Plastic Surgeons Treat Melasma
Plastic surgeons have several effective means of treating melasma, a condition of noticable skin discoloration where brown or discolored patches of skin are present.
Melasma symptoms are irregular, dark skin patches that develop on the upper cheek, nose, lips, upper lip, and forehead. These patches often develop gradually over time, and there are no other symptoms.
Melasma primarily affects women with darker skin tones, particularly Hispanics, Asians, Indians, Northern Africans or those of Middle Eastern descent. The cause of melasma is unknown, but can be triggered by a change in hormonal status or will present itself to individuals with a family history of the condition. Birth control pills may also cause melasma. It is known as chloasma when it is associated with pregnancy and sometimes called the “mask of pregnancy.”
Exposure to the sun is one of the contributing factors to the appearance of melasma. Continued sun exposure also causes re-occurances of the condition.
Plastic surgeons treat melasma in several ways, depending on the degree of the skin discoloration, it’s depth in the skin layers, and the amount of area it covers:
- Fraxel Laser
- IPL – (Intense Pulse Light) photofacial
- Chemical Peels with glycolic acid and alpha hydroxy acids
- Topical products, such as Obagi Nu-Derm system, suppress melanin production and increase cellular turnover, and are very effective.
- Pregnant women have found products like IS Clinical or Obagi to be be moderately effective.
As long as the melasma pigmentation is limited to the epidermis or surface of the skin, these treatments are effective.
Dermal melasma, where the pigmentation is found in the deeper layers of the skin, is generally unresponsive to these treatments, and the only effective products have been those containing mandelic acid. Laser treatments may actually darken the pigmentation in patients who have melasma at the dermal level.
Effects of most known treatments are gradual and require a strict avoidance of sunlight. It is important to use broad-spectrum sunscreens with physical blockers, such as titanium dioxide and zinc dioxide over those with only chemical blockers.
