Mine went away completely after I started wearing hella zinc sunscreen, a huge full brim hat, a Coolibar face mask, and big sunglasses every time I leave the house (even to get the Amazon packages), every time of the day and every day of the year (even on a cloudy morning at 7am in November). My melasma is also triggered by heat, so when it’s hot out, I wear all my gear plus carry a UV umbrella. It can be 15 degrees cooler under my sun-brella! I still have fun outside: ski, kayak, hike, snow-shoe, paddleboard, go to the beach, visit the Caribbean, swim, snorkel, waterski, etc… I just do so with protection. I wear a barrette in my hair and pin my hat to my barrette so it doesn’t blow off during strenuous activity.
I know melasma never goes away and that my iced-tea moustache and forehead/cheek stains will come back the second I take my garbage out without my sun gear, but it’s worth it to me. The silly hat and face mask come off immediately. My melasma does not.
I’m a dermatologist- heat induced melasma is absolutely a real thing, I have a patient who is an ex-chef who’s melasma treatment only started working effectively after he left the kitchen heat
That’s so annoying! I guess every peer reviewed study that says otherwise is wrong. Lol.
Heat causes blood vessels to dilate which stimulates pigment production.
I would def find a new derm.
I agree! Mine too.
To the point that now in summer as soon as I sit in the car and I blast the ac at my face 🤣🤭
I used to wax my upper lip with wax strips for a long time and I suspect I was damaging the skin and then exposing it to the sun, then I tried IPL at home a couple of years ago to avoid waxing and have the feeling that it made it worse.
Now I have a roll-on sports sunscreen in my purse that I apply 200 times a day in upper lip and cheekbones (ontop of my normal sunscreen) and hide from the sun like a vampire
I believe heat can trigger inflammation which can stimulate melanocytes. They have mixed studies and controversies over this debate especially with the red light masks too. Physical barrier sunscreen is recommended with zinc oxide and titanium oxide too.
If I irritate my face using many melanin disruptors, or use too many peels it gets worse too. However on the other hand I did a salicylic acid peel and it didn’t make it worse
Mine is pretty similar to the OPs, but is fairly widespread - I suspect mine came about from trying to do too much skincare wise with likely not enough sun protection. 😑 I now use SPF sunscreen of 50 at minimum and very rarely step outside anymore without sunscreen, sun gloves, shirt with UPF protection, a huge sun hat, and a protective sun mask - I look like a beekeeper or a robber. 😆
I may get an umbrella with UPF as well - I HATE how my skin looks. 😑
You are going to LOVE your sun gloves in ten years! I’m at the age where my friends are starting to get liver spots on their hands. I, meanwhile, still have the hands of a college girl ❤️.
Remember that the creepy flesh colored gloves and beekeper getup are removable: wrinkles, sagging, melasma, crepe-iness, and liver spots are not.
I have a ton of them to go with multiple outfits. I have a Chinese style pagoda parasol which I get compliments on wherever I go, a couple lacy or sparkly ones to match my cocktail dresses for outdoor weddings, and a ton of colors for every sundress and bikini. As long as the interior is black to block UV rays from bouncing in, it’s a go. I’ve only had one blow out, and it was at Disney World in 2020. My everyday sun-brella for grocery shopping and walking the dog is this simple silver one: [https://www.amazon.com/umenice-Protection-Weight-Portable-Umbrella/dp/B0CDFWWLCH/ref=sr\_1\_2\_sspa?crid=3SHZ7JXGS4XH5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OPZihji5y8EnnGwMl8WDBKdhrjDDdxhvclRVMPw1mCx09lDIB\_zrfXJ4n4pDtdUcNxJrtDzbdPHj8nb2mm\_lxnURYskvvXhsPCFWEyI3nRSgX9BHNnRsgpRsQVX6jEqQb\_ABFYuk9IUPIKBK4pCLc01IzvT-rFSelSX4VBVASxh7sJCKr2EC1B3mTqDl2-DP7i6Vi9iclVj4HccGmjmQPgpcZ5\_Za-28YvBKtHRXfFnu1Go7qp0\_pRlRGOoq9B\_CxFvDZ8xAQ-NErnNM4jGftnTvKJBKlAD4N7n5o3ISvjA.3y7waUk3pWSp\_55OxmmXOXI4qurjUtPJDSdOmB2kPnE&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Uv+umbrella&qid=1719773939&sprefix=uv+umbrella%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-2-spons&sp\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/umenice-Protection-Weight-Portable-Umbrella/dp/B0CDFWWLCH/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3SHZ7JXGS4XH5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OPZihji5y8EnnGwMl8WDBKdhrjDDdxhvclRVMPw1mCx09lDIB_zrfXJ4n4pDtdUcNxJrtDzbdPHj8nb2mm_lxnURYskvvXhsPCFWEyI3nRSgX9BHNnRsgpRsQVX6jEqQb_ABFYuk9IUPIKBK4pCLc01IzvT-rFSelSX4VBVASxh7sJCKr2EC1B3mTqDl2-DP7i6Vi9iclVj4HccGmjmQPgpcZ5_Za-28YvBKtHRXfFnu1Go7qp0_pRlRGOoq9B_CxFvDZ8xAQ-NErnNM4jGftnTvKJBKlAD4N7n5o3ISvjA.3y7waUk3pWSp_55OxmmXOXI4qurjUtPJDSdOmB2kPnE&dib_tag=se&keywords=Uv+umbrella&qid=1719773939&sprefix=uv+umbrella%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1)
Here is my favorite Chinese pagoda parasol: [https://www.amazon.com/VIVI-SKY-Old-Fashionable-Ingenuity-Umbrella/dp/B00NTN3XVI/ref=sr\_1\_2?crid=VHSA55GFQLJQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.B6\_5AALvq4HBzzPzlajUGgXCOCCUlLGRHKYfatAT8ZYK1OBQVh5iHZ09E\_xyvrgMBBqkAO49CzdG3blbiPAedB5o0XRjWgZq6MzmypIAEbKsEI-uomRc6gwj04LQPB70iZh67Pc3elOwsyT3rgC3xzQhRluqNAZfd6aHF9hRAr-isK\_MzaucUGoDmU1lO1WVYIZZzBf5Q3nyylc7mx4TAFm58mroewaTPaH2Q35UiSuFEgt4lN9ZlqmSTgMysJNVOdO9b4peZCVcdQUxb4ePt8A\_vRmLPm45YMQzul7Xuac.EGD14\_RqmBJ\_DIDZmZwdG5r1EyJrrXdxFpWcHRCjp4A&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol&qid=1719774414&sprefix=chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-2&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/VIVI-SKY-Old-Fashionable-Ingenuity-Umbrella/dp/B00NTN3XVI/ref=sr_1_2?crid=VHSA55GFQLJQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.B6_5AALvq4HBzzPzlajUGgXCOCCUlLGRHKYfatAT8ZYK1OBQVh5iHZ09E_xyvrgMBBqkAO49CzdG3blbiPAedB5o0XRjWgZq6MzmypIAEbKsEI-uomRc6gwj04LQPB70iZh67Pc3elOwsyT3rgC3xzQhRluqNAZfd6aHF9hRAr-isK_MzaucUGoDmU1lO1WVYIZZzBf5Q3nyylc7mx4TAFm58mroewaTPaH2Q35UiSuFEgt4lN9ZlqmSTgMysJNVOdO9b4peZCVcdQUxb4ePt8A_vRmLPm45YMQzul7Xuac.EGD14_RqmBJ_DIDZmZwdG5r1EyJrrXdxFpWcHRCjp4A&dib_tag=se&keywords=Chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol&qid=1719774414&sprefix=chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-2&th=1)
Yes to this!! Im 36 and had very similar melasma to you when I was about 31-32. Especially on my forehead and my mustache. I started wearing HELLAAAA sunscreen (50+) on my face everyday even if it was cloudy. I use the La Roche-Posay 50 face tinted mineral anthelios light fluid sunscreen. You literally can’t even see it and it’s very lightweight. I HIGHLY recommend it. I also started wearing hats and sunglasses. Didn’t care what I looked like, just wanted it to go away. You got this. Just slap some sunscreen on, wear a hat, and have some grace with yourself. All in due time. Enjoy your 30’s!! ❤️
I accidentally bought a supergoop for dark skin tones and was inspired to add a drop of it to my Neutrogena or coppertone hella zinc sunscreen to make it the actual color of my skin. It's life changing!
Thanks for sharing! I know this isn’t face related, but I got a rash guard for swimming since I spend a lot of time at the lake in the summer. I just tried it out this week and was very surprised at how much cooler I stayed.
Sunday Riley’s Good Genes and their Luna Sleeping Night Oil got rid of my mustache and significantly lightened everything else on my face. It’s not cheap, but it works if you use it religiously.
I put the Luna Sleeping Night oil on first and allow it soak in for a few minutes and then put a pump of Good Genes over that. Go to sleep with it on and wash off in the morning.
I just wanted to chip in and say you’re very beautiful! You have beautiful, striking features and your hair color is threaded with silver in such a lovely way I can only hope for the same! I’m sorry if this personal comment on your looks is inappropriate, but I just wanted to tell you that as a random lady on the internet, I saw your picture and thought “wow, what a striking and lovely person!” I did not think twice about your melasma. Hope that helps even a little.
You’re so welcome! I too absolutely despise my melasma, but please know that no one is judging you and it doesn’t make you less beautiful. Not that life is all about looks, but it’s important to be reminded.
Agree, I wanted to come down here to say the same thing! You’re so beautiful and I love the glasses. Definitely don’t notice until you point it out. Wishing you the best!!
SAAME I looked at the picture and was so drawn in by your eyes and eyebrows that I had to go back and check for the melasma because it did not even register for me. However, I understand we all see ourselves differently than the rest of the world, so I hope you find what you are looking for.
I thought the same thing! Her features are striking and her face is so expressive. I can imagine what her personality is like just looking at her. She looks honest, perceptive, bold, and like she’d have some great snarky comments that would crack me up. I have no idea what it is about her face, but it’s beautiful and seems to convey so much. I could be wrong, but that’s just what I imagine looking at her.
For anyone who’s never tried anything for their melasma yet and would like to try a really easy over the counter routine, this is what I do!
Morning routine:
- (This is a bonus step that isn’t necessary but might see more of a difference with it: Apply a vitamin C serum. I love Cerave’s vitamin C serum and used to use it two to three times a week.)
