Melasma and abnormal pigmentation are both common skin conditions that cause skin to become discoloured or blemished. Melasma is most common in women aged 25 to 50 and usually appears as a brown patch or cluster of blue-grey spots. The exact cause is not known, but the main contributing factors include: pregnancy, use of the contraceptive pill and stress. As with most skin conditions exposure to direct sunlight is one of the main external causes. It is estimated that over 50 million people have some form of melasma. You can improve the appearance of melasma with the following treatments:
In some cases melasma will clear up naturally- this is generally the case when the outbreak was caused by pregnancy. The most important thing you can do to is to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Clothes, shade and sun cream are essentials on sunny days, and vitamin D supplements will replace the vitamin D lost by avoiding sunlight.
