SkinFitnessFacts.com News

Fighting Melasma Article Series, One of Three

Do you see pictures of yourself and often cringe at the Delaware shaped spots on both of your temples? Or what about that brown spot on your forehead that resembles China? Does that bother you too?

These oddly-shaped dark spots are most commonly found on the face, hands, and cleavage, and also known as melasma. There is no quick way to eliminate skin discoloration, but despite this fact there are still many things you can do to decrease existing discoloration and improve your skin condition making you look more rested and younger.

Dealing with the sun and its dreaded affects on your skin

To protect itself from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, skin cells produce excess melanin that then results in melasma that takes years to go away. It is not uncommon for those that have spent a lot of time tanning or who may have had a few bad sunburns to have the brown spots form.

Of course you can’t go back in time and undo all those afternoons on the beach, nor would you want to, but you can protect your skin from future damage. Applying a sun block like
DDF Moisturizing Photo-Age Sunscreen SPF 30, wearing protective clothing like a hat, and limiting your exposure to the sun is a sure way to prevent your melasma from worsening.

Handle skin changes and your hormones

There is a clear link between the development of the brown spots and hormones. Because of high levels of estrogen in women men are not normally afflicted with melasma, though it’s not unheard of in men. Because of the number of women on the birth control pill, it is reported that melasma is more prevalent today. It may be worth talking to your doctor about changing your birth control pill to one that does not contain estrogen because in some cases melasma disappears after discontinued use of the pill.

Many pregnant women suffer from melasma, or the mask of pregnancy. The mask is likely to disappear after the pregnancy is over. During pregnancy you should consult your doctor before using any products.

The sun and hormones are just two of the factors in fighting melasma. More information on removing melasma from your skin will be discussed in the second and third articles of the Fighting Melasma series.