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Holy Pregnancy Mask Batman! Even with an SPF 50 sunscreen, plus the SPF 30 moisturizer I wear I look like a freaking spotted leopard. Or maybe like Kat Von D from Miami Ink, only my spots do not have intention and beauty behind them.
I usually don’t consider myself at all vain. I think I’m attractive and I have a positive self esteem about my looks. I’m one of the few women I know who would not choose plastic surgery because I don’t particularly hate anything about myself. My boobs have held up nicely, I don’t have terrible stretch marks, I’m just fine with how I look and I think that’s a super healthy attitude. But, this melasma is REALLY getting to me.
For those of you who don’t know pregnancy mask or melasma is extra pigmentation on the face that occurs in about 20 percent of women during pregnancy. Although it is much worse when exposed to the sun. One dermatologist wrote an article about sun damage being the actual cause and pregnancy making it worse. Either way I’ve got it.
I confess to frequent sun worship as a teen and young adult, but I never had this. After my daughter the pregnancy mask went away, just as the doctors said it would, after a few months. But, now my son is 14-months-old and I’m still a freaking leopard face.
There is no cure. That’s what kills me. I can try oodles and oodles of creams and potions that all cost a ton of money and probably won’t work. I can try laser treatment that will likely not be consistent across the face and may, in fact, cause scarring. So, some spots and some scarring – how is that better?
Foundation, cover-ups and concealers, I’ve tried bunches of them but they only make it worse. They don’t cover the dark spots, but make the light spots look like I’m gobbing on the wrong color of foundation.
Even with all these facts I’m begging anyone out there to tell me about some miracle cure. I’ve read about this chemical Hydroquinone, but it’s photosensitive, which means you can not be in the sun at all or you’ll turn into a beet. Then, I’ll be a spotted beet. It’s summer and I’m fun mommy so I can’t avoid the sun altogether.
I can really relate to the poor lady in this article. I have 3 children and during each pregnancy I had melasma. It seemed the severity increased with each pregnancy. My youngest child is now 20 months and it seems they have hardly faded at all. I am really becoming self conscious of my skin. My make-up does an okay job of covering it up when freshly applied (Lancome foundation & Channel powder) but I can still see my ugly spotted skin though it. I am considering laser treatments. I have never seen a plastic surgeon or been to a laser clinic, I don’t even know where to start. It seems there are quite a few posts suggesting herbal supplements, I may just start there first. If anyone out there has some secret to getting rid of this please let me know! I am getting desperate!
Hey Ladies,
I haven’t been around since b5media shifted around. But, I have opened a skincare store that has sunblocks and sunless tanners. I know this won’t cure melasma, but it does go toward prevention. The products are all organic and natural. They all feature powerful images of girls doing awesome things, promote healthy body image and positive self talk. There’s an amazing powder sunscreen in a self applying brush – so simple.
I’d love it if you stopped by and said hi, I miss you.
You can like my FB Fan Page too http://www.facebook.com/TheGirlRevolution.
http://www.tgrbody.com
Well, I used 50mg zinc, 1,000mg vit c, MSM 10,000mg powder capsules daily and did suddenly get a whole splotch down my nose disappear, whereas it was solid melasma down the nose, it is now just a couple small light spots on the side of the nose, I’d say it’s 85% gone on my nose.
I changed my MSM intake. Basically I ran out so just used the tablet form I had onhand, and lowered my dose to about 5,000mg – since I heard sometimes the body “regulates” and hits a plateau, so changing it up, then switching around works for some people. So I then went back to my powder capsules after a week or two, and went back up to 9,000mg. Also upped my zinc intake to 100mg daily and started taking about 6 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract in a spoonful warm water on an empty stomach in the morning. This just for a few days, but I suddenly (whoopee!) noticed splotches of healed skin in the patch on my forehead! The splotches of healed skin are increasing overnight too, and it’s for real allright! The mark on my forehead was about 1.5″ x 1.5″ of light brown skin. (I am olive-skinned). The patches of healed skin are about… one is 3x4mm, another two are 2x2mm and several more little patches, about 1x1mm. The overall effect is they break up the patch and it vanishes bit by bit, but I will let you know how it progresses… I pray that it continues to heal.
My upper lip had some marks on either side – yuk – hate that the most. That appears faded and smaller. Let’s see how it progresses.
The recent forehead progress, may also be because I quit smoking cigarettes and alcohol (I drank WAY too much) about 11 weeks ago.
Don’t give up, some stuff DOES work. I personally have not touched any topical creams. I believe this to be internal, and heard those things can actually worsen it…
Good luck.