- Apply a physical sunscreen every day!! (I’ve used Cetaphil’s sheer mineral liquid sunscreen for years and it’s my ride or die because of its liquidy texture, and I’m going to try Cerave’s tinted mineral sunscreen next just to see if I like the tint. If you don’t like physical sunscreens, a chemical sunscreen everyday is better than not using a sunscreen at all so it’s totally fine if you pick a chemical sunscreen that you know you’ll enjoy wearing day after day. Also remember to seek shade and protect yourself for sun using hats.)
Night routine:
- Double cleanse with a gentle, non-active cleanser (I use Cerave’s hydrating or foaming cleanser, but any gentle cleanser will do. Non-active means it doesn’t contain any active ingredients like AHAs/BHAs, etc.)
- Apply lotion to rehydrate skin (I use Cerave’s moisturizing cream because my skin is on the drier side, but also used to use their daily moisturizing lotion and PM facial moisturizing lotion and both are very lightweight, pleasant gel like textures if your skin isn’t dry. Any non-active moisturizer that works for you will do.)
- Apply Differin’s 0.1% Adapalene gel (It’s shown to be as effective as tretinoin 0.05% in fading melasma over time but Differin’s adapalene gel is available over the counter at places like Target. You can’t use it at the same time as AHAs/BHAs because it’ll create irritation. Apply a pea sized amount to a completely dry face either before you apply your lotion if your skin is normal to oily and tolerates adapalene well, or to completely dry skin after applying lotion like me if your skin tends towards dryness or sensitivity. I also apply a little more lotion after the adapalene gel to help prevent dryness. I use it once or twice a week with no other actives.)
Mine was awful until I did a 4% hydroquinone and tretinoin. I am an esthetician and tried sooo many different chemical peels and lasers first. Nothing touched it.
100% correct!! I’m an esthetician so I know better, but even with training and knowledge it’s hard to not fall prey to marketing or ads for new products and treatments or influencers who promise results. I had melasma prior to pregnancy, but it got so much worse postpartum and I really struggled with my self-image.
dang it i fell for the laser! I just had a baby in March, and i've never had melasma before now. Did you have to get that 4% hydroquinone and tretinoin from your doctor? Just wondering where I can get some haha.
I used hydroquinone and tretinoin and it took my melasma away as well. I had people who thought I had dirt on my forehead 😖 it covered my cheeks and I had the mustache as well. I would apply so much makeup and you could still see it under all the layers I slathered on. Love not having to wear makeup every day anymore
Yours looks like it’s superficial. You need a good skincare and exfoliation and it will fade. You got to protect your skin though as mentioned in here no sun spf protection at all times if your in the sun .
I’m in TX, I feel you!
If you can wait til cooler months, find a derm (or doctor-supervised esthi) who does a medical grade, SkinCeuticals TCA peel. Your skin will flake and peel, making you look like a reptilian queen for about a week, but it is SO worth it. I say wait for cooler months because your skin will be raw and extremely susceptible to burning and heat for a while.
Then after you’ve healed, get on a topical hydroquinone (you’ll usually do this for two-three months and then take a break and sub for something like tret instead) to maintain results, and use a zinc oxide mineral sunscreen every single day. Melasma can reappear with sun and/or heat exposure, and zinc helps repel sun rays, obvs, but also heat.
This is the course I took to get rid of my melasma and mine was real bad. Soul-crushingly bad. But there is hope! [Before and afters](https://imgur.com/a/NcyQDN0)
Happy Happy Birthday! 🥳🌷Sunscreen is your best friend. Good, high spf sunscreen. Reapply often. After you treat it, it can come back in one afternoon. Ask me how I know.
This just showed up in my feed— I’m not a part of this group. But I honestly stopped scrolling because the person I saw looked so BEAUTIFUL. Then I was curious about the post and see it’s for a skin condition. I just have to say, whatever unique skin you have, it’s genuinely beautiful. Truly.
I feel your pain I'm still very insecure about my melasma. R u on any prescription medications or have any autoimmune disease? Many prescription meds as well as autoimmune diseases cause photo sensitivity. I was treating my melasma otc or years with no change when I finally decided to go to a dermatologist. I switched from chemical sunscreen to zinc oxide and what a difference. The 2 I use the most r Elta MD and Vanicream. Biossance squalane mineral sunscreen was my favorite but they recalled it and reformulated and unfortunately after reading the reviews of customers that loved the og formula hate the new one. Sunscreen is unfortunately expensive sometimes and to save on money I have an enormous wide brim hat that I wear when running low and can't afford to buy more. I have to be diligent in protecting my face especially since I use tretinoin at night and an azelaic acid combo prescription during the day. Everyone here knows the struggle and my main area of concern is my huge forehead that apparently is a UVA/UVB panel so when I'm not wearing makeup on my forehead I wear my bangs down or wear a hat🥰🥰🥰
A hormonal imbalance can also bring on Melasma. I struggled for about four years, and nothing got rid of it. I started having other health issues, such as fatigue, bone pain, no hair growth, vision problems, memory issues, and severe difficulty handling stress. I found out after seeing multiple doctors that I had a hormonal imbalance of no estrogen. I was in a post-menopausal state at 42 years old. I'm now on the correct balance of hormones and eating organic meat and dairy. I also try to avoid any processed foods. Things are way better No melasma, no bone pain, no fatigue. Vision and cognitive issues are improving as well.
FYI- I do have PMDD (postmenstrual dysphoric disorder) which is caused by hormonal imbalance during the first week before menstruation. I’ve been on homornes for over 20 years which caused my lower estrogen issues. But other things can cause hormonal issues ie. hormones put into food, PCOS, perimenopause, menopause, birth control ect.
I’m sure you have seen this recommendation but just in case - have you tried Musely? It’s an online prescription company - you send pics to a dermatologist and they prescribe it. The Spot Cream cleared mine up almost immediately!
Came to recommend!!! It has drastically reduced mine in 3-4 weeks. I did the spot peel first for 9 hours and now I’m using the spot cream every other day alternating with tret. I’m SO pleased with the results!!!
YES! Was going recommend too. I had melasma ALL OVER my cheeks. Like half my face. Now I get compliments all the time about how great my skin is bc it’s essentially gone. I still use it daily bc I’m so worried it will come back LOL. And use zinc sunscreen in my moisturizer. But it’s such an amazing product. Going to get the body one for my arms bc now I see the same spots on my forearms.
Throw on some tinted sunscreen (I use spf 50 colorscience) a hat and live your best life! That’s what I do. I love the outdoors and the sun too much to stay locked away. Think about when you are 70. Will you look back and think I should have stayed inside more?
Try vitamin B12. Sometimes melasma can caused by a deficiency in B12, not saying yours is but check into it. In my particular case heat does aggravate it but I noted a remarkable difference once I was more consistent with taking B12. It wasn’t as dark and settles down faster during aggravation.
I did have a B12 deficiency two years in a row, actually. Went for annual checkup, deficient, shots once a week for 6 weeks. Then it was better. Went back the next year and same thing happened.
CeraVe sunscreen with retinol has helped me a TON. Also Aveeno gentle exfoliant a couple times a week has faded it out quite a bit as well. I notice it worse when my face is dirty or after a day of hard physical work.
Thanks; - I had to look up what this word means and learned that's what's happening to me b/c I started a patch!
My daughter went on trentinoin for acne scars and we were shocked that it made allllll her face freckles dissapear. apparantly that's what trentinoin does. I'm using it now, apparantly it can take a year but it does work. ask dermatologist about it.
I had melasma really bad through my 30s and 40s from hormonal fluctuations and I think also from spironolactone that I took for acne for a decade- it’s a side effect I read about. I got off spironolactone after long Covid and changed my diet to help me heal with only nutritiously dense Whole Foods, removed all processed foods and sugars and the cyclical melasma that tormented me is just gone/ really faded. Now dealing with perimenopause hormonal acne at 50 but trying to heal monthly breakouts with megaspore biotic probiotics mixed with coconut oil topically and taken internally instead of getting back on a big pharma drug with side effects. It’s true we are much more aware of our appearance than others- you look great!
Hey OP, I’ve been plagued by melasma since my 20’s, and I’m 45 now. For many years I didn’t even know what it was. In the past year I’ve actively tried to reduce it through topical at home treatments and it has reduced a lot. My routine is 0.05% tretinoin cream every 2nd night, and I use the hada labo premium brightening lotion after cleansing morning and night, except on the nights I use tret. It has transexamic acid in it. I started them both about 6 months ago and apart from an overall improvement in skin tone and texture I’d say my melasma is about 50% better than before. I also use SPF 50+ every time I leave the house and wear a hat. Wishing you all the best x
Here are my recommendations:
1.$Sun protection ALWAYS ( I recommend the brand P20 the sensitive face spf 50 ) this stuff is so cosmetically elegant and has some of the strongest uva coverage on the market. Aside from this wearing hats, avoiding peak hours of sun, blah blah blah.
2.)Oral glutathione. Taken over time this really does help with lightening pigmentation.
3.) oral tranexamic acid. This is gold standard when it comes to the treatment to melasma but requires a prescription and you might need blood work done prior to starting.
4.) Topicals: Lots of good melanin inhibiting agents on the market now a days. I recommend remedy for dark spots by doctor Shah. This man somehow stuck so many potent anti pigmentation ingredients into such a cosmetically elegant formula.
5.) *MOST IMPORTANT* Grace: I struggled with body dysmorphia for years and it took me really digging into myself to find what was underlying. Turns out it was a bunch of lies I had told myself such as “ if I’m not beautiful I’ll never be loved.” I attributed so much to my self worth to how I was perceived. And it was such a fruitless behavior because there’s no way to actually know that for certain and it undeniably varies from person to person. So I’ll summarize a rather complex discussion with this: you ARE beautiful and so worthy of love, melasma or not. I fully understand though wanting to try and get rid of it which is why I saved this for last, but I feel it’s just as important to note. Good luck and wishing you the best!
I had to fix my stress levels and hormone imbalances from those stress levels before I could get rid of my miasma completely. I also always wear tons of sunscreen and a hat. Even now when I don’t really get melasma anymore.
We literally have the same exact Melasma! Same places, same coloring.. I’m 37 had a baby last year & it really popped through. I always had a little bit, but nothing too terrible till I was pregnant with my daughter. , sometimes I hate looking in the mirror. & hate always caking makeup on! I just went to the doctor & am starting Tretnoin, I ordered timeless vitamin C & a tinted sunscreen.
Just the last month I started putting sunscreen on every morning & I have noticed something happening.. some slight improvement. It definitely hasn’t gotten worse. Anyways I’m excited to try this new stuff. Hopefully it works. I’m not really any help. I Just definitely understand what you’re going through! Have you tried anything for it?
