Brown patches, also known as melasma or pregnancy mask is a common skin condition that appears as brownish discolouration around lips, on the cheeks and forehead. Brown spots or patches often develop among females on the face or women taking contraceptives or photosensitizing medication. It is a very common occurrence in pregnant women and is often referred to as a “pregnancy mask”. Oxidative stress can also contribute to the overproduction of melanin, while unprotected skin exposed to the sunlight greatly contributes to further damage. Even though melasma has its roots in hormonal imbalance this condition is greatly aggravated by the sun.
How you can help your skin control melasma:
Treatment recommendations by Dr Martin Broun and dr. Des Fernandes
There is no quick fix for melasma. However, it is possible to treat and control the condition by daily use of sulforaphane, a safe sunscreen and multiple skin-normalizing and skin–brightening ingredients. These include:
- Kojic acid,
- Alphahydroxy acids,
- Arbutin ,
- Licorice,
- Pro-vitamin B5,
- Alpiniawhite,
- Combination of Vita-Botanicals,
- Retinol,
- Vitamin A,
- Vitamin C
The best treatment plan to enhance the healing of the brown patches is to deliver those key ingredients into your skin. There are two important components to treating this condition, which is in-clinic treatment and sufficient home care. One of the most effective methods is to receive a series of Medical grade facial treatments such as Vitamin Infusion Facials. This treatment uses the DF Ionzyme machine, where it will increase the penetration of the key ingredients deeper into your skin 4000x more effectively than just applying the topicals manually. By infusing your skin with high levels of active ingredients, they will be more effective at normalizing the cells at a quicker rate, therefore, evening out the discolouration more efficiently. The number of treatments required will depend on how deep the melasma is, but it can be a slow process since aggressive treatments can cause a reaction, creating more pigmentation.
To support the treatments it is crucial to always use home care products on a daily basis. Look for products that have a combination of the ingredients mentioned above for a targeted home treatment plan. The Mela-Fade system by Environ offers intelligent blend of those key ingredients that fade and reduces pigmentation, uneven skin tone and dark spots while maintaining healthy-looking skin. It is safe and easy to follow this home care routine designed to treat not only melasma, but any skin discolouration.
Additional Tips to Treat and Control Melasma :
+ Avoid over sun exposure
+ Use non-toxic broad-spectrum sunscreen
+ Wear protective clothes whenever you are outside
+ Focus on a diet rich in vegetables and fruits to increase fiber that naturally helps to eliminate estrogen
+ Eliminate hormone disruptors in your home and personal care products
+ Introducing more fatty acids like Omega 3 and GLA and A, C and E skin oils will also help naturally build melanin in the skin
By making some small lifestyle changes, combined with the right treatments and the home care plan, you don’t have to suffer from melasma forever. Once your condition has improved, it is important to maintain many of the same habits to prevent the melasma from returning. This is especially common during the summer months where sun exposure is more frequent. Don’t be discouraged if your skin takes a step backwards during the summer, just stay on top of your routine and the discolouration will begin to fade again.