Melasma?

[October2008bride]

Hi everyone - I''m not sure if this is the best place to post this question, but I thought I''d give it a try.

I have melasma - not from pregnancy but from my birth control pill in combination with the sun I think. It seems to be getting worse, and of course I am panicking with the wedding just 3 months away. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any recommendations on treatment?

I have Hydroquinone that is like a bleaching cream - no results yet and it is slow going.

I''d love any suggestions you have - peels? microdermabrasion? lasers?

Thanks in advance!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

First, you need a hat and really good sun screen and to avoid the sun whenever possibly. Its actually a lot easier than it sounds and it can really help. There was just a big thing about sunscreens often not being as effective as they claim, so look through these for really good coverage: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/summary.php

Don''t do the laser. In most cases, the laser will make it darker and harder to get rid of

 

[mrssalvo]

the same thing happened to me when I was on BC and the sun..it didn''t show up until a couple of years ago though. anyway, always wearing a hat and keeping my face out of the sun helped. i think my dermatogist gave me a perscription for something called Tri-luma??? but you have to stay out of the sun with it. it worked though.

 

[October2008bride]

Thanks Brazen and MrsS - I have been using sunblock more recently and it seems to be making it worse! It could be that it isn''t strong enough (it is 30) and the melasma is getting worse from sun exposure, not the lotion.

As far as the hat goes, I''m trying to find one that is a step up from a baseball hat, but not into floppy hat I''m on the beach territory.

 

[Gemma12]

Melasma with the oral contraceptive pill is quite common. Do you have a dermatologist you could see? I think that might give you the best fix before the wedding. Good luck!

 

[October2008bride]

Date: 7/7/2008 4:44:09 AM
Author: Gemma12
Melasma with the oral contraceptive pill is quite common. Do you have a dermatologist you could see? I think that might give you the best fix before the wedding. Good luck!

Thanks Gemma - I''ve made an appointment with my derm and we''ll see what he says. I''m leary of anything too invasive, since I''ve done a lot of research and it seems that a lot of laser treatments actually make it worse!!!

Anyways - I was thinking maybe I should just go off the pill? I don''t know if it would cure the melasma, but it should help right?

Ugh. This stinks!

 

[divergrrl]

I have this from pregnancy, and it gets worse in the summertime. Good makeup covers it (have your makeup done on your wedding day) and other than that, I second the sunblock/hat/stay out of the sun advice you''ve gotten here.

I got a quote for laser, $2400..thank you but no thank you! No guarantees it won''t come back. Also, I used the hydroquinone cream for 3 months with no results, so I''m like...blech. I heard, using the cream & getting microdermabrasion helps.

Also, try a different pill maybe? I like Yasmin (not Yaz) and it didn''t make it worse.

hth

 

[Gemma12]

Date: 7/7/2008 5:38:55 PM
Author: October2008bride

Date: 7/7/2008 4:44:09 AM
Author: Gemma12
Melasma with the oral contraceptive pill is quite common. Do you have a dermatologist you could see? I think that might give you the best fix before the wedding. Good luck!

Thanks Gemma - I''ve made an appointment with my derm and we''ll see what he says. I''m leary of anything too invasive, since I''ve done a lot of research and it seems that a lot of laser treatments actually make it worse!!!

Anyways - I was thinking maybe I should just go off the pill? I don''t know if it would cure the melasma, but it should help right?

Ugh. This stinks!

Yeah no fun- and in the lead up to your wedding!

I would see the derm first and see what s/he thinks about going off the pill. Have you used hormonal contraception before? I don''t know for sure but a progestin only contraceptive may be less likely to produce melasma. The derm has access to laser for sure but the microdermabrasion and other topical treatments s/he has access to may be more effective than the over the counter stuff. Also, check with them that your suncream has the right ingredients to block both UVA and UVB rays.

I really hope that you can get an answer!

 

[aprilcait]

I actually posted about having this problem a while back. It started right around my wedding as well. Don't worry... the make-up covered it perfectly. Just be cautious in the sun so that it doesn't get worse.

Unfortunately, I haven't really found any way around the masking, but I have found a way to not make it worse. Since the masking fades along with my tan, I wear SPF 30 on my face (really slather it on the areas where I tend to get the splotches) and keep my face shaded or covered with a hat when I'm in he sun. This has helped but I still manage to get some sun exposure. So, I cover the spotches with make-up when I can. I've only had a problem during the summer with all of the sun exposure that comes with warmer weather... I've certainly never had any issues during winter or fall.

ETA: Oddly enough, I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for years with no such side effects. When I switched to Orth Tri-Cyclen Lo... no problems. But when I switched to Yaz (which is very low dose), I got it. Weird! I talked to my gyno and she said that my main option is switching pills. Since I only recently switched to Yaz (4-6 months ago), am happy with it, and want to avoid the nuisance of switching pills for a bit, I figure I can deal with a minor side effect that only crops up occassionally. So I'm sticking with Yaz... for now at least.

 

[October2008bride]

Thanks everyone - so far I''ve gone out and bought really good sunscreen and am just trying to avoid the sun. I don''t want to do anything crazy with the wedding just around the corner.

I''m waiting until I can see my doctor to talk about going off the pill. Yikes!