Melasma is   a common skin problem that appears in several people around the world.  Melasma refers to  grey-brown patches on the face, cheeks, bridge of their nose, forehead, chin, and upper lip. Usually, women are more prone to getting melasma than men. This can happen especially during pregnancy. It is ideal to take appropriate melasma treatment in Delhi when you develop brown patches as mentioned above.

Causes:

There might be no specific cause for the melasma to occur. It normally occurs when the colour making cells produce too much colour. People with coloured skin are more prone to melasma rather than people with light skin. The chances of melasma are higher in people having coloured skin because they have more active melanocytes.  Some of the causes of melasma are as follows:

• Exposure to Sun
• Hormonal changes
• Skin Care Products
• Cosmetics
• Certain medicines

Treatment:

As seen earlier, Melasma is more common among women. It occurs during pregnancy or when because of birth control pills. It tends to fade away in many cases after the delivery or when they stop taking birth control pills. Some people might have melasma for years or during their entire lifetime. If it does not fade away or the woman wants to take birth control pills, it is ideal to consult and undergo melasma treatment in Delhi. Some of the commonly used compounds are:

• Hydroquinone: The most common treatment for melasma  is topical hydroquinone on the skin. Hydroquinone will lighten the skin. There are several creams, lotions, gel or liquids available that contain hydroquinone and you can get it without a prescription.  But when a skin specialist prescribes any cream or lotion, it will have more hydroquinone than what is available in a shop.
• Tretinoin and corticosteroids: To lighten your skin, the dermatologist will prescribe a second medicine that will contain tretinoin or a corticosteroid. Sometimes a medicine will contain all the three medicines in a single cream i.e. hydroquinone, corticosteroids, and tretinoin. This medicine will be called a triple cream.

Unmonitored use of all of the above creams can have side effects so it is not advisable.

• Other topical medicines (applied on the skin): To lighten your skin, the doctor  might also prescribe azelaic acid ,kojic acid , arbutin ,licorice,all of which help in lightening the affected area.
• Another important part of the treatment includes sunscreens.If not used/applied alongside the lightening creams, then results are not as good.

Sunscreens are also important for prevention so as pigmentation does not increase further.

Oral medications might also be given to treat melasma or any underlying disorder contributing to melasma.

Procedures: In case, the medicine that you apply did not give the desired results, you might have to undergo a procedure like chemical peel, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, laser treatment, or a light-based procedure. But remember such procedures for melasma treatment in Delhi should be done only by a trained doctor.