HORMONAL PIGMENTATION – MELASMA Salt Lake City
HORMONAL PIGMENTATION – MELASMA Salt Lake City
Also called “The Mask Of Pregnancy”, Melasma or Hormonal Pigmentation frequently effects non pregnant women. Males with genetic predisposition can also suffer from this condition.
- Genetic predisposition i.e a first degree relative who has Melasma.
- Sun exposure: Ultra violet light stimulates skin’s melanocytes (part of the cell responsible for pigment production). Even a small amount of sun exposure can trigger Melasma or make Melasma return after treatment.
- Darker skin tones: Darker skin has more melanocytes and therefore more pigment, which makes it more susceptible to developing Melasma.
- Common triggers include hormone fluctuations.
- Basically, anything that irritates the skin can potentially trigger or worsen Melasma.
Treatment
Like Acne & Rosacea, Melasma or Hormonal Pigmentation can be a very challenging skin condition to control & treat. It isn’t unusual for a patient to become frustrated after trying a variety of treatments in an attempt to obtain satisfactory results.
Unfortunately, there is no cure and the basic principle behind managing Melasma through medical means in majority of sufferers is to control and minimise it, rather than fix it.
Here is the summary of Melasma Management Protocol:
- 1) Avoid triggering factors, including unnecessary UV exposure.
- 2) At home skin care / topical products.
- 3) Professional dermatological treatments including peels and lasers.
At medaesthetics™, we treat Malasma and PIH (post inflammatroy hyper pigmentation) aggressively to get the maximum improvement in minimum amount of time and at a very cost effective price. This has to be done under direct supervision of our doctors and involves:
- Once a week session of Revlite™ Laser x 5 sessions (5 min session, no discomfort or downtime).
- HealiteII™ LED light therapy (10 min session right after your laser session, no discomfort or downtime).
- Topical high strength skin bleaching cream (prescription only).
We find majority of our patients respond extremely well to the above protocol and usually get 60 -90% resolution after 2 months.
Important information patients need to know:
Sun Protection:
- As discussed above, Melasma is triggered by UV exposure in majority of cases. It makes logical sense that people prone to melasma should be sun smart.
- Wear a broad-spectrum, non-chemical sun-block daily with an SPF of at least 30. Reapply every 4 hours when out in the sun.
- Wear sun smart clothing and hats.
- Consider using umbrellas when out in the sun, if possible.
Topical Skin Products:
Key ingredients in topical skin products to minimise pigmentation are:
- Vitamin A or Retinol
- Vitamin B or Niacinamide
- Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid
- Kocic Acid
- Hydroquinone
Medical Peels:
Commonly used peeling agents are:
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids (glycol acid etc)
- Trichlor Acetic Acid (TCA)
- Various combinations of above mentioned acids.
Lasers & Lights:
It is important to understand that:
- Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment often make Melasma worse. In fact, we believe that IPLs should not be used at all when it comes to managing Hormonal Pigmentation and Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH).
- The only laser, clinically proven to improve Melasma & Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentaion (PIH) is Q-Swtiched NdYag Laser like Revile™. The treatment has to be done using very low energy settings and done on frequent intervals over a period of several weeks. Fraxel Lasers are useful in carefully selected lighter skin patients.
We tailor-make our Melasma Treatment Plan to suit individual patient needs and budget. Your skin is first analysed using state of the art computerised digital skin analysis to determine the extent and depth of pigmentation.
Combination treatment plan is then drawn up for each patient under the direct supervision of our medical team. Patient motivation and commitment is the key to a successful outcome.
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