If you suffer from it, you know what we are talking about. The unsightly commonly known as “mustache stain” is a headache for many people.
As the pharmacist Rocío Escalante, owner of Arbosana Farmacia, explains, melasma, also known as cloth, is a symmetrical spot that appears on the forehead, upper lip or cheeks and is associated with taking contraceptives and pregnancy. . Sometimes they also appear in some women who take contraceptives or who have some type of hormonal imbalance.
And it is difficult to remove. “Melasma-type spots are a pathology for which a definitive cure has not been found and they have a high percentage of recurrence (new appearance after being removed), although there are several treatments that can clear them up, sometimes even almost. make them disappear”comments María Vicente Virtudes Ruíz, surgeon and aesthetic doctor.
According to the dermatologist Arantxa Arana Raja, from the Doctor Pérez Sevilla Clinic, melasma should be treated with topical depigmenting agents and peelingreserving specific lasers as complementary treatment.
Paloma Cornejo Navarro, a dermatologist from Madrid, recommends Pigmentase, a cream with hydroquinone sold in a pharmacy as the most effective treatment. She recommends using it at night and every other night to assess irritation. She is also a fan of SkinClinic’s Melanyc line. A wonder that I have tried and it works.
SkinClinic Melanyc Cream 50 ml 49.95 euros.
This firm’s depigmenting treatment cream is for facial and body use, suitable for normal, combination or oily and non-sensitive skin, it contains depigmenting active ingredients with properties that act by lightening the blemish or melasma, blocking the formation of melanin and preventing repigmentation.
Its unique combination of eight active ingredients contains depigmenting properties and enhances cell regeneration. In addition, it is a tested depigmenting agent that can be used throughout the year, even in summer.
It is used on the entire face or on localized spots, always at night. In the case of applying it to the face, place 4 drops distributed each one of them on the forehead, cheeks and chin, spreading them very well and without rubbing excessively.
The latest advances are going along the lines of the study of tranexamic acid both orally (250 mg) and by injection. Ruíz tells us that “It seems that it is giving good results in some patients and with medical control, since this type of medication can increase the probability of suffering a venous thrombus”.
The importance of working to prevent, in addition to reducing
Arana Raja comments that sun protection is essential to prevent the appearance of spots. The doctor advises “using creams with a very high protection factor (SPF50+) in the hours of greatest sun exposure. Although, photoprotection must always be applied even on cloudy days. It is also beneficial to resort to other measures, such as wide-brimmed hats, scarves, long clothing, sunglasses… Another option is to use oral photoprotectors, but always as a complement”.
“Blue light can cause erythema, accelerated aging of the skin and has also been shown to lead to the appearance of melasma, or aggravate it,” points out Paz Arnau Ferragut, BIODERMA collaborating pharmacist. So it is interesting to look for products that protect from this as well.
Two options specially formulated to control and reduce hyperpigmentation of the skin and what they do are: Photoderm M from Bioderma and AXTCare Photoaging Protection.
Bioderma – Sun protection photoderm m spf50+ uva38 melasma
The first, with a gel-cream powder texture, with color, and the second, with astaxanthin with an invisible texture.
Photos | @honeydressing and SkinClinic