Malasma

Check out www.cosmeticscop.com or www.beautypedia.com Under the section free information and answers. Paula Begoun the cosmetics cop talks about how to take care of melasma.

as an aside, my friend also had it after giving birth. She used an alpha hydroxy product I believe. the important thing for you to know tho is that it can go away!!!

also, please use high spf sunscreen (30 or more) everyday, in order to help the melasma fade.

HTH

I've worked in the dermatology field before and I feel pretty strongly that there aren't really any very effective over-the-counter remedies. However, the prescriptions out there for malasma are very effective even though they are pricey. They do work. I would go to a dermatologist and get some prescriptions.

One thing that's over the counter that you will have to use all the time from now until eternity is sunscreen. I have seen patients use prescription creams for 9 months and have their malasma almost completely gone, then go on vacation for a week with no sunscreen and have their malasma return to it's previous state from sun exposure.

Go get some creams from your doctor; they do work beautifully. With over the counter you will be wasting your money on one thing after another.

I have really bad melasma from the pill and hormones + sun exposure (and have never been pregnant) use the new facial sunscreen by neutrogena SPF100 - my dermatologist urged me to use this and it does help. I slather it on my face, neck every single day before applying makeup. He gave me samples of Tri luma so I could try before I spent money. He insists that it works but at $200 a tube, I'm reluctant...I also read that as soon as you stop using it, the spots can/will come back with a darker or grayer appearance. I use another product with hydroquoinine (sp?) and vitamin C and it helps a little....but the biggest thing as the other person said -- is avoid the sun as much as possible (hats, 100 spf, shade, etc) I love the outdoors and beaches, but as long as I wear my SPF100 liberally and faithfullyb I can control it. I have never successfully gotten rid of it but I can keep it to a minimum. I would LOVE to get that laser treatment which removes it, but it's way too expensive for me and painful I hear.

I recently tried Covergirl/Olay simply ageless products---the corrector for dark eye circles works on the melasma like you wouldn't believe!! I can almost completely hide it with this!!! Worth a try if you also want to conceal it.

I get that on my forehead when I am out in the sun and I don't load up on sunscreen. It faded a lot last summer when I was using Neostrata every night (it has AHA in it), but have been using Olay and it has come back. I just ordered Neostrata again from the skinstore.com. Whatever you end up doing, just use lots of sunsreen once it is gone. From my experience just one day in the sun without my forehead loaded up with sunscreen and I am back to square one. Good luck!