forehead where it's the worse but I just smile and say, oh you're looking at my leopard spots? And usually they ask what it is, so I explain it's from hormones and heat/sun, blah, blah, blah. I suffered from painful cystic acne starting at age 14 and birth control pills are the only thing that solved them. So I feel as though I traded cystic acne for melasma. A fair trade in my opinion.
Laser, laser, laser! I used Groupons and went for several sessions to lessen/remove melasma patches on my face (and also remove the liver spots on my hands). Highly recommend. Lotions and potions don’t do the trick. (And I’ve got a number to give you, Margit!)💞
+1 for laser. Being fair skinned and naturally ruddy, I’ve found it useful for broken capillaries. I did it once around 38-39 and then it every 3 years or so until the pandemic. There are different types of laser treatment so consult to figure out which one might be more effective. And def shop around once you figure out what works.
I've got melasma above my mouth - and it was looking super moustachey for a bit. I tried IPL, but the derm warned me that sometimes laser makes it *worse* and it's a crapshoot as to whether it helps or worsens it. I don't think it made a difference either way with mine (though it did wonders for my sun spots elsewhere on my face.) I do know that if you somehow do get melasma to fade, heat or even a few minutes in the sun without mineral sunscreen can bring it all right back.
Ah yes, when my cute freckles became bigger darker splotches it was quite disturbing for me. When I went to the cosmetic dermatologist about one particular one that was the biggest darkest one with the most clear borders she suggested freezing it vs. laser. Freezing is more economical, it doesn't hurt, and for a couple of weeks it looked like nothing was happening and then one day it just peeled right off leaving fresh clear skin under each. So I'd highly recommend. I use and have used various serums and brightening and lightening creams, and I don't think they do much. Maybe they fade the color down a notch, but they certainly don't get rid of the spots or splotches altogether.
Valerie Monroe on How Not to F*ck Up Your Face recently did a post on this with a Q&A with a derm. I know friends have had some success with lasers, but there is the risk of making it worse. There are so many different kinds of lasers, so many uses. Not all doctors are experts. Get a referral (from someone whose face you like) and look at before/after photos, then see if you can talk to a patient about their experience (hopefully one a year later so you can see if the results are lasting). I'm fortunate to only have a litte of it (no kids, went off the pill at 26, use an SPF like a religion). But I still do my research for the day I can afford a good zapping. xo https://valeriemonroe.substack.com/p/you-say-miasma-i-say-melasma
In my late 40s, brown spots the size of nickels appeared at the top of my cheeks that I couldn't cover with makeup. Years later, they bothered me enough to do IPL(intense pulse light, sometimes referred to as a photofacial or BBL- broad band light) which is similar to laser. I did 3 rounds and now the spots are completely gone. If you go this route, find a great doc who has a lot of experience. Mine started very conservatively to see how my skin would react. I do have a couple of friends who had great results using products from the online prescription derm site Musely. Both of them used hydroquinone which is a topical that does work, but the safety is questionable, and it's banned in many countries so it's a route I chose not to take.
Dr Shereen Idriss, a cosmetic derm in NYC, did a feature on this, as she battled w/it herself. She also developed a lotion/potion line (Pillowtak Derm Major Fade) that I love for overall evening out, but I doubt it would work on melasma. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SUlJHaEJRpA
Clear+Brilliant worked for me as well as daily sunscreen, Vit C and retinol. But what I didn’t know is that just a change in body temperature can aggravate melasma. So if you’re sitting out on the beach under an umbrella or having a hot flash, these things can contribute. My dermatologist explained that they’re learning more and more that melasma at some point may be considered a type of low level of inflammation caused by a variety of things. Heat. Hormones. Blue light. Etc. Also certain lasers can make it worse so must tread lightly and find a really good dermatologist who understands it. 💖
I spoke to a derm about mine and she said, we can put all the creams in the world on your face and it's not going to help much. She suggested the laser treatment but I'm not willing to undergo that procedure, so I've decided to just be okay with them. I use a little makeup but I don't mind them peeking through. When I'm having a conversation with someone, their eyes inevitably move to my forehead where it's the worse but I just smile and say, oh you're looking at my leopard spots? And usually they ask what it is, so I explain it's from hormones and heat/sun, blah, blah, blah. I suffered from painful cystic acne starting at age 14 and birth control pills are the only thing that solved them. So I feel as though I traded cystic acne for melasma. A fair trade in my opinion.