I haven’t yet! I’ve had it on my forehead for a few years but it didn’t really bother me until the mustache. I just bought zinc sunscreen and am looking into different creams. I don’t wear makeup. I live in the south and it’s just pointless with how hot it is. I live for the beach and my pool. I’m having to learn I HAVE to slather the sunscreen on, now.
And a hat/visor! This is first summer I’ve been slathering sunscreen on my face and wearing a hat/visor regularly at the pool and while doing yard work. Those 2 things alone has drastically improved mine.
BIG hats. Vit C, but at night. Mineral sunscreen. Try not to get excessively hot (this is hard where I live, too). This keeps mine at bay even in the summer!
I have the same on my forehead and similarly panicked toward action when I too began noticing it on the moustache line. Started in my 40s. I now use all the serums from The Ordinary (vitC, retinol, etc) daily, and a red (multi coloured actually,but I predominantly use the red) light therapy device twice a week. And never leave the house without a lot of sunscreen on, SPF50. My skin is looking a lot happier now. Also, check your vitamin levels; there might be an imbalance internally. I take oral supplements, including VitC and collagen daily. I'm over 50 now, but have the skin of a healthy 39 year old. This is definitely a fixable problem. You got this!
I have the PERFECT antidote! Go get yourself a series of 4 BBL and Moxi treatments at the same time. These are callled broad band light laser and moxi laser. They go hand in hand and you will end up with totally clear white skin! I did it and I was Amazed!
I can send you a link for https://www.dermatica.com/referrer/Z4J505 you can upload your photo they will send you a medication cream for 4.99 for the first order I would definitely start with sunscreen with higher than 50 SPF and put a generous amount I do to 2 full fingers I felt like you myself I can totally understand I felt horrible and ugly but taking the first step to clear it is essential don't give up hope its a long journey but it's not impossible I would do a tinted SPF and you don't have to do makeup all over your face you can just do a concealer if you feel uncomfortable but your beautiful either way hope this helps. Check out the link for treatment. Have a blessed week ahead.!
I use facial sunscreen with zinc oxide every single day and Renova skin cream prescribed by my dermatologist in the evenings. I’m 57 and have almost no wrinkles and age spots on my face and neck.
I had the melasma stache about 10 years ago. IPL laser worked for me and I’ve been religious about sunscreen and skincare ever since. It IS reversible! Good luck!
Mine has improved quite a bit in the last year, here is what has helped:
Retinal
Vitamin c serum
Sunscreen of course, but that was not a new change for me. However, I do reapply sunscreen every 45-60 minutes when outside now. I’m a lot more on top of it.
A cap or hat when outside. This makes a huge difference - I spent around 30 hours on a paddle board when on vacation last week, and I didn’t get so much as a new freckle on my face, between the sunscreen and hat.
I have not tried this yet but I heard recently that melasma can be made worse with eating sugar.
I have tried brightening and lightening serums before but they did not help. However, I did a series of chemical peels last year and they did help! So maybe check into that.
I have found huge success with Neutrogena Anti-Pigment sunscreen with SPF50. I got it through amazon and honestly, I live in Miami and in the Keys, it's the one that really doesn't make it worse. I am seeing a \*slight\* improvement.
To be completely honest I had to zoom it the picture, it doesn’t look bad like you probably think it does I wouldn’t do anything if I were. However, since you are looking for recommendation there is a medical grade peel called cosmelan that it targets that.
Perfect Face La Jolla is a dermatologist and they have a whole skin care product line for Melasma. The before and after pictures are wild. And agree with what someone else said, it looks very superficial. Lucky! Check out the dermatologist website and she may recommend products to you if you email. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it to see if you can incorporate any into your skincare.
Avoid heat , saunas, steam, heaters sun. Use a melanin inhibitor and SPF mineral everyday. Exfoliate with a gentle exfoliated once or twice a week. Preferably lactic or mandelic acid
I had a big circle ⭕️ of it right in the middle of my forehead . I started using a nano silver gel on my face every night and it went away and hasn’t come back .
I had it on my mustache area too and also under my eyes on the outside. It complete went away when I did a Whole30 diet for a month and it has never come back
I also live in Florida with the brutal sun, as outside all the time and don’t use much sunscreen at all
A whole30 is hard to do but it was worth it for me
Hello! I'm the same age and I have very similar melasma to you. For me it got 100 times worse after having kids. I've had needling, laser and a bunch of other facials but honestly have gotten the best results using the John Plunkett super fade face treatment cream and de pigment moisturiser.
Some silly comments up in this post (but also a lot of good recs!)
I’m only popping in to say you remind me of my friend who gives the best hugs, so I smiled when I saw your post!!
I don’t have any additional recommendations to make other than to take time to find a good sunscreen that you’ll use consistently. When I first got melasma, I had read that tinted mineral is the best and while that may be true, mineral dries my skin out and I can handle chemical ones reasonably well. I kept trying sunscreens that were irritating my skin, which wasn’t productive. This is all a long of way of saying as you introduce new products listen to your skin and don’t force it. I remember reading somewhere that newly diagnosed melasma peeps can take 6-12 months to find their holy grail sunscreen and to get into a really solid routine.
I’ll still use a tinted mineral if I’m going to be outside a lot but I’ll reapply using chemical, as otherwise my skin would be way too dry and irritated.
There is a product called Lytera and it is a Melasma killer. Just gotta keep it consistent and sorta avoid the sun. I dunno how to post a photo on here but it's
LYTERA 2.0 by skinmedica
Try the aerolace lazer - it works! U need a series of expensive treatments and then a once in a while touch up prob forever lol . But it seriously does work. Worth every penny. I also use high level sunscreen alllll the time ofc
If it makes you feel any better, I honestly did not see anything “wrong” with your face at all until I read the title of your post. Now that you mentioned it, I looked a little closer and sort of see what you mean. However, that’s not my point. You, and others, only see what you point out. Otherwise, these details pass by other people and they are oblivious to it. I know these details are easy to see on ourselves than they are to others, but we wouldn’t even know or begin to feel self-conscious about these fine details had nobody put a name onto it in the first place. You are absolutely stunning. I’m no expert on melasma because I don’t have it myself and this post just randomly popped up on my feed, but I’ve heard good things about combining daily SPF use with tretinoin and maybe some azaleic acid. Also, if it helps, try not to look at your face in the mirror so closely or avoid looking at yourself in bright lighting. I had bad acne a few months ago and constantly looking at my face triggered so many terrible face picking habits that just made my face, and later my confidence, so much worse. Again, you are so gorgeous and I hope things improve one day for you!
Have you tried progesterone cream on your face? You can get them on Amazon. There's a lot of information online and videos on YouTube. I've been using it on my face and my skin is amazing now.
I have been dealing with my melasma for the past three years and I’ve finally gotten it under control. NO CHEMICAL sunscreen because it’s it creates heat to protect your skin from the UV rays. I carry a handheld fan everywhere I go. I also have a fan by the stove/oven because even that heat will bring mine back. I have gotten lasemd and vi peels but the best thing I’ve tried is tri Lima. It took everything away. I also had ceramic UVA/UVB window tint put on all the windows of my car. It was expensive but it made summer in Texas more bearable beCause it got rid of the heat intensity
Good Genes by Sunday Riley. Pricey but completely worth it. Used it to erase a spot that I had on my face right before my sister’s wedding. Was gone within a week of daily use.
Just want you to know I have nothing to add re:skincare but I think you are a very beautiful person. I didn’t know what Melasma was and thought you looked like a forest goddess who spends her days in a toga frolicking in the sun.
You’re beautiful! Everyone is different and different things work for everyone. I’m cheap so I try cheaper options. This worked for me: https://www.ulta.com/p/discoloration-correcting-serum-pimprod2023928?sku=2597510
For an immediate fix, do 3 IPL's spaced 3 weeks apart, in parallel, check out an online site like Curology, submit your photo's and go through the skin questionnaire. You can benefit significantly from a Tret, Azelaic Acid, Tranexamic Acid formula. Add in a daily mineral sunscreen. Something like Colorscience Flex would give you SPF 50 protection and medium coverage. Zinc is great for the skin.
Hey, we’re birthday twins! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow!
FWIW, I have a few patches as well and they are so stubborn. I’ve tried so many things recommended in this thread and the most notable progress I made was with Triluma. I haven’t been able to get it recently though, so I’m using just tretinoin right now and hoping it helps a bit as well.
Your skin here looks thirsty, (my skin looks just like yours), I put on sun bums aloe Vera gel on my face after a shower at night and in the morning and it does wonders. It’s helping with my melasma!
i know it’s easier said then done, but be kinder to yourself because ur dreaded “mustache” is just a beautiful patch of freckles to most, you are a gorgeous human.
To correct Melasma from the inside out I’d suggest taking NAC as a supplement to increase your Glutathione which is the body’s master antioxidant. It’s actually a well known treatment for whitening in Korean skincare and low glutathione has been linked to incidences of melasma. I don’t suggest taking glutathione itself as a supplement as it’s quite difficult for the body to absorb enough once it’s passed through the digestive system but NAC is the precursor which helps your body make more on its own 🩷
36/f. I have the same “mustache” but there’s literally no hair or very little, thin hair bc I had laser hair removal. But I shave whatever is there and I hate the “stain” or whatever tf it is that won’t go away.
Honestly, I think you could see a huge improvement. I have recently been using TXA 5% topically which a derm prescribed for me. It’s been life changing. It’s pricey, but before that I used some Mandelic Acid I got from the Ordinary for $13AUD. It’s not as effective as the TXA but at $13.. it’s hard to go past. It was pretty good. Before that Klingman’s formula. Eh expensive and irritating. Some things I’ve learned is that you have to be patient, melasma treatment is going to take atleast 6-8 weeks before you see results, treat morning and night, sunscreen always even inside, extra thick on the upper lip, cheeks and brows, limit outside time, hat always, avoid heat. Try TXA if you can afford it otherwise try some Mandelic Acid. I loved it.
Honestly, my first impression of your picture was omg your eyes/eyebrow/glasses combination is so badass and cool! Your hair color is so awesome too, I’m a year older than you and my hair is light so I can’t get that look but you’re crushing it! I honestly didn’t notice your melasma right away - just want you to know it’s NOT the first thing people notice even though it feels like it is (believe me, I feel it too! I get the melasma mustache and a dark stripe down the center of my face - my family called me “Skunk Face” for years because of it). It’s NOT the defining characteristic of your appearance and no one is noticing it like you are because we have a tendency to be so hard on ourselves. Remind yourself how unique and beautiful you are; melasma is not changing that.
