How to Recognize the Symptoms of Melasma

Melasma, often referred to as the pregnancy mask because it is commonly seen in pregnant women, is a pigment disorder. Cells called melanocytes that affect pigment production are triggered to produce increased amounts of melanin, which causes dark patches to appear on the skin, usually on the face. Triggers include exposure to sun and an increase in female hormones.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Sunscreen lotion
• Hand held mirror
• Fluorescent lighting

Recognize Symptoms of Melasma

1. Wear sunscreen with an SPF factor of at least 40 if you go out in the sun. Overexposure to sunlight can act as a trigger for new melasma symptoms and can make current melasma patches appear even darker and more obvious.
2. Consult your doctor before begin taking any female hormones, especially if you or someone in your family has a history of melasma.
3. Do a thorough skin check at least once per month. Use a handheld mirror and examine your skin under fluoescent lighting. Melasma typically turns up on the face, but it may also show up on the forearms and other parts of the body exposed to the sun.
4. Look for brown patches on the cheeks, nose, upper lip and forehead. Melasma is usually symmetrical, meaning that if it is present on one side of your face, it will be present on the other side as well.
5. Remember that melasma should not cause you any pain or itching, nor will it do you permanent harm. Symptoms should subside a few weeks after the levels of female hormones in your body subside, for instance, after you have given birth or stopped taking hormone therapy or birth control pills.

Tips & Warnings

• The people most likely to experience melasma symptoms are young, pregnant women with brownish skin tones, such as women of Latin or Asian origin.
• Other people likely to get melasma are older women taking hormone replacement therapy, women taking birth control and anyone who has a family history of melasma.
• This condition is far more common among women than among men, but men do get it, too. Therefore, it is important for both men and women to learn to recognize the symptoms of melasma.
• Melasma is neither life threatening nor contagious. However, since some forms of skin cancer can look like other, less serious conditions, it's always smart to see a dermatologist about a new skin problem, even if you're certain you recognize the symptoms of melasma.

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