Laser, laser, laser! I used Groupons and went for several sessions to lessen/remove melasma patches on my face (and also remove the liver spots on my hands). Highly recommend. Lotions and potions don’t do the trick. (And I’ve got a number to give you, Margit!)💞
+1 for laser. Being fair skinned and naturally ruddy, I’ve found it useful for broken capillaries. I did it once around 38-39 and then it every 3 years or so until the pandemic. There are different types of laser treatment so consult to figure out which one might be more effective. And def shop around once you figure out what works.
I've got melasma above my mouth - and it was looking super moustachey for a bit. I tried IPL, but the derm warned me that sometimes laser makes it *worse* and it's a crapshoot as to whether it helps or worsens it. I don't think it made a difference either way with mine (though it did wonders for my sun spots elsewhere on my face.) I do know that if you somehow do get melasma to fade, heat or even a few minutes in the sun without mineral sunscreen can bring it all right back.
Ah yes, when my cute freckles became bigger darker splotches it was quite disturbing for me. When I went to the cosmetic dermatologist about one particular one that was the biggest darkest one with the most clear borders she suggested freezing it vs. laser. Freezing is more economical, it doesn't hurt, and for a couple of weeks it looked like nothing was happening and then one day it just peeled right off leaving fresh clear skin under each. So I'd highly recommend. I use and have used various serums and brightening and lightening creams, and I don't think they do much. Maybe they fade the color down a notch, but they certainly don't get rid of the spots or splotches altogether.
Valerie Monroe on How Not to F*ck Up Your Face recently did a post on this with a Q&A with a derm. I know friends have had some success with lasers, but there is the risk of making it worse. There are so many different kinds of lasers, so many uses. Not all doctors are experts. Get a referral (from someone whose face you like) and look at before/after photos, then see if you can talk to a patient about their experience (hopefully one a year later so you can see if the results are lasting). I'm fortunate to only have a litte of it (no kids, went off the pill at 26, use an SPF like a religion). But I still do my research for the day I can afford a good zapping. xo https://valeriemonroe.substack.com/p/you-say-miasma-i-say-melasma
In my late 40s, brown spots the size of nickels appeared at the top of my cheeks that I couldn't cover with makeup. Years later, they bothered me enough to do IPL(intense pulse light, sometimes referred to as a photofacial or BBL- broad band light) which is similar to laser. I did 3 rounds and now the spots are completely gone. If you go this route, find a great doc who has a lot of experience. Mine started very conservatively to see how my skin would react. I do have a couple of friends who had great results using products from the online prescription derm site Musely. Both of them used hydroquinone which is a topical that does work, but the safety is questionable, and it's banned in many countries so it's a route I chose not to take.
Dr Shereen Idriss, a cosmetic derm in NYC, did a feature on this, as she battled w/it herself. She also developed a lotion/potion line (Pillowtak Derm Major Fade) that I love for overall evening out, but I doubt it would work on melasma. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SUlJHaEJRpA
Clear+Brilliant worked for me as well as daily sunscreen, Vit C and retinol. But what I didn’t know is that just a change in body temperature can aggravate melasma. So if you’re sitting out on the beach under an umbrella or having a hot flash, these things can contribute. My dermatologist explained that they’re learning more and more that melasma at some point may be considered a type of low level of inflammation caused by a variety of things. Heat. Hormones. Blue light. Etc. Also certain lasers can make it worse so must tread lightly and find a really good dermatologist who understands it. 💖