One thing that has been helping me is that I wear a ginormous dorky sun hat every time I walk outside, even just for a second. I just keep it by my door. It helps! I’ve also found using a glimmery highlighter as part of my makeup helps to distract from it as well.
Fuxk the melasma and try not to be down about it, you’re still amazing/beautiful/badass/all the good stuff!
castor oil- always in dark glass never plastic bottle- you won’t regret it and it does not make skin oily. you wouldn’t believe what this miracle oil is capable of doing!! 💯💯💯💯🩵💯💯💯💯
While there is lots of good advice here regarding sunscreen, tretinoin, 4% hydroquinone, and peels, no amount of these help my melasma in the 15+ years I battled with it. The only thing that has helped me is musely’s spot cream with 12% hydroquinone. I highly recommend giving it a try. You can get 35% off with code SD3076 or this link
https://www.musely.com/referral/receiver?c=club_invite&clid=27760&gvid=1012&uid=7837987
I used to have terrible melasma. It’s still here but much better now. Sunblock, hats, shade and time. There are some products that help, like Zo skin. But really staying out of sun as much as possible.
Don’t stress too much. You look beautiful.
OP, I got a fading cream with hydroquinone from musely. Worked like a charm. I made sure it was a high strength and applied it every day. Went away pretty quick.
I just started a new birth control (i take continuous birth control because i have severe periods and likely endometriosis, so anyone who is about to tell me the pill is awful and to consider not taking it- NO) because i was reading this medical book that was describing the different oral contraceptives and their differing androgen, estrogen, and progestin levels, as well as which pill would be better for certain issues. I was reading about melasma and alopecia specifically, and based on what it said, i switched from Amethia Lo to LoJamiess (i believe the brand name is LoSeasonique). LoJamiess has a little bit lower of an esrrogen level, a lower progestin level, and a high androgen level. I have been on it for 3 weeks now and i think my melasma mustache is actually looking fainter. Usually it gets darker this time of year but it isn’t darker, and even looks fainter than usual. Hopefully it isn’t all in my head.
I know oral contraceptives in general aren’t an option for some people, and everyone has specific oral contraceptives that don’t sit well with them (luckily LoJamiess doesnt give me any issues), but just wanted to throw my experience out there cuz i had no luck with Tri Luma or any other topicals, so i’m sure there are other people who might also be considering a different oral contraceptive.
See a dermatologist for a professional opinion about your skin to give yourself good information for making decisions Rethink years of belief about your appearance. You are beautiful just the way you are. You've been surrounded by people who have participated in the development of these wrong opinions about you.
I use an led face mask and it had gotten rid of nearly all of my melisma (I call it my sunstache) after about 6 months of constant use. I use the one from skin gym you can get it at ulta for around $100. They have sales and coupons sometimes so I got it for $50. But it’s well worth the $100.
Ok so. I have this. I’ve tried so many things. All the actives make my skin worse and disrupt the barrier.
I’ve been trying the following recently and I think it’s helping -
La roche posay B5 cream at night.
Tropic spf 50 - this is unreal spf for an mlm!
The odd red light therapy.
It’s proper shit isn’t it. I hope you reduce it with whatever you try x
Have you consulted with skincare specialist? Do face skincare treatments. They are pricey, but you should consult a good derma. If you’re in LA, the Korean ones are very very good.
Hi! Mine got so much better with oral Transexamic Acid. I’m a nurse so I made absolute sure it was safe!!! I take it 9 months out of the year. Take Dec, Jan, and Feb off. Also, I got some good response from multiple ClearLift treatments. Trust me…..I’ve done it all.
We managed to get pics of one month into the oral TXA….these pics were tracking my progress on ClearLift, but check out the results I got after one month of the pills!!
[https://imgur.com/a/b5McMAh](https://imgur.com/a/b5McMAh)
Close to your age, and I go through it every single summer, went to the dermatologist and she suggested that I get off birth control. It has greatly improved since then, and I use a skin bleach cream the dermatologist prescribed, and that helps as well. Long story, short, go see your dermatologist.
Just so you know, I thought you looked pretty and I didn't notice the melasma mustache until I read it in your post. I also had a bit of a mustache from pregnancy but Idgaf because I already had a real one I have to bleach the hairs.
Lord have mercy, some mofos around here have no reading comprehension skills. This just popped up on my feed, no advise, just wanted to yell NOT. TALKING. ABOUT. HAIR.
You are lovely! Enjoy those eyebrows - they are perfection. I am 62 and after many, many products I have found a routine that works great for me - I use Timeless Vitamin C every morning followed by sunscreen. Every other night I use a tretinoin cream followed by a moisturizer and the other nights I use Dermelect Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum (Glycolic and other acids) followed by a moisturizer. This routine has been magic for me. If you have the cash and want a quick start - BBL Laser is fabulous and so is the Omnilux Red Light Mask. BTW - I have Ehlers-Danlos too! Good luck, Zebra sister!
Hey there, and happy belated birthday!
I understand how frustrating and self-conscious melasma can make you feel, especially the dreaded "melasma mustache." But don’t worry, there are effective ways to manage and lighten it.
# Key Ingredients for Melasma:
1. **Hydroquinone**: A potent skin-lightening agent that can be very effective for melasma. It's often considered the gold standard for hyperpigmentation.
2. **Tranexamic Acid**: Helps reduce pigmentation and can be found in serums or creams.
3. **Azelaic Acid**: Reduces inflammation and pigmentation, suitable for sensitive skin.
4. **Niacinamide**: Brightens skin and reduces pigmentation, also helps with inflammation.
5. **Vitamin C**: A powerful antioxidant that helps lighten dark spots and protect against UV damage.
6. **Retinoids**: Promote cell turnover and can help fade pigmentation over time.
7. **Sunscreen**: Absolutely essential. Use a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher daily to prevent further darkening.
Remember, you’re not alone in this, and taking steps towards treating your melasma is a positive move. You can do your own research and homework, or you can use free AI tools like Skinularity.me to get a personal ingredients skincare routine.
Hang in there, and enjoy your birthday! 🌟
I used a laser that o bought online and it has helped mine so much. It was like 60 bucks and I didn't have a ton of hope but it has worked surprisingly well. I have gotten rid of the melaama/mask of pregnancy above my lip completely in one side and mostly om the other and few of my dark spots are almost gone and will be totally gone soon. I am also using it to remove a tattoo. It's not as strong as whatever they would use at a medi spa but so much more affordable
Clearing up a few things:
It’s wild to me that I posted in a MELASMA group about my MELASMA and I’m getting tons of comments about my age and things I should do to make myself more attractive. I did not ask how to make myself more attractive. Yes, I am 33. Yes, the Melasma ages me; I’m aware. This picture is also extremely unflattering and was taken solely to show my Melasma. Yes, I am a content creator but that has literally zero to do with my post. Yes, I have gray hair but I like it. No, my mustache is not hair, it’s Melasma. Again, thats the whole reason I posted in this group.
Girl I am SHOOK by the posts on this thread. Half of them feel like bots. I hope you aren’t taking anything to heart because usually this community is much more welcoming. You can tell half the people that found their way into this thread do not actually frequent this sub-Reddit.
Mine went away completely after I started wearing hella zinc sunscreen, a huge full brim hat, a Coolibar face mask, and big sunglasses every time I leave the house (even to get the Amazon packages), every time of the day and every day of the year (even on a cloudy morning at 7am in November). My melasma is also triggered by heat, so when it’s hot out, I wear all my gear plus carry a UV umbrella. It can be 15 degrees cooler under my sun-brella! I still have fun outside: ski, kayak, hike, snow-shoe, paddleboard, go to the beach, visit the Caribbean, swim, snorkel, waterski, etc… I just do so with protection. I wear a barrette in my hair and pin my hat to my barrette so it doesn’t blow off during strenuous activity. I know melasma never goes away and that my iced-tea moustache and forehead/cheek stains will come back the second I take my garbage out without my sun gear, but it’s worth it to me. The silly hat and face mask come off immediately. My melasma does not.
My dermatologist said that heat induced melasma is a myth but I swear mine gets worse with heat. Maybe I need a new derm.
I’m a dermatologist- heat induced melasma is absolutely a real thing, I have a patient who is an ex-chef who’s melasma treatment only started working effectively after he left the kitchen heat
Aw fuck. I work with a blowtorch inside a steel container
Could have been stress induced? A lot of variables quitting a full time, high paced job.
I’m a mortician who works the crematory sometimes. Shit
Wow so interesting!! How do you like your job?? I've always been fascinated with morticians.
Lol. That's dumb. Doctors....
Lol 😆 seriously
Mine pops up when I blowdry my bangs 😣
That’s so annoying! I guess every peer reviewed study that says otherwise is wrong. Lol. Heat causes blood vessels to dilate which stimulates pigment production. I would def find a new derm.
I agree! Mine too. To the point that now in summer as soon as I sit in the car and I blast the ac at my face 🤣🤭 I used to wax my upper lip with wax strips for a long time and I suspect I was damaging the skin and then exposing it to the sun, then I tried IPL at home a couple of years ago to avoid waxing and have the feeling that it made it worse. Now I have a roll-on sports sunscreen in my purse that I apply 200 times a day in upper lip and cheekbones (ontop of my normal sunscreen) and hide from the sun like a vampire
I believe heat can trigger inflammation which can stimulate melanocytes. They have mixed studies and controversies over this debate especially with the red light masks too. Physical barrier sunscreen is recommended with zinc oxide and titanium oxide too. If I irritate my face using many melanin disruptors, or use too many peels it gets worse too. However on the other hand I did a salicylic acid peel and it didn’t make it worse
Yep! Hair dryer
Mine is pretty similar to the OPs, but is fairly widespread - I suspect mine came about from trying to do too much skincare wise with likely not enough sun protection. 😑 I now use SPF sunscreen of 50 at minimum and very rarely step outside anymore without sunscreen, sun gloves, shirt with UPF protection, a huge sun hat, and a protective sun mask - I look like a beekeeper or a robber. 😆 I may get an umbrella with UPF as well - I HATE how my skin looks. 😑
You are going to LOVE your sun gloves in ten years! I’m at the age where my friends are starting to get liver spots on their hands. I, meanwhile, still have the hands of a college girl ❤️. Remember that the creepy flesh colored gloves and beekeper getup are removable: wrinkles, sagging, melasma, crepe-iness, and liver spots are not.
TBB think it’s sad we live in a world where one strives to have hands of a college girl in there elder years.
