MELASMA TREATMENT
WHAT IS MELASMA?
Melasma, also called chloasma or mask of pregnancy, is a skin disease that consists of the appearance of dark brownish spots (hypermelanosis) located and usually distributed in areas exposed to the sun (face) and i will suggest a one site to treat melasma affected patients https://reliefseeker.com/conditions/melasma.
HOW DOES IT MANIFEST?
It presents in the form of asymptomatic, irregular brown, gray or even bluish spots, which are usually bilateral and symmetrical, affecting the face, neck and, more rarely, the forearms. It is fundamentally an aesthetic problem.
WHAT IS THE CAUSE?
The Cause Is Unknown, But There Are Multiple Factors That May Be Involved In Its Development:
Genetic predisposition
Exposure to UV and solar light
Hormonal factors: contraceptives (estrogen levels), pregnancy (progesterone levels)
Possible cosmetic factors, causing an irritating or allergic process
Drugs
In many cases, various factors may coincide, which keep the process going. It can disappear during winter and reappear in summer after sun exposure.
In some cases, its onset coincides with the start of contraceptive treatment or during pregnancy. In 50% of women no clear trigger (except the sun) is demonstrated.
WHO DOES IT USUALLY AFFECT?
It is a process almost exclusively for middle-aged women (90%). It rarely persists after menopause. It mainly affects women of Hispanic and Asian origin. In dark-skinned breeds (Hindus), it can be seen from infancy.
WHAT PATTERNS OR TYPES OF MELASMA ARE THERE?
On the face (the area where it is observed most frequently) the patterns are defined:
- Centrofacial (the most common - approximately 66%) - forehead, nose, chin, supralabial area and the central part of the cheeks
- Malar (approx. 20%) - cheeks and nose
- Mandibular (approximately 15%) - mandibular area
HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
It is variable, although it usually lasts for years, with increases in color during the months of sun exposure (summer). The treatments used try to reduce or alleviate the injuries
CAN IT BE CONFUSED WITH OTHER PATHOLOGIES?
It must be differentiated from other processes that give rise to acquired dark spots on the skin (hyperpigmentation), such as lesions observed after an inflammatory process (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; after burns, eczema, etc.) or secondary to drugs. In these processes, the lesions are not usually symmetrical.
How is it treated?
The treatment is based on producing a whitening of the lesions, although there is a significant tendency to recurrence. They are usually long-term treatments.
It's Based On:
A) Prevention :
Avoid as much as possible the direct incidence of the sun or light systems that induce an increase in injuries
High protection solar filters (higher than FP 50), both in summer and winter
B) Treatment to achieve the whitening or elimination of lesions:
- Drugs : Which produce an inhibition of melanin formation through various mechanisms.
Other topical substances such as kojic acid (2-4%), thioic acid, ellagic acid, azelaic acid, and arbutin (a precursor to hydroquinone) are also used. These products are often combined with hydroquinone.
Peeling: The previous products are combined, adding keratolytic substances (salicylic and glycolic acid, among others)
- Physical therapies (Lasers):
These are expensive treatments, with variable efficacy, often less than topical treatments, and which must be combined with previous treatments and do not prevent recurrences.
Alexandrite, Ruby, or Nd: YAG lasers of Q-Switched emission,
low efficacy and risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and relapses.
Fractional lasers: acceptable results, but they do not prevent recurrences.
Intense Pulsed Light: acceptable results.
All these treatments must be combined with preventive and whitening treatments of Melasma.
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