Melasma – the truth that nobody will tell you.
Current situation about melasma
Melasma, a condition highly prevalent among young women (though it can also occur among men), has become a very popular term that draws millions of people to the search engines. They are all eager to understand what causes this disease and what they should do to avoid it or get rid of it. Despite not being a disease that affects the functioning of the body (it is rather considered as a disease with cosmetic effect), it is one that can knock people’s self-confidence and self-esteem and make them feel worthless. Because of that, women spend millions of dollars in an attempt to hide and/or treat their skin condition. As such the vast majority of affected women have to continuously use heavy makeup (with thick foundation, BB cream and the like) to hide their hyperpigmentation, despite being on some sort of treatment for melasma – which accounts for the expenses incurred.
Hundreds of products have been designed, with more in the pipeline waiting to hit the market, to cure melasma or cause it to fade away. The common thing among them is that they are all loaded with a plethora of chemicals ranging from; hydroquinone, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, azelaic acid, kojic acid, tretinoin, corticosteroids and so on. These products are among the most expensive ones after the anti-wrinkle or age-defying creams. Since, many women believe that the more expensive products are more likely to be effective, there is currently a booming market for these costly fading cream. But, it is worth remembering that at this point in time there is no permanent treatment for melasma. The best result that can be achieved is the lightening or fading of the hyperpigmented area, though there is a constant risk that these can revert back to their original state.
The questions to ask is, ‘Do these products really do what they claim to be capable of doing?’, that is, do they really deliver on their promise?
Well, if there was an actual treatment, do you think that the big pharma companies would actually make those treatments available to you? And just lose a billion dollar business opportunity? It’s not hard to guess that these companies don’t want you to go off the hook: they need you and they need your constant investment in their products. So no way they would provide you with a complete treatment, let alone allow you to obtain information that hints toward a complete treatment to your problem.
Sadly, this also holds true, not just for melasma, but for many ailments that affect human beings. To conclude, I would say you cannot trust these pharmaceutical companies to provide you with some sort of medication (or cream) that will help you get rid of melasma permanently.Your best bet is to educate yourself and make informed decisions based on what you are learning. Just learn to critically analyse any information that comes your way before choosing any treatment. And keep an open mind, as the solution to your problem can be something pretty simple and easy to fix.
Understanding Melasma
Melasma, also known as chloasma, often appears as symmetric hyperpigmented patches on the forehead, cheeks, nose, jawline, chin and above the upper lip. It is known to be more prevalent among darker skin types and females, though it can occur in all skin types as well as among males. Of those affected, the generally accepted female to male ratio is 9:1, however this value can vary greatly depending on the population considered. The age of onset is also unclear, with an average age range of 20 to 30 years. One thing that is well-known about melasma is that its prevalence increases tremendously during pregnancy and can go up to 50%.
Research has identified several possible causal factors for the onset of melasma, but the most important ones are :
- Exposure to UV light
- Hormonal changes in the body (as seen during pregnancy, prior to menopause, during hormonal therapy or oral contraceptive use)
- Genetics predisposition as people with a family history of melasma are more likely to be affected.
If we take a group of women of the same age group, belonging to the same family (which implies that they have the similar genetic makeup) and who always wear a sunscreen and who are not undergoing any hormonal changes (not pregnant, not menopausal, and not on oral contraceptive or hormonal therapy); we are unlikely to find any consistency when it comes to the occurrence of melasma among them. The question that arises is ‘What could account for this difference? ‘ . One possible explanation is that there must be something, beyond genetic makeup or exposure to UV or hormonal imbalance, that is responsible for the hyperpigmentation.
My update to this post (in the coming weeks) will cover (don’t forget to check it out)
- What is research pointing at? (of course, I am referring to research that is not sponsored by those pharmaceutical companies that are out to sell a life long treatment to you)
- Effect of various ‘dark spot fading creams’ on the skin