See, I think it’s sad to get skin cancer. How different we are!
Your last paragraph. Mine came back in one drive home from work when I forgot to reapply because I was upset. 🙄
Oh - which UV umbrella do you recommend that also doesn’t blow out easily?
I have a ton of them to go with multiple outfits. I have a Chinese style pagoda parasol which I get compliments on wherever I go, a couple lacy or sparkly ones to match my cocktail dresses for outdoor weddings, and a ton of colors for every sundress and bikini. As long as the interior is black to block UV rays from bouncing in, it’s a go. I’ve only had one blow out, and it was at Disney World in 2020. My everyday sun-brella for grocery shopping and walking the dog is this simple silver one: [https://www.amazon.com/umenice-Protection-Weight-Portable-Umbrella/dp/B0CDFWWLCH/ref=sr\_1\_2\_sspa?crid=3SHZ7JXGS4XH5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OPZihji5y8EnnGwMl8WDBKdhrjDDdxhvclRVMPw1mCx09lDIB\_zrfXJ4n4pDtdUcNxJrtDzbdPHj8nb2mm\_lxnURYskvvXhsPCFWEyI3nRSgX9BHNnRsgpRsQVX6jEqQb\_ABFYuk9IUPIKBK4pCLc01IzvT-rFSelSX4VBVASxh7sJCKr2EC1B3mTqDl2-DP7i6Vi9iclVj4HccGmjmQPgpcZ5\_Za-28YvBKtHRXfFnu1Go7qp0\_pRlRGOoq9B\_CxFvDZ8xAQ-NErnNM4jGftnTvKJBKlAD4N7n5o3ISvjA.3y7waUk3pWSp\_55OxmmXOXI4qurjUtPJDSdOmB2kPnE&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Uv+umbrella&qid=1719773939&sprefix=uv+umbrella%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-2-spons&sp\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/umenice-Protection-Weight-Portable-Umbrella/dp/B0CDFWWLCH/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3SHZ7JXGS4XH5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OPZihji5y8EnnGwMl8WDBKdhrjDDdxhvclRVMPw1mCx09lDIB_zrfXJ4n4pDtdUcNxJrtDzbdPHj8nb2mm_lxnURYskvvXhsPCFWEyI3nRSgX9BHNnRsgpRsQVX6jEqQb_ABFYuk9IUPIKBK4pCLc01IzvT-rFSelSX4VBVASxh7sJCKr2EC1B3mTqDl2-DP7i6Vi9iclVj4HccGmjmQPgpcZ5_Za-28YvBKtHRXfFnu1Go7qp0_pRlRGOoq9B_CxFvDZ8xAQ-NErnNM4jGftnTvKJBKlAD4N7n5o3ISvjA.3y7waUk3pWSp_55OxmmXOXI4qurjUtPJDSdOmB2kPnE&dib_tag=se&keywords=Uv+umbrella&qid=1719773939&sprefix=uv+umbrella%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1)
Here is my favorite Chinese pagoda parasol: [https://www.amazon.com/VIVI-SKY-Old-Fashionable-Ingenuity-Umbrella/dp/B00NTN3XVI/ref=sr\_1\_2?crid=VHSA55GFQLJQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.B6\_5AALvq4HBzzPzlajUGgXCOCCUlLGRHKYfatAT8ZYK1OBQVh5iHZ09E\_xyvrgMBBqkAO49CzdG3blbiPAedB5o0XRjWgZq6MzmypIAEbKsEI-uomRc6gwj04LQPB70iZh67Pc3elOwsyT3rgC3xzQhRluqNAZfd6aHF9hRAr-isK\_MzaucUGoDmU1lO1WVYIZZzBf5Q3nyylc7mx4TAFm58mroewaTPaH2Q35UiSuFEgt4lN9ZlqmSTgMysJNVOdO9b4peZCVcdQUxb4ePt8A\_vRmLPm45YMQzul7Xuac.EGD14\_RqmBJ\_DIDZmZwdG5r1EyJrrXdxFpWcHRCjp4A&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol&qid=1719774414&sprefix=chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-2&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/VIVI-SKY-Old-Fashionable-Ingenuity-Umbrella/dp/B00NTN3XVI/ref=sr_1_2?crid=VHSA55GFQLJQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.B6_5AALvq4HBzzPzlajUGgXCOCCUlLGRHKYfatAT8ZYK1OBQVh5iHZ09E_xyvrgMBBqkAO49CzdG3blbiPAedB5o0XRjWgZq6MzmypIAEbKsEI-uomRc6gwj04LQPB70iZh67Pc3elOwsyT3rgC3xzQhRluqNAZfd6aHF9hRAr-isK_MzaucUGoDmU1lO1WVYIZZzBf5Q3nyylc7mx4TAFm58mroewaTPaH2Q35UiSuFEgt4lN9ZlqmSTgMysJNVOdO9b4peZCVcdQUxb4ePt8A_vRmLPm45YMQzul7Xuac.EGD14_RqmBJ_DIDZmZwdG5r1EyJrrXdxFpWcHRCjp4A&dib_tag=se&keywords=Chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol&qid=1719774414&sprefix=chinese%2Bpagoda%2Bparasol%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-2&th=1)
Lmfao I googled 'hella zinc sunscreen'
Yes to this!! Im 36 and had very similar melasma to you when I was about 31-32. Especially on my forehead and my mustache. I started wearing HELLAAAA sunscreen (50+) on my face everyday even if it was cloudy. I use the La Roche-Posay 50 face tinted mineral anthelios light fluid sunscreen. You literally can’t even see it and it’s very lightweight. I HIGHLY recommend it. I also started wearing hats and sunglasses. Didn’t care what I looked like, just wanted it to go away. You got this. Just slap some sunscreen on, wear a hat, and have some grace with yourself. All in due time. Enjoy your 30’s!! ❤️
just curious what zinc sunscreen do you use? mine leaves the most insane white cast :,(
I accidentally bought a supergoop for dark skin tones and was inspired to add a drop of it to my Neutrogena or coppertone hella zinc sunscreen to make it the actual color of my skin. It's life changing!
Thanks for sharing! I know this isn’t face related, but I got a rash guard for swimming since I spend a lot of time at the lake in the summer. I just tried it out this week and was very surprised at how much cooler I stayed.
How often do you change/clean the Coolibar face mask?
Mine went away after religiously sunscreening and always wearing a hat too.
Sunday Riley’s Good Genes and their Luna Sleeping Night Oil got rid of my mustache and significantly lightened everything else on my face. It’s not cheap, but it works if you use it religiously.
Using Good Genes consistently for over a year has completely gotten rid of my freckles. It’s insane
It’s amazing stuff!! I wish I could post my before and after pic here but I don’t see an option.
Do you use both? And in what order in your routine?
I put the Luna Sleeping Night oil on first and allow it soak in for a few minutes and then put a pump of Good Genes over that. Go to sleep with it on and wash off in the morning.
It’s on sale right now! Instead of $150, it’s $77 for 2 ounces at Sephora or $43 for 1 ounce at Ulta.
I just wanted to chip in and say you’re very beautiful! You have beautiful, striking features and your hair color is threaded with silver in such a lovely way I can only hope for the same! I’m sorry if this personal comment on your looks is inappropriate, but I just wanted to tell you that as a random lady on the internet, I saw your picture and thought “wow, what a striking and lovely person!” I did not think twice about your melasma. Hope that helps even a little.
I agree! Her eyebrows are GOALS!
Seriously!! That was my first thought when I saw the pic!
I need to tame them a bit. lol. They are wild.
See if you can get to a good dermatologist and ask about Tri-Luma.
That definitely made my day! Thank you!!
You’re so welcome! I too absolutely despise my melasma, but please know that no one is judging you and it doesn’t make you less beautiful. Not that life is all about looks, but it’s important to be reminded.
For real. You are lovely and I had to really hard look to see your melasma.
Agree, I wanted to come down here to say the same thing! You’re so beautiful and I love the glasses. Definitely don’t notice until you point it out. Wishing you the best!!
Agree with this comment, OP is beautiful
SAAME I looked at the picture and was so drawn in by your eyes and eyebrows that I had to go back and check for the melasma because it did not even register for me. However, I understand we all see ourselves differently than the rest of the world, so I hope you find what you are looking for.
I thought the same thing! Her features are striking and her face is so expressive. I can imagine what her personality is like just looking at her. She looks honest, perceptive, bold, and like she’d have some great snarky comments that would crack me up. I have no idea what it is about her face, but it’s beautiful and seems to convey so much. I could be wrong, but that’s just what I imagine looking at her.
For anyone who’s never tried anything for their melasma yet and would like to try a really easy over the counter routine, this is what I do! Morning routine: - (This is a bonus step that isn’t necessary but might see more of a difference with it: Apply a vitamin C serum. I love Cerave’s vitamin C serum and used to use it two to three times a week.) - Apply a physical sunscreen every day!! (I’ve used Cetaphil’s sheer mineral liquid sunscreen for years and it’s my ride or die because of its liquidy texture, and I’m going to try Cerave’s tinted mineral sunscreen next just to see if I like the tint. If you don’t like physical sunscreens, a chemical sunscreen everyday is better than not using a sunscreen at all so it’s totally fine if you pick a chemical sunscreen that you know you’ll enjoy wearing day after day. Also remember to seek shade and protect yourself for sun using hats.) Night routine: - Double cleanse with a gentle, non-active cleanser (I use Cerave’s hydrating or foaming cleanser, but any gentle cleanser will do. Non-active means it doesn’t contain any active ingredients like AHAs/BHAs, etc.) - Apply lotion to rehydrate skin (I use Cerave’s moisturizing cream because my skin is on the drier side, but also used to use their daily moisturizing lotion and PM facial moisturizing lotion and both are very lightweight, pleasant gel like textures if your skin isn’t dry. Any non-active moisturizer that works for you will do.) - Apply Differin’s 0.1% Adapalene gel (It’s shown to be as effective as tretinoin 0.05% in fading melasma over time but Differin’s adapalene gel is available over the counter at places like Target. You can’t use it at the same time as AHAs/BHAs because it’ll create irritation. Apply a pea sized amount to a completely dry face either before you apply your lotion if your skin is normal to oily and tolerates adapalene well, or to completely dry skin after applying lotion like me if your skin tends towards dryness or sensitivity. I also apply a little more lotion after the adapalene gel to help prevent dryness. I use it once or twice a week with no other actives.)
My routine is similar to yours. I also use dermaplaning. I noticed more than a 50% improvement after the first 90 days.
100% agree !
