Melasma: What are the Best Treatments?

Melasma is also known as Chloasma. It is a skin condition where the patient tends to have brown color patches all over the face. It can occur due to various reasons such as hormonal issues, sun exposure, hormonal imbalance during pregnancy and family history. 

Women are more prone to have melasma on their face than men. The patches can be seen all over the face, such as on the cheeks, forehead, and neck. Sometimes it occurs in females due to the contraceptive pills, and the patches fade once they stop the medications. 

It is widespread and can be seen in millions of people worldwide. If you also have this condition, you can get the best melasma treatment in Delhi.

Can Melasma be Prevented?

Since this is a condition occurring due to some hormonal imbalance in your blood and sun exposure, it is challenging to prevent it. But yes, you can always try to reduce the darkness of the patches and prevent it from worsening. 

Once treated, you can prevent it from returning by taking proper care of your skin, avoiding too much sun exposure, or stop taking hormonal or contraceptive pills. Melasma causes the skin to lose its shine and pigmentation. 

Taking care of your body and skin is the only solution to prevent yourself from getting melasma. You can consult the best melasma treatment providers in Delhi for desired results.

As it is said, prevention is better than cure. You can always try to prevent melasma through various measures.

• The best thing is to avoid sun exposure as UV rays act on specific cells that lead to this condition, so you can protect your skin with sunscreen while going out in the sun. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or more to block harmful rays from entering your skin.
• Always wear protective accessories and clothing while you go out in the sun. Wear a mask, scarf, and sunglasses to protect your face.
• Try changing your routine or timing of going out. If you go out in the afternoon, when the sun rays are on peak, it will make your skin more prone to getting melasma, so try going out early morning or early evening to prevent your skin from getting damaged.

Which Sunscreen Should Melasma Patients Use?

You can prevent melasma on your face by using sunscreen to protect the skin from UV rays. You should note certain specifications before buying sunscreen if you have melasma or are prone to melasma. These features are as follows.

• A higher concentration of iron oxide allows high coverage.
• Sunscreen must have a UVA-UVB filter to protect the skin from damage.
• Presence of Glabridin in your sunscreen as it inhibits melanin production in the body and prevents hyperpigmentation.
• Use sunscreen with SPF 30 or above.

Common Melasma Treatments

Melasma skin looks dull and rough with uneven patches giving the face a very unaesthetic appearance. First, you should try to prevent it from getting worse. The second step is to apply topical solutions to treat your skin. 

Additionally, you can get the best melasma treatment in Delhi with professional dermatologists. You can treat melasma on the face using different substances, which are as follows.

• Hydrocortisone

It helps to fade the skin hyperpigmentation and also treats dermatitis if caused by other agents.

• Hydroquinone

It is a lotion, gel, or cream to be applied topically on the patches for 2-4 months during the nighttime. It helps in removing the patches.

• Methimazole

Doctors prescribe it as a cream or oral tablet to melasma patients resistant to hydroquinone.

• Topical Alpha Hydroxy Acid

Removes the upper skin layer and helps in reducing the melasma facial patches.

• Soybean Extract

It reduces the color transfer of melanocytes, so it can help in reducing skin patches.

• Triple Combination Cream

It is a combination of 3 creams, ie. Retinoid, corticosteroid, and hydroquinone. They work simultaneously by reducing inflammation and evening out the skin tone.

Additional Treatment Procedures May Help

Other than common medications and topical solutions, we have different ways to treat melasma. If the condition has worsened, it won't get better just with the topical solution. Additional treatment procedures to treat the melasma skin are as follows.

• Chemical Peel

This procedure removes the top layer of your skin. The dermatologist will apply chemicals on the skin, removing the debris from the top skin layer and evening out the skin.

• Microneedling

It is a micro-invasive procedure where dermatologists tend to inject micro needles into your skin to create pores. These pores will help the skin to heal faster and have a more even tone.

• Melasma Laser Treatment

Melasma laser treatment is seen to destroy the damaged cells and can always be added with topical medications to give better results. It lightens the dark spots in melasma.

• Platelet-Rich Plasma

In this procedure, doctors draw the patient's blood and centrifuge it to separate the plasma. They inject the plasma into the skin with melasma. It helps in making the skin tone even.

Maintenance Therapy and Prevention of Melasma

Once the melasma facial patches fade, it is imperative to take care of the skin and maintain it so that you are not prone to get melasma. Prevention is essential. Otherwise, you have a high chance of getting a melasma relapse.

• Take vitamin D tablets to keep your skin healthy.
• Apply sunscreen everyday after every 2 hours to protect the skin.
• Continue your topical creams for atleast 6 months. 
• Camouflage makeup can cover and protect the skin.

Takeaway

Melasma is a skin condition that occurs primarily due to sun exposure. So, it is vital to take care of the skin, avoid sun exposure, use accessories to protect the facial skin, use goggles, and take vitamin D supplements. 

It will help in keeping the skin healthy and prevent you from getting melasma. People prone to melasma should always see a dermatologist every 4-6 months. If you are looking for the best melasma treatment in Delhi, you can visit Skinalaya.

Skinalaya, Skin Care Clinic in Rohini, has professionally qualified dermatologists who will guide you for the best treatment plan for your skin pigmentation. Contact the clinic to learn the melasma causes and prevention. They will guide you throughout the process as well as after the treatment is over to prevent relapse.