Is There a Cure for Melasma?

We know that having melasma can be frustrating, embarrassing and hard to deal with day after day. It’s an extremely common condition yet despite that, we still don’t yet have an effective cure for it. But don’t give up! There are treatments that can control melasma and make it much more manageable! Finding a good practitioner who is experienced and educated about melasma treatment can make all the difference in helping you beat this difficult skin problem.

Melasma is a problem with excess pigment. The cells in your skin that make pigment are called melanocytes. In melasma, the melanocytes are overly stimulated to make pigment and this results in the dark patches that pop up on the forehead, cheeks and upper lip. Hormonal stimulation is the culprit that triggers the melanocytes to work overtime. This is what makes melasma so different from and much harder to treat than other conditions that include brown spots like freckles, sun spots, brown acne scars and moles.

Treatment for melasma is designed to fade the brown patches and then maintain your clear skin; so, it’s very important to realize that it is an ongoing process. Once you’re better, you need to continue with prescription medication or you will end right back up at square one. The cornerstone of melasma treatment is usually hydroquinone, a bleaching medication that works to suppress excess pigmentation. There is no one mix that works for everyone, so it’s important to be patient, use your product as directed and follow up with your practitioner frequently to assess your response to treatment.

The bottom line to remember with treatment of melasma is that there is hope—and many options for treatment. With patience and diligence, you can and will get better. Hang in there!

Here at Celibre Medical, we offer two, different treatment plans for melasma. We encourage our patients to ask questions and we work hard to make sure that our patients understand their condition. There’s no way to predict which of these two will work for each person, so we let you know this up front and we never make you promises that we can’t keep. We know that successful treatment of melasma depends on an ongoing relationship with you and we’re your partner for the long haul!

Melasma before and after photos