What is Melasma?

Melasma is a tan or dark skin discoloration. Melasma is particularly common in women, especially pregnant women, but it also affects males. Although it tends to occur in all races, it's more common in darker skin types, especially Hispanics and Asians. It is not a harmful disease but it posses severe cosmetic problem Melasma is an acquired of sun-exposed areas.

CAUSES OF MELASMA

Melasma occurs when the body is producing an excess of the hormone that stimulates melanin. Melanin is what makes your skin dark.It is the chemical that determines the color of skin. The more melanin there is in a person's skin, the darker that person's skin will be.
Sometimes the cells that contain melanin are damaged or over stimulated. When this happens, the affected cells may begin to produce too much, or too little melanin. Too much melanin causes darker spots or patches, while too little causes lighter spots or patches. These lighter or darker spots appear on the surface of the skin, and can be unsightly.

• The most important factor in the development of melasma is exposure to sunlight. There fore, women with a light brown skin type, living in areas of intense sun exposure are more susceptible to develop melasma.
• Melasma is thought to be due to over stimulation of melanocytes by female sex hormones, Estrogen and Progesterone,so it is common during pregnancy.
• Another cause is oral contraceptives as these mainly contain female sex hormones.
• Melasma also increases in patients with thyroid disease.
• Overproduction of melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) brought on by stress can cause outbreaks of this condition.
• Genetic predisposition is also a major factor in determining whether someone will develop melasma.
• Other factors that make it more likely that a person will get melasma include using medications that make you sensitive to the sun (photosensitizing). These can include some cosmetics and medicines used to treat ovarian or thyroid problems.

SYMPTOMS OF MELASMA

Melasma does not cause any other symptoms beyond the cosmetic discoloration. It presents as symmetrical hyperpigmented patch, which can be confluent or punctate. The cheeks, the upper lip, the chin, and the forehead are the most common locations like forearms, but it can occasionally occur in other sun-exposed locations. These patches develop over a period of time. Chloasma, is the hyperpigmentation of skin related with pregnancy. Hence, it is especially common in women aged 20-40. It affects the forehead, cheeks and upper lips. It occurs frequently during pregnancy and is more common in dark skins than in fair skins.

Home Remedies for Melasma

We can very well imagine how curious man has been about his beauty and looks, probably from the beginning of mankind. The time one could have seen the dark spots of melasma, he would be worried to get rid of them, resulting in a long list of tips and remedies to prevent and cure melasma.