Melasma is an ordinary skin condition that means “black spot”. People having this condition may experience light brown, dark brown, and/or blue-gray patches on their skin. It may appear as flat patches or freckle–like spots and is most likely to affect areas in your face, including cheeks, upper lip, forehead, nose, and also in your forearms. This skin condition is called the “mask of pregnancy” because it normally affects pregnant women. Melasma generally darkens and lightens over time, regularly getting worse during the summer season and getting better during winter or cold weather.
What really is the cause of Melasma and who is more vulnerable from developing it? Actually, there is no clear and exact cause of melasma. It was discovered that darker-skinned individuals are more likely to be at risk than those with fair-skinned individuals. Women are more likely to get melasma than men: approximately 10% of people who get melasma are men, and 90% women. Pregnant women get melasma more frequently than anybody else. A Group of hormones like estrogen and progesterone are associated with the condition. And stress and thyroid disorder also are notion to be reasons for melasma. Melasma is also caused by genetics, about 33% to 50% of individuals have reported that someone in their family has it. Longer sun exposure also triggers melasma because of ultraviolet rays that affect the cells that control pigment (melanocytes).
Melasma disappears on its own for some women because this typically occurs during pregnancy or contraceptive pills. There is always a treatment for melasma, if you happen to have this condition your healthcare provider can prescribe you creams that can lighten the dark spot and topical steroids to help lighten the affected areas. If these creams don’t work, chemical peels, dermabrasion, and microdermabrasion are possible options. These treatments strip away the top layers of skin and might help lighten dark patches in the affected areas. But these treatments vary on the individuals coping with the condition, there is no guarantee that melasma won’t come back, and some might not be completely lightened. Be sure to come back to your healthcare provider for follow-up visits.
NO I Zamubec Alomar C. Adlawan
References:
- Melasma
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21454-melasma
- https://www.healthline.com/health/melasma - Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — Written by Jaime Herndon, MS, MPH, MFA — Updated on March 7, 2019