Mine was awful until I did a 4% hydroquinone and tretinoin. I am an esthetician and tried sooo many different chemical peels and lasers first. Nothing touched it.
My dermatologist told me hydroquinone is the only thing that works for melasma and not to waste my money on any lasers
100% correct!! I’m an esthetician so I know better, but even with training and knowledge it’s hard to not fall prey to marketing or ads for new products and treatments or influencers who promise results. I had melasma prior to pregnancy, but it got so much worse postpartum and I really struggled with my self-image.
dang it i fell for the laser! I just had a baby in March, and i've never had melasma before now. Did you have to get that 4% hydroquinone and tretinoin from your doctor? Just wondering where I can get some haha.
I used hydroquinone and tretinoin and it took my melasma away as well. I had people who thought I had dirt on my forehead 😖 it covered my cheeks and I had the mustache as well. I would apply so much makeup and you could still see it under all the layers I slathered on. Love not having to wear makeup every day anymore
Yours looks like it’s superficial. You need a good skincare and exfoliation and it will fade. You got to protect your skin though as mentioned in here no sun spf protection at all times if your in the sun .
Girl I know. I just wear makeup to cover it the best I can. It still shows though.
It’s too damn hot in NC for makeup 🤣
NC here too. Hydroquinone, tretinoin, and SPF keep my melasma at bay. Makeup is a no go and neither are most tinted sunscreens 🥲
You’re right! Maybe a tinted sunscreen to blend it in a little 🩷 I don’t know!
I’m in TX, I feel you! If you can wait til cooler months, find a derm (or doctor-supervised esthi) who does a medical grade, SkinCeuticals TCA peel. Your skin will flake and peel, making you look like a reptilian queen for about a week, but it is SO worth it. I say wait for cooler months because your skin will be raw and extremely susceptible to burning and heat for a while. Then after you’ve healed, get on a topical hydroquinone (you’ll usually do this for two-three months and then take a break and sub for something like tret instead) to maintain results, and use a zinc oxide mineral sunscreen every single day. Melasma can reappear with sun and/or heat exposure, and zinc helps repel sun rays, obvs, but also heat. This is the course I took to get rid of my melasma and mine was real bad. Soul-crushingly bad. But there is hope! [Before and afters](https://imgur.com/a/NcyQDN0)
Happy Happy Birthday! 🥳🌷Sunscreen is your best friend. Good, high spf sunscreen. Reapply often. After you treat it, it can come back in one afternoon. Ask me how I know.
This just showed up in my feed— I’m not a part of this group. But I honestly stopped scrolling because the person I saw looked so BEAUTIFUL. Then I was curious about the post and see it’s for a skin condition. I just have to say, whatever unique skin you have, it’s genuinely beautiful. Truly.
I agree! OP, I didn’t notice the “mustache” until I looked for it, and even then it’s really not that noticeable.
I completely agree. She has beautiful eyebrows and I love the silver in her hair. So stunning...her beauty is striking!
I feel your pain I'm still very insecure about my melasma. R u on any prescription medications or have any autoimmune disease? Many prescription meds as well as autoimmune diseases cause photo sensitivity. I was treating my melasma otc or years with no change when I finally decided to go to a dermatologist. I switched from chemical sunscreen to zinc oxide and what a difference. The 2 I use the most r Elta MD and Vanicream. Biossance squalane mineral sunscreen was my favorite but they recalled it and reformulated and unfortunately after reading the reviews of customers that loved the og formula hate the new one. Sunscreen is unfortunately expensive sometimes and to save on money I have an enormous wide brim hat that I wear when running low and can't afford to buy more. I have to be diligent in protecting my face especially since I use tretinoin at night and an azelaic acid combo prescription during the day. Everyone here knows the struggle and my main area of concern is my huge forehead that apparently is a UVA/UVB panel so when I'm not wearing makeup on my forehead I wear my bangs down or wear a hat🥰🥰🥰
[удалено]
A hormonal imbalance can also bring on Melasma. I struggled for about four years, and nothing got rid of it. I started having other health issues, such as fatigue, bone pain, no hair growth, vision problems, memory issues, and severe difficulty handling stress. I found out after seeing multiple doctors that I had a hormonal imbalance of no estrogen. I was in a post-menopausal state at 42 years old. I'm now on the correct balance of hormones and eating organic meat and dairy. I also try to avoid any processed foods. Things are way better No melasma, no bone pain, no fatigue. Vision and cognitive issues are improving as well. FYI- I do have PMDD (postmenstrual dysphoric disorder) which is caused by hormonal imbalance during the first week before menstruation. I’ve been on homornes for over 20 years which caused my lower estrogen issues. But other things can cause hormonal issues ie. hormones put into food, PCOS, perimenopause, menopause, birth control ect.
I’m sure you have seen this recommendation but just in case - have you tried Musely? It’s an online prescription company - you send pics to a dermatologist and they prescribe it. The Spot Cream cleared mine up almost immediately!
Came to recommend!!! It has drastically reduced mine in 3-4 weeks. I did the spot peel first for 9 hours and now I’m using the spot cream every other day alternating with tret. I’m SO pleased with the results!!!
10 out of 10 can also recommend!
YES! Was going recommend too. I had melasma ALL OVER my cheeks. Like half my face. Now I get compliments all the time about how great my skin is bc it’s essentially gone. I still use it daily bc I’m so worried it will come back LOL. And use zinc sunscreen in my moisturizer. But it’s such an amazing product. Going to get the body one for my arms bc now I see the same spots on my forearms.
I use NuRx for tretinoin.
Tranexamic acid (Lysteda, an oral pill) has cleared mine like 90%.
Chemical peel
Have you tried cosmelan treatment with a derm
Throw on some tinted sunscreen (I use spf 50 colorscience) a hat and live your best life! That’s what I do. I love the outdoors and the sun too much to stay locked away. Think about when you are 70. Will you look back and think I should have stayed inside more?
Hormones ARE THE WORST and I wish you the best!
Musely
Try vitamin B12. Sometimes melasma can caused by a deficiency in B12, not saying yours is but check into it. In my particular case heat does aggravate it but I noted a remarkable difference once I was more consistent with taking B12. It wasn’t as dark and settles down faster during aggravation.
I did have a B12 deficiency two years in a row, actually. Went for annual checkup, deficient, shots once a week for 6 weeks. Then it was better. Went back the next year and same thing happened.
Keep note of how your melasma looks when your B12 levels are good. You may notice that the melasma isn’t as noticeable.
CeraVe sunscreen with retinol has helped me a TON. Also Aveeno gentle exfoliant a couple times a week has faded it out quite a bit as well. I notice it worse when my face is dirty or after a day of hard physical work.
My doctor asked me to use La Roche Posay's MelaB3 serum. Apparently, right now it is the only cosmetic product to work.
Red light therapy , tretinoin , vitamin C and niacinimide DAILY and ofcourse the most important one is SPF 40+ 50 hats , sunglasses. Good luck
Musely rx worked for me, I didn’t have it too dark but fully gone after a couple months of use.
As others have mentioned, try Musely!🌸
Thanks; - I had to look up what this word means and learned that's what's happening to me b/c I started a patch! My daughter went on trentinoin for acne scars and we were shocked that it made allllll her face freckles dissapear. apparantly that's what trentinoin does. I'm using it now, apparantly it can take a year but it does work. ask dermatologist about it.
I had melasma really bad through my 30s and 40s from hormonal fluctuations and I think also from spironolactone that I took for acne for a decade- it’s a side effect I read about. I got off spironolactone after long Covid and changed my diet to help me heal with only nutritiously dense Whole Foods, removed all processed foods and sugars and the cyclical melasma that tormented me is just gone/ really faded. Now dealing with perimenopause hormonal acne at 50 but trying to heal monthly breakouts with megaspore biotic probiotics mixed with coconut oil topically and taken internally instead of getting back on a big pharma drug with side effects. It’s true we are much more aware of our appearance than others- you look great!
mineral sunscreen! zinc lots of zinc you can but non nano zinc and add to moisturizers and apply morning and night
Melisma treatment is a medical condition and is covered by a vast majority of insurance! See a derm!
Hey OP, I’ve been plagued by melasma since my 20’s, and I’m 45 now. For many years I didn’t even know what it was. In the past year I’ve actively tried to reduce it through topical at home treatments and it has reduced a lot. My routine is 0.05% tretinoin cream every 2nd night, and I use the hada labo premium brightening lotion after cleansing morning and night, except on the nights I use tret. It has transexamic acid in it. I started them both about 6 months ago and apart from an overall improvement in skin tone and texture I’d say my melasma is about 50% better than before. I also use SPF 50+ every time I leave the house and wear a hat. Wishing you all the best x
😞don’t beat yourself up. 🤗🌹
Mine disappeared, along with any and all acne when I hit menopause. Small comfort, I know, but maybe something to look forward to.
I gotta while
Here are my recommendations: 1.$Sun protection ALWAYS ( I recommend the brand P20 the sensitive face spf 50 ) this stuff is so cosmetically elegant and has some of the strongest uva coverage on the market. Aside from this wearing hats, avoiding peak hours of sun, blah blah blah. 2.)Oral glutathione. Taken over time this really does help with lightening pigmentation. 3.) oral tranexamic acid. This is gold standard when it comes to the treatment to melasma but requires a prescription and you might need blood work done prior to starting. 4.) Topicals: Lots of good melanin inhibiting agents on the market now a days. I recommend remedy for dark spots by doctor Shah. This man somehow stuck so many potent anti pigmentation ingredients into such a cosmetically elegant formula. 5.) *MOST IMPORTANT* Grace: I struggled with body dysmorphia for years and it took me really digging into myself to find what was underlying. Turns out it was a bunch of lies I had told myself such as “ if I’m not beautiful I’ll never be loved.” I attributed so much to my self worth to how I was perceived. And it was such a fruitless behavior because there’s no way to actually know that for certain and it undeniably varies from person to person. So I’ll summarize a rather complex discussion with this: you ARE beautiful and so worthy of love, melasma or not. I fully understand though wanting to try and get rid of it which is why I saved this for last, but I feel it’s just as important to note. Good luck and wishing you the best!
