Pregnancy brown spots on face

[TheWeatherGirl1]

Agggggggh!
I've googled the 'mask of melasma', but mine are more like individual sun spots around my face.
Around 8 have appeared since I've been pregnant and they keep coming.
I really hate them. Any tips for getting rid?

Thank you

[TheWeatherGirl1]

I think by 'tips', I mean products.
Bring out the big guns.

[sowhatusernameisnttaken]

I posted about this recently too, I don't want a professional type makeup more a high street one to cover mine. I wondered if the Estée Lauder double wear concealer might work...

[EpoxyResin]

I had this last pregnancy, but not this time around! Last time I did nothing and they faded some months after birth - I thought they'd never go, they were so obvious.

This time I've used factor 50 sun cream on my face every morning but if that's why I've avoided them this time I couldn't say for sure. Although common sense would suggest it would help!

[botemp]

See a dermatologist for this. Prescription Azelaic acid is usually used. There are a few OTC products with lower concentration AA available but melasma is really hard to tackle even with a professional on your side, you need a lot of patience and it's difficult to 'cure'. It's management mostly, wear mineral/physical sunscreen in the appropriate amount (1/4 tsp) every single day of the year even when there's no sun to be seen and top up regularly with prolonged sun exposure.

Bioderma Photoderm Mineral SPF50+ is a good budget sunscreen, Neostrata and SkinCeuticals make good ones if you've got a bit more to spend. Invest in a wide brim UV protective hat and really avoid the sun as much as possible.

Look up Dr. Sam Bunting on YouTube, she has several informative videos on melasma.

[Katmeifyoucan]

You can't use any medication on them while pregnant. I have heard of natural remedies like rubbing potatoe or lemon on them but probably not very effective. Factor 50 every single day and concealer. They will fade eventually unless you are unlucky like me.

[CloakandDaggerNameChange]

You need serums that brighten/whiten/even out your complexion, exfoliate often and high spf moisturiser. I had the same issue for my first pregnancy, made the above changes and didn't get the marks for my second. Could have been coincidence of course! I used Crystal Clear's serum I recall.

[Notagainmun]

I recommend seeing your doctor. I had this badly when pregnant first time. Eventually they joined to look like birth marks. Twenty five years later they still reappear in the summer even though I use sunblock all year round.

[rhodes2015]

I'm 34 weeks pregnant and have this but I get it anyway, the contraceptive pill also brings it on for me but I'm patchier than ever at the moment!
I had heliocare factor 50 face cream from a dermatologist to use under my foundation to stop it getting worse. I think it's about £20 but it is actually a nice product, light to use with a bit of a highlighter in and you don't need to use a great deal so it lasts a while. You can buy it online.
I do use Estée Lauder double wear foundation and concealer which covers it brilliantly but I realise that it is too heavy for some people. I really like it though.

[TheWeatherGirl1]

I've been using an expensive serum to try and get rid, but it's done naff all so I've dumped it.
I need to up my sunscreen, I rely on the factor 15 in my moisturiser for most of the year, need to step it up.
I'll come back to this thread when I've had the baby.
I'd rather try and tackle it than cover with make up, as it needs a loooottttt of make up, and I'm finding myself really insecure without any.

Thanks again

[pigyoinkoinks]

I got the brown spots on my face, chest and boobs while pregnant and more came up a month after giving birth... they started to disappear when I was 4 months postpartum.

[adlertippa]

Mine got loads darker after a day in the sun yesterday so would second all the sunscreen recommendations here. I'm not that bothered by them, I've always quite liked facial scars/marks. Adds character! I'm aware this is a minority opinion

[EpoxyResin]

I'll tell you what, although mine had faded substantially by this time, what really evened out the remaining dark patchiness of my skin was using Pixi Glow Tonic; it's a glycolic acid toner. That's also the reason I started using the factor 50 sun screen on a daily basis, so it was just luck I was in the habit of using sun screen for the next pregnancy.

So that might be a thing to try to help clear it up? A quick Google says it's safe in pregnancy, which is lucky because I'm still using mine!

[jobrum]

Do you have fair skin or normally get freckles? I get really freckly in the sun when pregnant so would also suggest trying a good sunblock.

[Roomba]

I also recommend using factor 50 sunblock, and carry on using it after you've had the baby. Mine faded a lot after I had DS1 - you can only just barely see it's there (I got one big dark patch around one side of my mouth which looked like I had food smeared all over my face!). I have to be careful to remember the sunscreen, as if I ever forget the mark gets much darker as soon as I'm exposed to the sun.Then it takes months to fade again - very frustrating.

I use the double wear foundation when I bother wearing makeup, but because mine has faded so much now most foundations cover it pretty well now.