I have been using grapefruit seed extract for about a month and my melasma is about 90% gone!!!! It is totally true and I am overjoyed!! I put about 16drops of GSE (not GRAPE SEED, GRAPEFRUIT seed extract) in about 1/4 cup of water or OJ (the OJ masks the horrible taste). I had almost a beard of melasma on my cheeks and now that is almost gone. The large spot over my nose is about 50% lighter and the spots on my forehead seem to be lightening up a great deal. It is all reversing itself after taking the GSE. Also, there is a FABULOUS este lauder foundation called I think “maximum coverage” or something like that. It comes in a navy blue plastic tube. They only have four colors but if they have one that works for you or you can mix a couple it is the BEST coverage I have ever had…makes my skin look airbrushed, plus it has a good SPF. Try the GSE. It is Nutribiotic Brand and you can get it in a health food store. I have nothing to do with that company by the way, the GSE is just totally helping me and I am starting to love my skin again. I used to be in fear of it because it was almost like an enemy. Now my skin is becoming light and lovely and really my friend. For some reason I am not even as scared of the sun as I used to be. It is like the GSE is bringing my skin back to a more normal person’s skin. This is a a Godsend and a miracle. Try it!!! Beth S.
I have suffered from melasma for almost 20 years and have it under control. You must use something daily (I scrub), taking vitamin C is good for your skin but it won’t get rid of melasma. On my website I have posted my before and after photos and those sent to me by women who have purchased my book “Secrets Skincare Companies & Dermatologists Don’t Want You To Know”. Please think about this…some black men also have melasma and it sure wasn’t from birth control pills. Birth control pills do not cause melasma. I am 55 years old and have gotten rid of my melasma, lines, wrinkles and bags with all natural ingredients.
I was hoping for a breakthrough with melasma. I suffered from it since I was in my late twenties.Start4ed with contraceptive pills and it’s my twin since then.. And I am now in my late forties and my melasma is still with me. I am of southeast asian descent and it seems to be spreading all over my face and am so tired of using foundations in order to face the world half- decently. Sighhhh.. I went to a derma and eastheticians nothing seems to work.
There was one time that something worked with me for two years it was a “Magic Cream” but it returned more than ever after I exposed myself to the sun.. Oh, sunshine we will never be together again..another tragedy for my beloved face.. Now am dating a very nice guy and always concious of my face. I can’t seems to bare in front of him without being conscious about my hyperpigmentation aka melasma. I am more confident going out with him in the night just because the melasma is not so obvious. I tried everything possible that may work.., laser, microdrmabrasioon, all peels ..gee i might want to apply what the late Michael Jackson had done to his face? Where can i do that, any suggtestion? I used a lot of foundation FX brand Canada as I am in Canada and combined with studio Mac concealer. I feel like a dirty canvas. Why, oh why nothing worked. I have moderate to severe melasma and still experimenting with what not.. tablets and all, serum and all.. anything else there that may work with an asian complexion. I tried Jaoli it worked on my sister’s face but not on me. I went back to Magic cream..hmmm the Magic had been intercepted by unknown forces, means not even a slight illusion had its effect on my tired beaten face.I tried this Image products… say..,Kojic containing serum with a foul smelling yikes and all those so, so arbutin hmm can’t see any differences yet and it’s been like two months now? Now my latest strategy is to be enrolled in facial so i can order or get potent ingredients from wherever… I still want to have that brown pigments gone or at least lightens a lot as 48 is still young say… and am still actively dating sigh oh.. beauties what are your recent effective discoveries against melasma?
I was listening to BBC 1Xtra which has a black show and the presenter asked the listeners to email and sms in which skin colour they preferred and most of the young black men responded with lighter skin being their preference. It seems that being female we’re pressured into wanting lighter skin, my friends all use NUR76 which lightens their skin and most of them do not tell anyone else that they use it. I guess wanting to be lighter is quite a shameful thing.
I think I have melasma. It’s very similar to the photos I have seen but much lighter, although it has faded considerably in the last few years, but it still depresses me as I used to have lovely even skin. I do take the contraceptive pill, but wasn’t pregnant or sunbathing but I was in the garden planting a lot in the hot Summers, so I think over a couple of years it came out. I try to stay out of the sun and wear a hat when gardening now. I do have spf 15 moisturisers but as my skin is quite spotty I tend to use the oil free ones which don’t have the spf in them hence why I try to avoid the sun totally.
I also tried a Glycolic peel but it made my spots ten times worse and my skin didn’t go back to normal for months.
I have read this blog now for the last couple on months. I have a dark stache and it seems to be getting worse. I tried the many products out there including tri-lumina. The trilumina gave a red peeling stache instead. I wasn’t sure which is worse. I’ve also tried jiaoli but only for a week because i thought the trilumina would work better. The jiaoli just smells funny to me. I can’t aford too many more products or makeup and like all of you I’m at the end of my rope. Any advice???
