One of the most commonly encountered skin disorders is Melasma. Melasma is tanned or brown blotches on skin. Even though Melasma can affect anybody, it is prevalent in women, particularly pregnant women, for which, it is also called as the ‘mask of pregnancy.’ It can also affect women who intake oral contraceptive pills, or medicines for hormone replacement therapy, or use patch contraceptives. It mainly affects the face; specifically on the nose, cheeks, chin, above upper lip and forehead. It can also occur on other body parts, which are greatly exposed to sun – like neck and forearms. Apart from sun exposure, hormones are mainly responsible for triggering melasma. This common yet major skin problem can considerably affect your self-confidence and can have devastating psychological effect. But with the advancement of the recent medical technologies, the dermatologist in Delhi can effectively treat melasma.
Symptoms
The main signs of melasma are irregular, dark, hyper pigmented spots or blotches which are generally well demarcated. These are commonly seen on the bridge of the nose, cheeks, above the upper lip, forehead and chin. Slowly over time, these spots usually grow. Mainly this skin discoloration is the only symptom of melasma.
Causes
Although the causes of melasma are not however clear, but it is presumed that it possibly occurs when the melanocytes, or the cells imparting colour to the skin, get hyperactive and yield too much colour. Some of the reasons that trigger melasma are as follows:
UV Exposure: Ultraviolet light disrupts the melanocytes stimulating them to produce more colours. That is why melasma mostly gets worse in summer due to sun exposure. Sun exposure is also the primary cause for the re-occurrence of melasma.
Hormonal Changes: Pregnancy causes huge hormonal changes in the body of a woman, which is why, pregnant women are commonly affected by melasma. Moreover, contraceptive pills and medicines for hormone replacement can also cause melasma.
Cosmetics: Several skin care or cosmetic products can cause skin irritation, which may deteriorate melasma or sometimes can trigger it.
Treatment
Generally, melasma can disappear on its own. But this is only when it is caused by hormonal changes like in pregnancy or in case a woman is taking contraceptive pills. In these cases, often it is seen that after delivery or after discontinuing the contraceptive pills, melasma fades away. But otherwise, it is a long-lasting problem and needs medical assistance to cure. The dermatologist in Delhi can however treat melasma efficiently with the following:
Hydroquinone: This is a common medicine to treat melasma in the initial stage. Its application lightens the skin.
Corticosteroids and Tretinoin: Either one of these medicines or a combination of hydroquinone, corticosteroid, and Tretinoin is generally prescribed by the dermatologist to increase skin lightening.
Procedures: When medicines cannot help you get rid of melasma, procedures like a chemical peel, dermabrasion and microdermabrasion are effective enough to eradicate melasma. Expert dermatologist in Delhi can perform these procedures to provide you a supple, vibrant and flawless skin.
Ask the Best Skin Specialist in Delhi
If you are having melasma, or you observe any of these symptoms, www.drsandeshgupta.com will definitely help you to find eminent dermatologists, who can offer you with the best possible treatments with cutting-edge medical technologies to cure all skin irritations. They have a team of reputed dermatologists, who can treat any kind of diseases and problems related to skin, nails and hairs.