Alleviate A Melasma: 3 Treatments To Reduce Dark Spots
Do you know the methods to alleviate a melasma ? We talk about it in this article. We do not know if over time, general awareness of the effects of the sun on the skin has increased or not. But what we know perfectly well is that the effects are increasingly serious.
Melasma is one of the many effects that the sun’s rays have on the skin. It can become a real aesthetic problem for those who suffer from it. For this reason, in the next few lines we give you some tips to reduce a melasma .
What is melasma?
Melasma is a skin condition that affects the face and causes brown spots to appear. In addition to sun exposure, hormonal imbalances are another cause, especially those experienced during pregnancy: as this study from the Hospital General of Mexico states .
It should be noted that this disease mainly affects women and the spots or patches are more visible in those with light or cinnamon-colored skin. The only symptom of melasma is the aforementioned spots or patches on the face.
Nowadays, treatments to alleviate melasma mainly consist in the application of creams, laser therapies or exfoliants. As this research conducted by the dermatology department of the Hospital General of Mexico suggests .
3 treatments to alleviate a melasma
1. Prescription drugs
Medicines usually only always the first option to alleviate melasma. Often the dermatologist prescribes a face cream for the reduction of spots.
This drug contains hydroquinone, which can also be found in the form of a gel or lotion.
Hydroquinone counteracts the appearance of spots by blocking the chemical process of melanin (a substance that gives the skin a dark pigment).
Other compounds used to lighten melasma spots are:
- Tretinoin
- Azelaic acid
- Retinoic acid
- Corticosteroids.
2. To alleviate a melasma with professional procedures
Professional procedures are more effective but, in turn, more abrasive and invasive for the skin. In general they are considered as a last resort, because they often have very high costs.
The most used are:
- Chemical exfoliation or peeling. This treatment seeks to renew the most superficial layers of the skin affected by melasma. Exfoliation consists of the superficial application of a chemical substance (for example, glycolic acid), which will cause a slight burn following which new, blemish-free skin will form.
- Microdermabrasion and dermabrasion. According to this study by a Thai university, these techniques exploit technological equipment to remove the superficial layers of the dermis. As for microdermabrasion, it is an exfoliation process carried out through cleansing micro crystal particles in order to eliminate dead skin cells.
Both treatments are carried out in several sessions (usually 5) and at intervals of 2 or 4 weeks.
- Laser treatment. It is aimed at removing the damaged layers of the skin. it is the most effective and the highest cost. Usually in 4 or 6 sessions there is a notable reduction or total disappearance of the spots on the face.
3. Homemade and natural treatments
There are some highly recommended home-made treatments. Through natural ingredients, they try to soften skin darkened by melasma, although there is no scientific evidence to support their validity.
Here are some of them:
Cream of egg white and black balm
Ingredients
- 1 egg white. This ingredient is used, according to this research conducted by the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, in Puducherry (India), as a bleaching agent, but the evidence for it is very limited.
- 4 drops of black conditioner.
Preparation
- Mix the ingredients well and apply the mixture to the affected area in the morning and in the evening.
Honey and lemon mask
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of milk (45 ml).
- 4 tablespoons of honey (100 g).
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (30 ml). This study from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands highlights lemon as a whitener, but even then there is very little scientific evidence for it.
Preparation
- Mix all the ingredients and apply the mixture on your face.
- Leave it on for 20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.
- Repeat the process 2 or 3 times a week.
We remind you that the treatments described are aimed precisely at the reduction of melasma spots, but not at the disappearance of the disease.
For these treatments to be effective, it is advisable to carry them out together with a treatment aimed at restoring hormonal balance to prevent the disease from recurring.
