r/Melasmaskincare

Hi! I've been using Eucerin serum and Eucerin day and night cream for the past few weeks. Before, I was only using the serum, but not very consistently. Last year, I tried Azelaic acid for some weeks but dropped it for the serum. I also use retinol 3 times per week, but not directly on my melasma, since it's on my upper lip, and I've read that this area is very sensitive to retinol (I am a bit confused about whether that's right).

Besides that, I only use a mild cleanser, a generic moisturizer, and, of course, sunscreen. I am very aware of how many products I use now because I don't want to exacerbate the melasma but would also like to know if there's something I should be doing that I am not. For example, glycolic acid? Or do you have an idea of how to add azelaic acid back to my routine?

Thank you!

I’ve had melasma on my upper lip for a few years and it’s worse than ever this summer. I’m 40 so probably getting into perimenopause. I’m considering going off birth control to see if that does anything. Has anyone tried that and had positive results

Hey melasma girlies! I’m looking for recommendations on a neck fan that actually blows up towards your face. 🙏🏼

I’m going on a 3 week trip to SE Asia - I have plenty of mineral sunscreen and hats, but I want to have a tool to try and combat the heat from making my melasma worse.

Does anyone have a brand they recommend? Bonus points if it has a misting feature, but not required. Open to handheld options, but would prefer a hands free device if possible. Thanks in advance 😘✨

As a kid I used to love summer. Spending time outdoors, walking, cycling, swimming. It was a perfect season to me.

In recent years with my melasma, I've really started to dread it. I'm okay with using sunscreen, wearing hats, not going out at the hottest hours. But there's just this unease anytime I do have to go out in the sun. I feel like I can never do enough to protect myself and have just started to hate the season. If someone asks me to go out to for instance to swimming or cycling, I try to postpone it to the evening or cancel because I can't be on a bike wearing an unbrella. I miss out on so many experiences because I just have this unease to be in high UV.

On top of that I also have some resentment against my parents for letting me get sunburned as a kid and putting my under a tanning bed as an 8-year old. I just have all these feelings during summer and the season I loved now just feels like a dread.

Idk I just thought someone here would relate. I can tell myself I should enjoy my life and do the best I can, but it's just this anxiety that's always there.

I used kojic and glycolic but had no luck ladies. Musley didn’t . I’m light skin with dark tone in my inner thighs and gentiala.

hey everyone im looking for some serious hope here because im at my absolute wits end. i developed a super noticeble dark shadow right above my upper lip last summer and it literally looks like a dark mustache. it is making me so self conscious that i wont even leave the house without heavy concealer on right now.

i spent months thinking it was just regular sun damage and tried using a vitamin c serum and niacinamide but nothing touched it. i finally used skinpalAi to analyze a photo of my skin and it helped me realize this is actually melasma and explained that standard hyperpigmentation routines wont work on it. it gave me a much better approach to focus on tyrosinase inhibitors but now im looking for real life success stories. has anyone here actually managed to get rid of their upper lip pigmentation completely.

what products or ingredients finally worked for you because i really need some advice before i give up entirely. thank you all so much for any help.

Is it safe to buy Nivea Luminous 630 on Amazon? Is anyone else buying it from there with good results? It’s $15 less than at the drug store, but of course I’m worried that it might be fake.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a powder or spray sunscreen I can use over makeup that has iron oxide in it?

I bought a UV light camera from Amazon to look at my sun damage and melasma and see how bad it is.

It’s completely covering my whole face underneath. Like no spot is clear.

This summer my melasma is worse than ever and even makeup won’t cover it now.

My forehead is just a huge patch of dark splotch. My cheeks and almost whole face is turning that way.

I’ve tried everything.

I’ve tried Tret, hydroquinone, eucerin thanidol, every sunscreen on earth from chemical to mineral to tinted. Dark spot serums, lotions and potions. Literally everything.

Nothing bells and it gets worse.

I feel so ugly. I hate looking in the mirror.

I never even tanned as much as some people did and yet I’m the one with this damage.

People my own age and older tan every single day still have beautiful clear skin.

I’ve cried off and on all day after seeing my damage underneath. All that’s going to come to the surface even more.

So I think I finally overdid all of the actives/serums/masks to combat my melasma and may have destroyed my skin barrier.

I’m not 100% sure that’s what I did, but seemingly overnight it went from feeling normal to feeling like the skin on my face and neck is rough, dry, and feels like a fine grit sandpaper. It’s also peeling a bit and flaky. Not red at all. It’s been like this for several weeks now.

I hadn’t changed anything that I was doing, except I admittedly have been using a lot of things because, melasma.

I have stopped using all products at the moment. I’m just using a very mild cleanser. Applying LRP Cicaplast as well. Anyway, just looking for recommendations on products to help repair my skin.
Thanks all!!

Hello, i recently started using azelaic acid for my skin texture and it's been amazing. I've heard it can also help to fade melasma but weirdly can actually make it worse too depending. I've never noticed any melasma on my face before but after using the azelaic acid most days for around 3 weeks I'm starting to notice what i think is a small patch of melasma on my left cheekbone which is when i looked it up and found this out. It's near a spot where i already had a few freckles which I've noticed for a few years so it makes sense. It's quite faint but it's definitely there and i am really not a fan, to me it looks like similar to what a much older person would have, like my grandma (I'm 27) and I'm starting to feel insecure about being around my boyfriend with no makeup because of it in case he notices.

I'm wondering what is the best advice to fade this/ prevent this getting worse in the early stages? I've cut back to using the azealic acid only every other day, and I'm avoiding putting it on that patch of skin, hoping that helps.

I almost always wear spf50 if im going outside, but I don't wear spf in the house because tbh i hate the way it feels and it seems unnecessary. I also use Niacinamide sometimes in my night skin routine as well/ instead of azealic acid and sometimes a random sheet face mask. Everything else i use is very gentle, just moisturiser and gentle cleansers.

Any advice appreciated I'm really hoping to nip this in the bud if i can🤞

Rules disclaimer - I'm not asking for medical advice, just skincare advice. I think it is melasma and I'm not asking anyone to diagnose me just looking for options🫶