Hello everyone! It seems to have been a while since anyone has posted anything. I am wondering if anyone has any updates on jailoi? It doesn’t seem to be working for me anymore and I am wondering if anyone else if finding the same thing.
Have you tried MSM, GrapeSeed Extract, Zinc and massive amounts of Vitamin C.
Alot of women have tried these supplements to treat melasma – discussion forums etc you can view may help you decide whether you want to try.
just google MSM and melasma or treat melasma internally….
Hi,
There is a book out there called “What skincare companies an dermatologists don’t want you to know, written by Nancy Holloway-Prince. It is a e-book and it costs about 13 dollars I think. There is a lot of usefull information in it. But, it only adresses the problem on the outside. To get rit of melasma you should adress the internal problem, in most cases hormonal or a intestinal problem. In my case, the melasma is slowly clearing up when finally I tried Grapefruitseed-extract, 3 times a day 20 drops. It is better if you get capsules to put it in because it tastes horribly bitter! For the outside skin part I am scrubbing everyday 2 times a day with honey and cornmeal (or buy a natural scrub if that is easier) and I use an exfoliating peel made from lemon, orange, grapefruit and sugar!
There is also this other e-book, the skinlighting report which also has a lot of helpful information in it for melasma and other hyperpigmentation problems!! Good luck to you all! Have patience and you will persevere and winn the battle!!;-)
have decided give natural sunlock another go. I used it a couple of days, wondering all the time if my skin was looking too white from the minerals, but, strangely enough my mom told me my skin was looking great and my boyfriend said the skin on my face felt better to touch, and was looking better too. I cannot get hold of uv-naturals, but my local health store has badger sunblock. Can anyone recommend this? Anybody had any good/bad experiences with it?
I read an article that said that if you want to test a product for mercury, you simply place some in your palm, and rub it with something which contains gold. If it turns grey, that indicates the presence of mercury, the darker the grey, the greater the concentration.
Julie – I didn’t have any issues at all with the J. I really only used the light color though and not the yellow. I think it works. It has for me unless some vitamin I’ve been on, kicked in. Doesn’t make it go away, just lighter, a lot. Other stuff I take is making it go away.
Corrin – thanks for the post on no mercury issues in your blood from Dr. That is useful. And you’ve used for 30 days or longer? Still?
There is a website that I found where you can order Iklen. They are in France I believe but I emailed them and they ship to the US. I’m not sure where you are Marie, but if you email them, they will respond.
w w w. leguidesante (dot com)
I haven’t ordered mine yet, but I think I will. Right now I’m doing the Jaoli – have noticed some lightening – some redness though too, so I haven’t done the upper lip yet – too scared!! This is only day 8 for me – but I’m feeling hopeful.
Leah – how is Jaoli going for you? Any adverse reactions? I haven’t had any except for some minor redness but no pain or even stinging.
Hey guys, just wanted to update you on the jiaoli. I went to the doctor last week and got the results from my blood work back – my mercury levels were absolutely normal. so, still not sure whether it’s true that mercury is in the jiaoli but it didn’t seem to make any difference anyways.
Hi All!!! Thanks Sasha for your response to my questions. I am having a hard time finding IKLEN product online. There is one site but it seems to be for US ordering only. The site doesn’t give a phone number. Other online order sites are from Europe. How can I order this product from the US? Anybody else using IKLEN SERUM PRODUCT that has a phone number or a site that will take Canadian info upon making the order??? Thanks all!!
yes, the serum only. I asked the woman who represents the company, why not use them both together, and she replied that it would be a waste of money. from what I understand, it works by creating an enzymatic reaction in the skin, and thus inhibiting the melanin, and for this, only a certain amount is needed. Using both is overkill. She was quite technical, but that was the general gist of it. So, its either/or.
hello everybody, I am from Portugal and I discover this website on searching for information about a melasma treatment that my dermatologist recommended today: Dermamelan. I must say that my melasma is not to bad, it started some years ago, mainly above my lip and with some treatment (including hydroquinone and other acids) it became a bit better and after with IPL I reached a satisfactory result and I stopped treatments and always avoid sun and use a lot of sun block. Meanwhile after the 2007 summer it began to appear on my forehead and I went back to treatments in February, again acids and hydroquinone, interrupted during 2008 summer and restarted in September 2009 but although the spot became lighter it has not disappeared and my dermatologist recommended this treatment, but it is very expensive, around 750/800€. Anyone already tried and had significant results? Please find hereby some web links with information about it: http://www.skingenesis.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=100&Itemid=28
http://www.hadleighclinic.com/treatments/pigmentation-problems/pigmentation-problems-intro.html
Thanks and all the best
Eduarda – Portugal