{"id":562,"date":"2020-10-29T02:53:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T02:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/susongderm.com\/newsite\/?p=562"},"modified":"2020-10-29T02:55:08","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T02:55:08","slug":"melasma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/melasma\/","title":{"rendered":"Melasma"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Melasma (muh-LAZ-muh) is a common skin problem. It causes brown to gray-brown patches on the face. Most people get it on their cheeks, bridge of their nose, forehead, chin, and above their upper lip. It also can appear on other parts of the body that get lots of sun, such as the forearms and neck.<\/p>
Sun exposure triggers melasma.<\/em><\/p> One of the most common treatments for melasma is sun protection. This means wearing sunscreen every day and reapplying the sunscreen every 2 hours. Dermatologists also recommend wearing a wide-brimmed hat when you are outside. Sunscreen alone may not give you the protection you need.<\/p> Women are far more likely than men to get melasma. It is so common during pregnancy that some people call it the mask of pregnancy. Hormones seem to trigger melasma.<\/p> Common signs (what you see) of melasma are brown or gray-brown patches on the face. These patches most commonly appear on the:<\/p> Some people get patches on their forearms or neck. This is less common.<\/p> Melasma does not cause any symptoms (what people feel). But many people dislike the way melasma makes their skin look.<\/p> Who gets melasma?<\/strong><\/p> Melasma appears on women\u2019s skin much more often than men\u2019s skin. Just 10% of people who get melasma are men.\u00a0<\/p> People with darker skin, such as those of Latin\/Hispanic, North African, African-American, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean descent are more likely to get melasma. People who have a blood relative who had melasma also are much more likely to get melasma.<\/p> What causes melasma?<\/strong><\/p> What causes melasma is not yet clear. It likely occurs when the color-making cells in the skin (melanocytes) produce too much color. People with skin of color are more prone to melasma because they have more active melanocytes than those with light skin.\u00a0<\/p> Common melasma triggers (what starts it) include:<\/p> How do dermatologists diagnose melasma?<\/strong><\/p> Dermatologists can diagnose most patients by looking at their skin. To see how deeply the melasma penetrates the skin, your dermatologist may look at your skin under a device called a Wood\u2019s light.<\/p> Sometimes melasma can look like another skin condition. To rule out another skin condition, your dermatologist may need to remove a small bit of skin. This procedure is called a biopsy. A dermatologist can safely and quickly perform a biopsy during an office visit.<\/p> How do dermatologists treat melasma?<\/strong><\/p> Melasma can fade on its own. This often happens when a trigger is causing the melasma, such as a pregnancy or birth control pills. When the woman delivers the baby or stops taking the birth control pills, melasma can fade.\u00a0<\/p> Some people, however, have melasma for years \u2014 or even a lifetime. If the melasma does not go away or a woman wants to keep taking birth control pills, melasma treatments are available. These include:<\/p> Ask your dermatologist about possible side effects (health problems that can result from the treatment).<\/p> If you notice any of the following after treating melasma, be sure to call your dermatologist:<\/p> Outcome<\/strong><\/p> Under a dermatologist\u2019s care, many people with melasma have a good outcome. Melasma can be stubborn, though. It may take a few months of treatment to see improvement. It is important to follow your dermatologist\u2019s advice. This ensures that you get the most benefit from treatment. It also can help avoid skin irritation and other side effects.\u00a0<\/p> After your melasma clears, you may need to keep treating your skin. Your dermatologist may call this maintenance therapy. Maintenance therapy can prevent melasma from returning.<\/p> You can help prevent your melasma from returning by wearing sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat every day.<\/p> Melasma is a common skin problem that causes brown to gray-brown patches on the face. Although the exact causes of melasma are unclear, common triggers include sun exposure, pregnancy, birth control pills, and cosmetics.<\/p> If you have melasma, dermatologists recommend the following tips for achieving a more even skin tone:\u00a0<\/p> If your melasma does not go away, see a board-certified dermatologist to discuss available treatments for melasma, such as prescription medications or in-office procedures.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Melasma (muh-LAZ-muh) is a common skin problem. It causes brown to gray-brown patches on the face. Most people get it on their cheeks, bridge of their nose, forehead, chin, and above their upper lip. It also can appear on other parts of the body that get lots of sun, such as the forearms and neck. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=562"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":564,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562\/revisions\/564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susongderm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Melasma: Signs and symptoms<\/h3>
Melasma: Who gets and causes<\/h3>
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<\/li>Melasma: Diagnosis, treatment, and outcome<\/h3>
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<\/li>Melasma: Tips for managing<\/h3>
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