Melasma

Melasma is similar to hyperpigmentation but the dark marks are larger and they don’t fade by themselves. Melasma appears as larger, widespread marks which look brown or grey across your cheeks, above your lips, over your nose, on your forehead or on your chin.
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What Causes Melasma?

The cause of this is the overproduction of melanin in response to some form of damage or hormonal changes. Some of the major causes of melasma include: sun damage, hormonal birth control, and pregnancy. It’s often genetic so if your parents have melasma then it’s likely you will also develop it at some point.

Who Can Develop Melasma?

It’s most common in people who experience hormonal changes like pregnancy or menopause, and in people with darker skin tones as there is a higher quantity of melanin producing cells already.

Best Ingredients to Help Tackle Melasma

Prevention really is the best cure when it comes to melasma. So building key ingredients into your skincare routine which will protect your skin from damage is essential. It’s also important to have a skincare routine that works for you and your skin type as inflammation can trigger the overproduction of melanin and worsen melasma.

Sunscreen

UV exposure is the most common way of causing melasma so it’s essential to protect your skin from this. Additionally, although a lot of the following ingredients are very helpful when it comes to melasma they do also make your skin more sensitive to the sun. So there is no point in incorporating any brightening products without sunscreen.
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Vitamin C

This is a great brightening product and will help to reduce the appearance of melasma. It will also protect your skin from free radicals and other environmental stressors which can cause or worsen melasma. Use this in the morning with an SPF.
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Retinol/Vitamin A

This is most commonly known for its anti-aging properties, however, the increased turnover of skin cells helps to remove the cells with too much melanin from the skin. Use this in the evening on alternating nights to AHAs/BHAs.
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AHAs + BHAs

These will remove the pigmented dead skin cells on the surface of your skin speeding up the process of minimising the appearance of melasma. Chemical exfoliants should not be used at the same time as retinol or Vitamin C. We would recommend using Vitamin C in the morning, and retinol and AHAs/BHAs on alternating nights.
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Niacinamide

This helps to suppress the production of excess melanin which will lessen the appearance whilst also evening out your skin tone.
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