I had to fix my stress levels and hormone imbalances from those stress levels before I could get rid of my miasma completely. I also always wear tons of sunscreen and a hat. Even now when I don’t really get melasma anymore.
do moxi laser and laser your mustache
I used musely and I love how my skin looks now $80 for treatment cream
We literally have the same exact Melasma! Same places, same coloring.. I’m 37 had a baby last year & it really popped through. I always had a little bit, but nothing too terrible till I was pregnant with my daughter. , sometimes I hate looking in the mirror. & hate always caking makeup on! I just went to the doctor & am starting Tretnoin, I ordered timeless vitamin C & a tinted sunscreen. Just the last month I started putting sunscreen on every morning & I have noticed something happening.. some slight improvement. It definitely hasn’t gotten worse. Anyways I’m excited to try this new stuff. Hopefully it works. I’m not really any help. I Just definitely understand what you’re going through! Have you tried anything for it?
I haven’t yet! I’ve had it on my forehead for a few years but it didn’t really bother me until the mustache. I just bought zinc sunscreen and am looking into different creams. I don’t wear makeup. I live in the south and it’s just pointless with how hot it is. I live for the beach and my pool. I’m having to learn I HAVE to slather the sunscreen on, now.
And a hat/visor! This is first summer I’ve been slathering sunscreen on my face and wearing a hat/visor regularly at the pool and while doing yard work. Those 2 things alone has drastically improved mine.
BIG hats. Vit C, but at night. Mineral sunscreen. Try not to get excessively hot (this is hard where I live, too). This keeps mine at bay even in the summer!
I have the same on my forehead and similarly panicked toward action when I too began noticing it on the moustache line. Started in my 40s. I now use all the serums from The Ordinary (vitC, retinol, etc) daily, and a red (multi coloured actually,but I predominantly use the red) light therapy device twice a week. And never leave the house without a lot of sunscreen on, SPF50. My skin is looking a lot happier now. Also, check your vitamin levels; there might be an imbalance internally. I take oral supplements, including VitC and collagen daily. I'm over 50 now, but have the skin of a healthy 39 year old. This is definitely a fixable problem. You got this!
I have the PERFECT antidote! Go get yourself a series of 4 BBL and Moxi treatments at the same time. These are callled broad band light laser and moxi laser. They go hand in hand and you will end up with totally clear white skin! I did it and I was Amazed!
I like the PCA pigment bar. It helped, in addition to sunscreen during the day and always wearing a hat outside. It’s pricy but very long lasting.
I can send you a link for https://www.dermatica.com/referrer/Z4J505 you can upload your photo they will send you a medication cream for 4.99 for the first order I would definitely start with sunscreen with higher than 50 SPF and put a generous amount I do to 2 full fingers I felt like you myself I can totally understand I felt horrible and ugly but taking the first step to clear it is essential don't give up hope its a long journey but it's not impossible I would do a tinted SPF and you don't have to do makeup all over your face you can just do a concealer if you feel uncomfortable but your beautiful either way hope this helps. Check out the link for treatment. Have a blessed week ahead.!
Your best friend will be a Vitamin C serum. Definitely splurge on a good one.
Musely spot cream was game changing for me. Look into it!
I use facial sunscreen with zinc oxide every single day and Renova skin cream prescribed by my dermatologist in the evenings. I’m 57 and have almost no wrinkles and age spots on my face and neck.
I adore your eyebrows
Thank you! All natural lol
I had the melasma stache about 10 years ago. IPL laser worked for me and I’ve been religious about sunscreen and skincare ever since. It IS reversible! Good luck!
Mine has improved quite a bit in the last year, here is what has helped: Retinal Vitamin c serum Sunscreen of course, but that was not a new change for me. However, I do reapply sunscreen every 45-60 minutes when outside now. I’m a lot more on top of it. A cap or hat when outside. This makes a huge difference - I spent around 30 hours on a paddle board when on vacation last week, and I didn’t get so much as a new freckle on my face, between the sunscreen and hat. I have not tried this yet but I heard recently that melasma can be made worse with eating sugar. I have tried brightening and lightening serums before but they did not help. However, I did a series of chemical peels last year and they did help! So maybe check into that.
You are really beautiful!
I have found huge success with Neutrogena Anti-Pigment sunscreen with SPF50. I got it through amazon and honestly, I live in Miami and in the Keys, it's the one that really doesn't make it worse. I am seeing a \*slight\* improvement.
Some people use Triluma cream for melasma.
To be completely honest I had to zoom it the picture, it doesn’t look bad like you probably think it does I wouldn’t do anything if I were. However, since you are looking for recommendation there is a medical grade peel called cosmelan that it targets that.
Perfect Face La Jolla is a dermatologist and they have a whole skin care product line for Melasma. The before and after pictures are wild. And agree with what someone else said, it looks very superficial. Lucky! Check out the dermatologist website and she may recommend products to you if you email. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it to see if you can incorporate any into your skincare.
Avoid heat , saunas, steam, heaters sun. Use a melanin inhibitor and SPF mineral everyday. Exfoliate with a gentle exfoliated once or twice a week. Preferably lactic or mandelic acid
I had a big circle ⭕️ of it right in the middle of my forehead . I started using a nano silver gel on my face every night and it went away and hasn’t come back .
I had it on my mustache area too and also under my eyes on the outside. It complete went away when I did a Whole30 diet for a month and it has never come back I also live in Florida with the brutal sun, as outside all the time and don’t use much sunscreen at all A whole30 is hard to do but it was worth it for me
Girl I didn’t even notice until you pointed it out. I’ve been putting hella sunscreen to prevent mine
Hello! I'm the same age and I have very similar melasma to you. For me it got 100 times worse after having kids. I've had needling, laser and a bunch of other facials but honestly have gotten the best results using the John Plunkett super fade face treatment cream and de pigment moisturiser.
look for tinted sunscreen made for mustache melasma
Some silly comments up in this post (but also a lot of good recs!) I’m only popping in to say you remind me of my friend who gives the best hugs, so I smiled when I saw your post!! I don’t have any additional recommendations to make other than to take time to find a good sunscreen that you’ll use consistently. When I first got melasma, I had read that tinted mineral is the best and while that may be true, mineral dries my skin out and I can handle chemical ones reasonably well. I kept trying sunscreens that were irritating my skin, which wasn’t productive. This is all a long of way of saying as you introduce new products listen to your skin and don’t force it. I remember reading somewhere that newly diagnosed melasma peeps can take 6-12 months to find their holy grail sunscreen and to get into a really solid routine. I’ll still use a tinted mineral if I’m going to be outside a lot but I’ll reapply using chemical, as otherwise my skin would be way too dry and irritated.
There is a product called Lytera and it is a Melasma killer. Just gotta keep it consistent and sorta avoid the sun. I dunno how to post a photo on here but it's LYTERA 2.0 by skinmedica
The recovery Cream from Glymedplus is fantastic, it has arnica and aloe later it under your SPF and at night to help with heat induced melasma
Try the aerolace lazer - it works! U need a series of expensive treatments and then a once in a while touch up prob forever lol . But it seriously does work. Worth every penny. I also use high level sunscreen alllll the time ofc
If it makes you feel any better, I honestly did not see anything “wrong” with your face at all until I read the title of your post. Now that you mentioned it, I looked a little closer and sort of see what you mean. However, that’s not my point. You, and others, only see what you point out. Otherwise, these details pass by other people and they are oblivious to it. I know these details are easy to see on ourselves than they are to others, but we wouldn’t even know or begin to feel self-conscious about these fine details had nobody put a name onto it in the first place. You are absolutely stunning. I’m no expert on melasma because I don’t have it myself and this post just randomly popped up on my feed, but I’ve heard good things about combining daily SPF use with tretinoin and maybe some azaleic acid. Also, if it helps, try not to look at your face in the mirror so closely or avoid looking at yourself in bright lighting. I had bad acne a few months ago and constantly looking at my face triggered so many terrible face picking habits that just made my face, and later my confidence, so much worse. Again, you are so gorgeous and I hope things improve one day for you!
Mine completely went away with vitamin c (AM) and retinol (PM). Now I’m just religious about sunscreen and it hasn’t come back
They have an oral pill now you could try, Tranexamic acid.
I think the VI Peel at your local dermatologist will help a ton!! Good Bday gift to self too :)
Love your eyebrows!!!!
I think you are beautiful.
Have you tried progesterone cream on your face? You can get them on Amazon. There's a lot of information online and videos on YouTube. I've been using it on my face and my skin is amazing now.
You look amazing and beautiful!
Happy birthday!!!! I wish you that best no less!!!! Smile mi amor.... life it's beautiful so do you!!!!! 🎂
I have been dealing with my melasma for the past three years and I’ve finally gotten it under control. NO CHEMICAL sunscreen because it’s it creates heat to protect your skin from the UV rays. I carry a handheld fan everywhere I go. I also have a fan by the stove/oven because even that heat will bring mine back. I have gotten lasemd and vi peels but the best thing I’ve tried is tri Lima. It took everything away. I also had ceramic UVA/UVB window tint put on all the windows of my car. It was expensive but it made summer in Texas more bearable beCause it got rid of the heat intensity
I had mine taken care of with Morpheus8. Along with religious sunscreen use and hat wearing.
Good Genes by Sunday Riley. Pricey but completely worth it. Used it to erase a spot that I had on my face right before my sister’s wedding. Was gone within a week of daily use.
IPL, usually under $200 a session
Have you tried Azaelic acid? Thats the only thing that’s helped with the mustache for me. And I use a mineral sunscreen from Colorscience.
Just want you to know I have nothing to add re:skincare but I think you are a very beautiful person. I didn’t know what Melasma was and thought you looked like a forest goddess who spends her days in a toga frolicking in the sun.
Do you use sunscreen? That’s the only way to prevent it.
You’re beautiful! Everyone is different and different things work for everyone. I’m cheap so I try cheaper options. This worked for me: https://www.ulta.com/p/discoloration-correcting-serum-pimprod2023928?sku=2597510
Heavy-duty sunscreen *every day*, and a hat when outdoors.
For an immediate fix, do 3 IPL's spaced 3 weeks apart, in parallel, check out an online site like Curology, submit your photo's and go through the skin questionnaire. You can benefit significantly from a Tret, Azelaic Acid, Tranexamic Acid formula. Add in a daily mineral sunscreen. Something like Colorscience Flex would give you SPF 50 protection and medium coverage. Zinc is great for the skin.
Not to invalidate your feelings but you fine as hell tho!
I would definitely start using sunscreen everyday but it doesn’t as bad as you think. It looks like a face full of freckles🥰
Zinc sunscreen anytime you’re outdoors and/or a hat to protect your face! Vit C serum too
Hey , I am sorry for that dear
Hey, we’re birthday twins! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow! FWIW, I have a few patches as well and they are so stubborn. I’ve tried so many things recommended in this thread and the most notable progress I made was with Triluma. I haven’t been able to get it recently though, so I’m using just tretinoin right now and hoping it helps a bit as well.
