MELASMA:
The appearance of brown, tan or dark spots on the face is called as melasma or hyperpigmentation. In general if you experience melasma during pregnancy then it is also called as the “mask of pregnancy” or chloasma. This skin discoloration mainly occurs around upper cheeks, nose and forehead. During pregnancy, the sudden rise in the hormones can cause melasma. Around 50-70% of women may experience melasma during pregnancy, mostly in the second and third trimester.
The main SYMPTOMS of melasma are dark patches around your cheeks, nose, forehead and chin. It will not cause any itchiness, irritation, or swelling on your face and will not harm your developing baby in any way. It just doesn’t look good and that’s it. If you already have some sort of melasma, then pregnancy can trigger melasma and make your dark spots even more visible.
CAUSES:
Not only pregnancy is responsible for melasma. In general, there are several factors which can cause melasma like hormonal imbalance, pregnancy, sun-exposure, family history, birth control pills, anti-seizure medications, some makeup or skin care products etc.
The MAIN CAUSE OF MELASMA DURING PREGNANCY is the increase in estrogen, progesterone and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) levels. The rise in these hormones may cause darkening of the skin all over your body like darkening of the genital area, darkening of armpits, darkening of the nipple and areola, and can also cause skin discoloration on face (i.e. melasma).
TYPES OF MELASMA:
Before heading towards the treatment, let’s just understand melasma in much more detail. Melasma is of four different types, which are as follows:
- EPIDERMAL MELASMA: The increase in the skin pigment (melanin), which causes skin discoloration on the topmost layer of the skin is called as epidermal melasma. It may be easier to treat.
- DERMAL MELASMA: When the increased skin pigmentation is present throughout the deepest layer of the skin i.e. dermis, is then called as dermal melasma. Its quite difficult to treat, as sometimes treatments may not be that effective.
- MIXED MELASMA: This type of melasma is the combination of the both i.e. epidermal melasma and dermal melasma. It may show some response to treatments but may not full response.
- EXCESS MELANOCYTES: When the presence of excess melanin is present in the women with dark-colored skin type is called as excess melanocytes.
TREATMENTS:
First of all, your doctor needs to diagnose your skin to confirm if it’s melasma or some other skin issue. Then the doctor will recommend the best possible treatment for you. In general, your doctor doesn’t recommend any treatment during pregnancy because MOSTLY MELASMA FADES AWAY WITHIN TWO TO THREE MONTHS AFTER DELIVERY or after breastfeeding, and some of the treatments for melasma (like hydroquinone ointment, corticosteroids ointment, laser treatment, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, etc.) are not safe during pregnancy. And some of the other methods may not be that effective. So they suggest to leave it as-it-is, and take some preventions meanwhile, but if it doesn’t fade away on it’s own then consider it after you finish breastfeeding and then take the treatment depending upon the type of melasma you have.
Let’s look at some of the lifestyle changes that may help you to prevent the appearance of hyper-pigmentation (or prevent it from getting worse), in general and even when you are expecting, which are as follows:
MINIMIZE YOUR SUN EXPOSURE: Direct sun-exposure is one of the main causes of melasma. If you have very light melasma issue then direct sunlight can also make it worse. So avoid direct sun-exposure to prevent your skin from melasma. It doesn’t mean you have to stay indoor all the time, just use nice sunscreen that is safe to apply during pregnancy, wear loose clothes, use sunglasses, cover your head with a hat or use umbrella, especially in peak hours of sun. Just consider little things before stepping out to prevent yourself from direct sunlight, which in turn will minimize your chances of having melasma due to sun-exposure.
MAINTAIN GOOD LIFESTYLE: Hormonal imbalance is also one of the main reasons that can cause melasma. During pregnancy, your body already goes through a lot of hormonal changes and on top of this if you have a bad lifestyle than it can get difficult for you to deal with these hormonal changes and make it even more troublesome. So make sure you have a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies, drink plenty of water, take proper sleep, and do exercise regularly to reduce stress. Good lifestyle helps your body a lot to deal with these hormonal fluctuations easily, in general as well as when you are pregnant, which also helps to decrease the chances of melasma.
SUPPLEMENTATION: Some nutrient deficiency like iron-deficiency and vitamin b12 deficiency can also cause hyper-pigmentation. During pregnancy, talk to your doctor about this and get the supplements as per your doctor’s advice. Supplements play a very important role for your skin health, some also suggest to add omega-3 supplements and vitamin D supplements in your diet to reduce the chances of melasma.
CHOOSE GOOD SKIN-CARE PRODUCTS: In some cases, skin-care products (like face wash, moisturizer, serum, and makeup products) that irritate your skin can also cause melasma or can worsen your melasma. So always choose gentle products that are noncomedogenic, fragrance free, and dermatologist approved. Avoid using chemical based products on your skin, as chemicals may clog your pores and irritate your skin. So choose gentle skin care products for good health of your skin.
HOME REMEDIES: You can also try some of the home-remedies to fade those discolored patches on your face. These may, or may not be that effective, but in general there is no harm in trying.
You can:
> Massage aloe vera gel on your face
> Apply a mixture of lemon and cucumber juice on face
> Try a mixture of half apple cider vinegar and half water on face
> Also try potato juice
> Orchid extract in any form like cream, mask, serum, or scrub also works great
If you get melasma during pregnancy, don’t worry, you are not alone. It is very common and many women experience this. If you don’t feel good about this, then meanwhile cover it with makeup while going out. Mostly, pregnancy melasma fade away within a few months after pregnancy, just have some patience and you’ll get your clear and glowing skin back soon.