Approximately 50% report a positive family history of the condition. Melasma is present in 15% to 50% of pregnant patients. The prevalence varies between 1.5% and 33% depending on the population.
Melasma, also called “chloasma”, is a chronic disorder that develops brown/dark gray patches on your face, upper lips, and other body parts. Even though melasma is a critical skin condition, it can be an aesthetic concern, which can gradually lower your self-esteem and degrade your lifestyle. With our advanced yet affordable melasma treatment, you can cure this skin disorder. At CNF, our doctor checks the condition of melasma on your skin and suggests the right treatment to fix the concern.

What is Melasma?

Melasma is a word derived from the “melas” which means black. The amount of melanin content in your skin cells affects your complexion. Melasma occurs when your skin produces excess melanin be it for internal or external factors. The increased melanin production develops dark patches on your skin that trigger melasma, which usually occurs on your face, cheeks, forehead, nose bridge, upper lips, and other exposed body parts, such as shoulders, neck, and forearms.

Understanding the Skin Condition: Causes and Symptoms

Before opting for melasma treatment in our clinic, you should understand what causes and
indicates this skin disorder.

Here are the key causes of melasma:

Sun Exposure

As your skin gets exposed to harmful sun rays, your body starts producing excess melanin. Thus, melasma appears on the body parts getting the maximum sun exposure, such as the face, arms, and neck.

Tanning Beds

A sunlamp and tanning bed can emit harsher and more intense UV rays than sun rays. As your skin gets exposed to harmful UV rays, your body produces an increased level of pigment. The pigmentation may sometimes look uneven, which causes spots like Hercules and blotchy patches on your skin.

Brown Skin Tone

Melasma is common in people having light brown complexion, mostly living in places receiving the maximum level of sun exposure since your skin tans very quickly.

Thyroid

The thyroid is a gland in the neck, which produces hormones that help the body in controlling heartbeats, breaking food, and other crucial bodily activities. Once your thyroid gland has any complications, it increases your skin’s risk of developing melasma. Thus, fixing the thyroid issues will treat the melasma on your skin.

Pregnancy

Hormones, such as progesterone and estrogen, increase during pregnancy which causes melasma.  

Gender

If you are a female, you have more chances of developing melasma than males. 

Hormonal Changes

As estrogen hormones increase, melasma occurs on your skin because of which it’s more common in females than males. Even males can get melasma with a rich family history. As thyroid issues attack such hormones, thyroid patients are likely to develop melasma. 

Stress

Heavy and consistent stress may cause melasma as it triggers your body to produce more cortisol hormone. The high increase in cortisol level may develop melasma on your skin. 

Genetics

You are likely to get melasma if your parents, previous generations, and relatives suffer from the skin condition.

Medications

Anti-seizure medicines, certain blood pressure medicines, antibiotics, retinoids, and birth control pills, also called “oral contraceptive pills”, may trigger melasma in your skin. So, stop taking them immediately if you notice melasma to be getting intense on your skin.

Skincare Products

The application of certain skincare products may severely irritate your skin and cause melasma. 
Here are the key symptoms of melasma:

Dark Patches on the Skin

Melasma causes discoloration and hyperpigmentation marks on your skin, which look darker than the surrounding areas. Your skin tone appears uneven and blotchy with unusual borders on the discolored spots.

Symmetrical Appearance

Melasma tends to appear symmetrically on your face. They look like matching patches on your cheeks and spots occur evenly across your forehead and nose. 

Large in Size

The patches of melasma can cover a large area of your skin. They may get attached and cause one or more larger hyperpigmented areas. 

Various Colors and Darkness on Skin

The discoloration on your skin may vary from light brown to dark brown to even black depending on your complexion and criticality of melasma. This skin condition may look bluish-gray in people with darker skin tones. 

Pain-Free

Melasma-affected skin does ache, hurt, itch, or burn. They look discolored and you cant see and feel anything much different than discoloration.

Types of Melasma

Here are the most common types of melasma:

Epidermal Melasma

Epidermal melasma appears as brown patches on your skin’s topmost layer with clearly defined borders. As the extra pigment gets closer to the epidermis surface, your skin may look clear in black light. Epidermal melasma gets cured more easily with our advanced treatment than the other kinds of melasma.

Dermal Melasma

Dermal melasma is a more intense concern than epidermal melasma. It appears as a blurry border and bluish-grey and light brown patches in your deeper dermis layer. However, the patches don’t look different in black light, unlike epidermal melasma. Plus, dermal melasma is much more difficult to treat than the other kinds of melasma.

Mixed Melasma

Mixed melasma is one of the most common types of melasma occurring in both males and females. It appears as patches with a combination of bluish-grey and brown discoloration. The patches have both dermal and epidermal melasma, and thus the patches have mixed patterns in black light. Mixed melasma is more difficult to cure than epidermal and dermal melasma, however, may still get better with a proper treatment.

Common Areas Where Melasma Appears

Once melasma occurs, it may cause spots like freckles and grayish, bluish-gray, brown, and tan patches on your skin. Melasma tends to occur on mostly sun-exposed body parts, such as the face, cheeks, upper lips, nose bridge, and forehead. It may also appear on your upper arms, upper back, and chest. Melasma can appear on all the sun-exposed parts of your skin. Thus, many people with melasma see the symptoms worsening in the summer months.