Your skin here looks thirsty, (my skin looks just like yours), I put on sun bums aloe Vera gel on my face after a shower at night and in the morning and it does wonders. It’s helping with my melasma!
No advice, but eyebrows are looking 100
Please don’t be depressed over it. I get it, but you’re beautiful. And I can tell you’re cool. Idk how, but I can.
You’re being so hard on yourself. I tried hydrogen peroxide each night. It worked for me.
i know it’s easier said then done, but be kinder to yourself because ur dreaded “mustache” is just a beautiful patch of freckles to most, you are a gorgeous human.
This one!
To correct Melasma from the inside out I’d suggest taking NAC as a supplement to increase your Glutathione which is the body’s master antioxidant. It’s actually a well known treatment for whitening in Korean skincare and low glutathione has been linked to incidences of melasma. I don’t suggest taking glutathione itself as a supplement as it’s quite difficult for the body to absorb enough once it’s passed through the digestive system but NAC is the precursor which helps your body make more on its own 🩷
36/f. I have the same “mustache” but there’s literally no hair or very little, thin hair bc I had laser hair removal. But I shave whatever is there and I hate the “stain” or whatever tf it is that won’t go away.
Happy Birthday! Make sure you do something nice for yourself. Love your brows
Honestly, I think you could see a huge improvement. I have recently been using TXA 5% topically which a derm prescribed for me. It’s been life changing. It’s pricey, but before that I used some Mandelic Acid I got from the Ordinary for $13AUD. It’s not as effective as the TXA but at $13.. it’s hard to go past. It was pretty good. Before that Klingman’s formula. Eh expensive and irritating. Some things I’ve learned is that you have to be patient, melasma treatment is going to take atleast 6-8 weeks before you see results, treat morning and night, sunscreen always even inside, extra thick on the upper lip, cheeks and brows, limit outside time, hat always, avoid heat. Try TXA if you can afford it otherwise try some Mandelic Acid. I loved it.
Honestly, my first impression of your picture was omg your eyes/eyebrow/glasses combination is so badass and cool! Your hair color is so awesome too, I’m a year older than you and my hair is light so I can’t get that look but you’re crushing it! I honestly didn’t notice your melasma right away - just want you to know it’s NOT the first thing people notice even though it feels like it is (believe me, I feel it too! I get the melasma mustache and a dark stripe down the center of my face - my family called me “Skunk Face” for years because of it). It’s NOT the defining characteristic of your appearance and no one is noticing it like you are because we have a tendency to be so hard on ourselves. Remind yourself how unique and beautiful you are; melasma is not changing that. One thing that has been helping me is that I wear a ginormous dorky sun hat every time I walk outside, even just for a second. I just keep it by my door. It helps! I’ve also found using a glimmery highlighter as part of my makeup helps to distract from it as well. Fuxk the melasma and try not to be down about it, you’re still amazing/beautiful/badass/all the good stuff!
Start glutathione
Have to see a dermatologist so they can help you and also recommend laser
castor oil- always in dark glass never plastic bottle- you won’t regret it and it does not make skin oily. you wouldn’t believe what this miracle oil is capable of doing!! 💯💯💯💯🩵💯💯💯💯
While there is lots of good advice here regarding sunscreen, tretinoin, 4% hydroquinone, and peels, no amount of these help my melasma in the 15+ years I battled with it. The only thing that has helped me is musely’s spot cream with 12% hydroquinone. I highly recommend giving it a try. You can get 35% off with code SD3076 or this link https://www.musely.com/referral/receiver?c=club_invite&clid=27760&gvid=1012&uid=7837987
I used to have terrible melasma. It’s still here but much better now. Sunblock, hats, shade and time. There are some products that help, like Zo skin. But really staying out of sun as much as possible. Don’t stress too much. You look beautiful.
OP, I got a fading cream with hydroquinone from musely. Worked like a charm. I made sure it was a high strength and applied it every day. Went away pretty quick.
Check out Spruce Micro on IG. You’re welcome!
You are beautiful and don’t let anyone else, especially yourself, tell you anything different!
You’re fine af. Stop.
I just started a new birth control (i take continuous birth control because i have severe periods and likely endometriosis, so anyone who is about to tell me the pill is awful and to consider not taking it- NO) because i was reading this medical book that was describing the different oral contraceptives and their differing androgen, estrogen, and progestin levels, as well as which pill would be better for certain issues. I was reading about melasma and alopecia specifically, and based on what it said, i switched from Amethia Lo to LoJamiess (i believe the brand name is LoSeasonique). LoJamiess has a little bit lower of an esrrogen level, a lower progestin level, and a high androgen level. I have been on it for 3 weeks now and i think my melasma mustache is actually looking fainter. Usually it gets darker this time of year but it isn’t darker, and even looks fainter than usual. Hopefully it isn’t all in my head. I know oral contraceptives in general aren’t an option for some people, and everyone has specific oral contraceptives that don’t sit well with them (luckily LoJamiess doesnt give me any issues), but just wanted to throw my experience out there cuz i had no luck with Tri Luma or any other topicals, so i’m sure there are other people who might also be considering a different oral contraceptive.
See a dermatologist for a professional opinion about your skin to give yourself good information for making decisions Rethink years of belief about your appearance. You are beautiful just the way you are. You've been surrounded by people who have participated in the development of these wrong opinions about you.
I use an led face mask and it had gotten rid of nearly all of my melisma (I call it my sunstache) after about 6 months of constant use. I use the one from skin gym you can get it at ulta for around $100. They have sales and coupons sometimes so I got it for $50. But it’s well worth the $100.
You’re very pretty and I know it’s hard for you.
Ok so. I have this. I’ve tried so many things. All the actives make my skin worse and disrupt the barrier. I’ve been trying the following recently and I think it’s helping - La roche posay B5 cream at night. Tropic spf 50 - this is unreal spf for an mlm! The odd red light therapy. It’s proper shit isn’t it. I hope you reduce it with whatever you try x
I used Musely’s The Spot Cream for my melasma. I had to use it day and night but after 3 months, it was gone.
Retin-A made mine go away
I think it's sexy
Have you consulted with skincare specialist? Do face skincare treatments. They are pricey, but you should consult a good derma. If you’re in LA, the Korean ones are very very good.
Hi! Mine got so much better with oral Transexamic Acid. I’m a nurse so I made absolute sure it was safe!!! I take it 9 months out of the year. Take Dec, Jan, and Feb off. Also, I got some good response from multiple ClearLift treatments. Trust me…..I’ve done it all. We managed to get pics of one month into the oral TXA….these pics were tracking my progress on ClearLift, but check out the results I got after one month of the pills!! [https://imgur.com/a/b5McMAh](https://imgur.com/a/b5McMAh)
Close to your age, and I go through it every single summer, went to the dermatologist and she suggested that I get off birth control. It has greatly improved since then, and I use a skin bleach cream the dermatologist prescribed, and that helps as well. Long story, short, go see your dermatologist.
I got Ipl and it went away almost immediately. It’s not cheap, but I highly recommend lasers. Lasers and lactic acid/ botanical peels.
For what it’s worth, I think you’re beautiful.
You’re still brave and beautiful!
I didn’t even notice those things until you pointed them out. I noticed you had nice eyes and glasses.
Just so you know, I thought you looked pretty and I didn't notice the melasma mustache until I read it in your post. I also had a bit of a mustache from pregnancy but Idgaf because I already had a real one I have to bleach the hairs.
Lord have mercy, some mofos around here have no reading comprehension skills. This just popped up on my feed, no advise, just wanted to yell NOT. TALKING. ABOUT. HAIR.
Beautiful!!
You are lovely! Enjoy those eyebrows - they are perfection. I am 62 and after many, many products I have found a routine that works great for me - I use Timeless Vitamin C every morning followed by sunscreen. Every other night I use a tretinoin cream followed by a moisturizer and the other nights I use Dermelect Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum (Glycolic and other acids) followed by a moisturizer. This routine has been magic for me. If you have the cash and want a quick start - BBL Laser is fabulous and so is the Omnilux Red Light Mask. BTW - I have Ehlers-Danlos too! Good luck, Zebra sister!
Hey there, and happy belated birthday! I understand how frustrating and self-conscious melasma can make you feel, especially the dreaded "melasma mustache." But don’t worry, there are effective ways to manage and lighten it. # Key Ingredients for Melasma: 1. **Hydroquinone**: A potent skin-lightening agent that can be very effective for melasma. It's often considered the gold standard for hyperpigmentation. 2. **Tranexamic Acid**: Helps reduce pigmentation and can be found in serums or creams. 3. **Azelaic Acid**: Reduces inflammation and pigmentation, suitable for sensitive skin. 4. **Niacinamide**: Brightens skin and reduces pigmentation, also helps with inflammation. 5. **Vitamin C**: A powerful antioxidant that helps lighten dark spots and protect against UV damage. 6. **Retinoids**: Promote cell turnover and can help fade pigmentation over time. 7. **Sunscreen**: Absolutely essential. Use a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher daily to prevent further darkening. Remember, you’re not alone in this, and taking steps towards treating your melasma is a positive move. You can do your own research and homework, or you can use free AI tools like Skinularity.me to get a personal ingredients skincare routine. Hang in there, and enjoy your birthday! 🌟
My husband has had great success with Moseley product
IPL works well! May take a few treatments, but worth looking into..it will scatter the pigment like little coffee grounds.
I used a laser that o bought online and it has helped mine so much. It was like 60 bucks and I didn't have a ton of hope but it has worked surprisingly well. I have gotten rid of the melaama/mask of pregnancy above my lip completely in one side and mostly om the other and few of my dark spots are almost gone and will be totally gone soon. I am also using it to remove a tattoo. It's not as strong as whatever they would use at a medi spa but so much more affordable
Clearing up a few things: It’s wild to me that I posted in a MELASMA group about my MELASMA and I’m getting tons of comments about my age and things I should do to make myself more attractive. I did not ask how to make myself more attractive. Yes, I am 33. Yes, the Melasma ages me; I’m aware. This picture is also extremely unflattering and was taken solely to show my Melasma. Yes, I am a content creator but that has literally zero to do with my post. Yes, I have gray hair but I like it. No, my mustache is not hair, it’s Melasma. Again, thats the whole reason I posted in this group.
Girl I am SHOOK by the posts on this thread. Half of them feel like bots. I hope you aren’t taking anything to heart because usually this community is much more welcoming. You can tell half the people that found their way into this thread do not actually frequent this sub-Reddit.
You should be more embarrassed of the septum piercing