Hyperpigmentation and melasma
What triggers melasma, and what a beach reader can plan around
The AAD lists three triggers: "Sunlight, taking birth control pills, and even stress can trigger melasma." Sunlight is the one on that list a reader near the coast can plan around.
Procedures need care too. DermNet writes that "Chemical peels and lasers can be used with caution, but carry a risk of worsening melasma or causing post- inflammatory hyperpigmentation."
Questions about melasma and dark patches
Ten questions sit under this topic. The first group covers what melasma is and why it appears.
- What causes melasma on the face?
- Who is more likely to develop melasma?
- Melasma causes, symptoms and solutions, what are they?
The next group covers treatment and sun protection.
The last group covers light-based treatment and what happens after.
- Does IPL improve melasma only briefly?
- Can IPL make melasma worse?
- Melasma comes back after treatment, why?
- Is melasma curable?
Four outside sources on melasma
Four outside sources give broader background. MedlinePlus has an encyclopedia entry on melasma. The AAD offers a melasma overview. DermNet covers melasma as facial pigmentation. A review study on laser and other therapies for managing melasma looks at the procedural side.
Choosing a start season for melasma care
If sunlight is a trigger, the season you start in is part of the plan. Read the sun-protection question first, then the treatment questions.