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So many treatments. So many chemicals.

It’s hard to know which melasma treatments are safe and which melasma treatments might be harmful. We all want beauty right? But at what cost to our bodies?

I discovered a site that is devoted to answering questions such as these including the question about the safety of kojic acid in skin lightening products.

I’ve often wondered if kojic acid was as harmful as hydroquinone.

I guess the jury is still out on kojic acid, but the article Is Kojic Acid Skin Lightening Safe? by BeautyBrains is still worth a read.

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Many melasma sufferers use a prescribed treatment containing hydroquinone to treat melasma. Although many see great results with these products, hydroquinone is a harsh chemical that can be hard on your skin and body. If you do choose to use hydroquinone be careful with it and follow these skin care tips on what not to do.

• Don’t use any hydroquinone products if you have extra dry, sunburned or irritated skin.
• Don’t use hair removal products including wax
• Don’t use astringents or products containing alcohol, lime, or spices
• Don’t sunbathe whether in natural sunlight or tanning bed. In fact, wear a sun block of SPF 15 all the time
• Don’t get the product near your eyes, nostrils and lips. It will sting and burn.
• Don’t use benzoyl peroxide while using hydroquinone

Read more about hydroquinone on my Squidoo lens about melasma facts.

Women with melasma often struggle with dark pigmentation that forms on the upper lip. No matter how much bleaching cream or sunblock that is applied, the tricky hyper-pigmentation will persist and that is enough to make anyone wish they actually could grow a real stache to hide the funky skin.

No one knows the exact cause or fix for melasma. It is a combination of sun damage, hormones, and inflammation of the cells. Melasma treatments run the gammut of creams, chemical peels, and nutritional supplements. All of these items will help a little, but unfortunately there is no magical cure.

For those that suffer from melasma and have dark skin on their upper lip, here are a few skin fitness tips:

1. Evaluate your birth control with your doctor. Often times estrogen is to blame for melasma.

2. Bleaching and waxing the hair on your upper lip may irritate the melasma. Talk to an esthetician to see how to best remove the hair.

3. Be extra diligent about sunblock around your mouth.

4. Find a sun block with vitamin C and apply it to your skin liberally and every day. The sun is now your enemy so be sure to protect your skin at all times.  Murad Energizing Pomegranate Moisturizer with SPF 15 is a great moisturizer/ sun block combo for melasma sufferers, and if you order it from SkinStore.com you’ll get free shipping and free samples.