Hyperpigmentation on face - what to do?!

[Givemecoffeeplease]

I've always suffered a bit from hyper pigmentation on my face and wear spf15 daily, stepping it up to spf30+ in the summer. I've been out in the sun (live in London - it's not THAT sunny) and suddenly I have what looks like a bad lip liner line on my mouth and a dark line under my eye bags. I was pregnant last year but had DC2 in October - is this relevant or related?!

What's a good total block spf? How can I erase the marks? Any other advice? Only just getting my body back and feeling normal, now I look like a zebra. . I would love some Mumnet wisdom. I attach some terrible photos that hopefully illustrate this whilst remaining anonymous!

You might as well laser it off, you'll only spend the same on creams over the years.

Sorry to barge in on your thread, OP, but Fluffy how effective is lasering? My hyper pigmentation is much worse than hers. Much! but I'm obviously much older

Well from what I've seen online, very effective. It's low down in the skin so anything non prescription will just have a minor effect.

I have 5 tiny sunspots that I've covered with city block religiously for 16 years and they haven't faded at all.

I think it's one of those things that you've just got to go to a dermatologist for, otherwise it'll go on for years.

thanks - I'll investigate further.

I'm having IPL treatment next week on my hyperpigmentation. I have some very obvious 0.5cm spots and have had some success fading them after pregnancy with lactic acid cleanser from dermalogica and also glycolic acid. That only fades them so much so I'm hoping the IPL will help. Apparently you can can never stop them coming back just keep treating them. My IPL is costing £40

So you need IPL on a fairly regular basis then? Argh how annoying. I just really notice it myself and was going a good dog might stop it and then I could deal with the existing marks. It fades in the winter and comes back with the sun.

I get this in the summer. I read somewhere that regular exfoliation helps as it encourages new skin cells to come to the surface (or something)
I wear camouflage makeup because I also have rosacea, stupid rubbish skin and it covers it a bit but not enough. Looks a bit like a tash in the summer

Think this is what I have - not hopeful of ever fixing it permanently then...

MELASMA shows up as larger patches on the cheeks, forehead, upper lip and jaw line. It is caused when the female hormones estrogen and progesterone stimulate the melanocyte cells to produce excessive amounts of melanin when exposed to sunlight. Due to this involvement of the female hormones, melasma is much more common in women, particularly pregnant women, and those taking birth control pills. The occurrence of melasma will increase the more the skin is exposed to sunlight.

It is typically the most difficult to treat because the pigment can be deep in the skin and the discoloration tends to recur easily with the slightest sun exposure.

My sympathies to all other sufferers!

Its a bugger isn't it. The irony being that I am on the pill to help my rosacea.. Cannot win! gives up