Melasma, Chloasma, Pregnancy Masks, and other forms of Hyperpigmentation
Melasma (also called chloasma or pregnancy mask) is a condition in which portions of the skin become darker than the surrounding skin. Doctors call this hyperpigmentation. It typically occurs on the face, particularly the forehead, cheeks and upper lip. The dark patches often appear on both sides of the face in a nearly identical pattern. The darker-coloured patches of skin can be any shade, from tan to deep brown. Rarely, these dark patches may appear on other sun-exposed areas of the body.
Melasma occurs much more often in women than in men, and usually is associated with hormonal changes. That is why the dark patches develop most often during pregnancy, or if a woman is taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or oral contraceptives. Melasma during pregnancy is relatively common. Sometimes it is called the "mask of pregnancy." The dark patches typically last until the pregnancy ends. Despite the strong connection to hormones, no one knows exactly what causes the skin discoloration.
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. If you are already susceptible to melasma, exposure to the sun increases your risk of melasma. For example, women who are pregnant or who take a hormone medication and avoid the sun are less likely to develop melasma than are those who spend a lot of time in the sun.
Symptoms
Darker patches of melasma stained skin appear on the forehead, temples, cheeks or upper lip. The symptoms are strictly cosmetic you won't feel ill, and the darker skin won't be sore.
When To Call A Professional
See your doctor if you develop any unexplained discoloration of the skin. Although melasma does not require treatment, a doctor can distinguish melasma from other skin disorders that may need to be treated.
Melasma Statistics
Melasma affects 5 to 6 million women in the US annually. About 5 - 10 percent of melasma patients are male. Although melasma also known as chloasma affects all races, individuals with darker skin, especially women of Hispanic, Caribbean, and Asian origin who live in areas of intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation exhibit a higher incidence.
It is extremely common among people of Hispanic, Indian, Asian and Mediterranean descent. It is estimated that 60 percent of Hispanic women develop melasma during pregnancy; one third of these women then have melasma for the rest of their lives.
Studies
In one 2002 study, 855 women in the age range of 12 to 85 years, in 25 health centres, were randomly selected (from each family one woman over 11 years), and the necessary information were collected by a questionnaire. The prevalence of melasma among total participants was 39.5%. Pregnant women comprised 9.5% of melasma cases. The distribution of hyperpigmentation was mainly centrofacial (64.7%). In 40.8% of the cases, there was a positive family history for melasma.
Dermatologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas are conducting a survey to accurately assess the number of Hispanic women in the Dallas and Fort Worth area with melasma, a skin disease that causes patchy - sometimes disfiguring - dark spots on the face.
The endeavor is the first such effort worldwide and will result in a scientific assessment of the prevalence of the disease among Hispanic women.
Birth Control And Melasma
Birth control pills that contain estrogen can cause melasma - patchy, irregular brown spots on the face and neck. Melasma is also called chloasma or "pregnancy mask," since it may also appear during pregnancy. You may not like the look of melasma, but it is not dangerous.
A tendency to develop melasma appears to be hereditary, and exposure to sunlight worsens it. In most women, the spots will fade after they give birth or stop taking birth control pills. But the spots sometimes do persist.
All estrogen-containing birth control pills have the potential to cause melasma. But it’s less likely to occur with birth control pills that contain relatively low amounts of estrogen, such as Loestrin, Alesse, Demulen, or Estrostep.
Nonestrogen birth control pills such as Nor-QD and Micronor are also unlikely to cause melasma.
When outdoors, use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.