Melasma, also known as a pregnancy mask, is a benign facial brown discoloration in women who are pregnant or taking the pill.
Melasma mainly occurs on the forehead, cheekbones, upper lip and chin. It is an innocent skin defect that often disappears after delivery.
Treatment is not necessary, but it could include pigment-brightening creams, chemical peels, or laser therapy. Once a woman has had melasma, it is likely that it may develop again under the influence of pregnancy, pill use or sunlight. It is important to continue to protect the skin from the sun with a high sun protection factor.
How can you treat melasma?
If a melasma does not disappear gradually, or does not disappear quickly enough, treatment by the skin therapist may be helpful. This can reduce and / or camouflage the pigment present by means of laser, microneedling, chemical peels or camouflage.
Microneedling, chemical peels and laser try to process the pigment in such a way that it will become a bit lighter. However, it does depend on how deep the pigment is in the skin. The deeper it is in the skin, the more difficult it is to treat the melasma.
In camouflage therapy we look together with you for the best product to camouflage the melasma. During the treatment, your wishes and the best color match will be taken into account, so that the camouflage will stand out as little as possible.
The most important thing with a melasma is the daily application of sun protection, at least a factor of 30. This is important because pigment can darken by going unprotected into the sun. By applying yourself well (even in winter) you often prevent the pigment from darkening. Sun protection is essential, especially when you are being treated for melasma.
