If you have melasma please share your routine

[Glitterandtinsel1]

So basically I’ve been troubled with melasma for a few years now! It started on my forehead but i now have it on my top lip and I can see it starting on my cheekbones 😭 those who have melasma also what do you use that helps? At the moment I don’t use anything as I have very sensitive skin. Was thinking of maybe trying a vitamin c serum but I think I will maybe need a bit more than that. I use factor 50 daily also but it doesn’t really make much of a difference

Following. I’ve just bought Eucerin anti pigment day cream so will see how I get on with that - although I’m rubbish at remembering to use creams so am not the best guinea pig.

Mine is due to being on the pill, but the pill helps my acne so I’m between a rock and a hard place!

I have terrible Melasma from the second the sun shines in soring until it eventually fades in the depths of winter for a few months. Is yours the same that it comes and goes?
I also have sensitive skin, so I'm wondering which factor 50 you find comfortable for daily use? I can't find one I like.
Routine wise I also keep it extremely simple with gentle face wash like Cerave and then some moisturiser like Aveeno or Aveda

@pertobe yes mine is also faded in the winter and is awful in summer, I have everyone asking if I have a bruise on my forehead 🙈 I use La Roche posay anthelios factor 50 and have never had any problems with my sensitive skin. @minipie I have been wondering if the pill is causing it for me also but I am scared to change birth control.

I tried everything.

A couple of months ago I went to a dermatologist - 15 minutes of laser treatment and it's gone. I feel silly I didn't do it years ago.

And It barely hurt!

Check out Dr Natalia Spierings on Instagram. She says she gold standard for melasma is compounded tretinoin, hydroquinone and steroid cream. However you won't be able to get this over the counter - it would have to be prescribed by a dermatologist. I live abroad and I've been able to buy hydroquinone on its own over the counter, but not at the strength Dr. Natalia prescribes. However, it has helped a bit, particularly on my cheekbones and upper lip. Forehead is proving more stubborn! However I've been too lazy to go see a dermatologist so far and get the stronger, compounded cream recommended by Dr. Natalia.

She also is quite scathing about the likes of vitamin c serums etc and says they won't work.

Would you mind sharing what laser treatment you had? I've heard mixed reports, apparently sometimes they can make things worse!

These three products are excellent -

www.sr-skincare.uk/?s=Melasma

@barfotoliv

I had BBL treatment.

I have used Tretinonin to remove it in the past. However even with 50 spf it still seems to come back in the summer. And I am not someone who is out in the sun a lot.

If you’re on the pill it’s quite likely that is causing it. And IMO there’s no point in shelling out for expensive laser etc if you’re still on the Pill as it will just come back.

All you can do is manage it with high SPF and creams that help with cell turnover like tretinoin.

I would definitely consider other birth control if you can though. As I say, I’m on it due to acne, but do you need to be on it? Could you consider eg a non hormonal coil?

@minipie i am only on the pill because it’s easy and If I am honest I am scared of trying something different as I have really thin hair and I am worried if I come off the pill the shedding will get worse… the joys of being a woman 😭

@LadyDanburysHat did you need to get the Tretinonin on prescription?

You can get tretinoin from online dermatologists like Skin+Me or Dermatica. It can also be bought over the counter quite cheaply in most countries in mainland Europe. However just to add tretinoin on its on did nothing whatsoever for my melasma - in fact the melasma actually developed after around 3 years of consistently using tretinoin (and SPF!)

I came off the pill and mine faded gradually. I had spent a fortune on lotions and potions but nothing touched it. I didn't try laser treatment but as a PP said, unless you come off the hormonal contraception it would prob just come back anyway

Sunday Riley are the only products that work on my melasma. I developed it above my top lip in 2022 which I think was probably a side effect of my HRT. It was extremely dark and obvious and I was really embarrassed by it because I literally looked grubby & unwashed. I live in a hot sunny climate for most of the year so I wear spf50 daily (& constantly reapply), a wide brimmed hat and keep my face out of the sun as much as possible. I have tried Caudalie's Vinoperfect range (I think that's the one) and the Eucarin day cream but neither had any impact whatsoever on the melasma despite being good products in a general sense.

With the Sunday Riley Vitamin C products the melasma had faded within 3 months. I added their Luna night oil to the mix early last year and happily didn't get a single patch during 2023. My routine is:

Morning:
Cleanse with Ceramic Slip
CEO 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum
CEO Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream
SPF50

Evening:
Double cleanse using Blue Moon Cleansing Balm, followed by Ceramic Slip
CEO 15% Vit C Brightening Serum

I use Luna Sleeping Night Oil approx 3 evenings a week. It's a retinol oil which smells divine and lasts for ages as you only need 2-3 drops per application.