r/Melasmaskincare

I’ve been on the hunt for the best foundation or skin tint to cover my melasma without it looking like a cakey mess. I don’t like full coverage foundation bc I don’t like the feel of foundation on my face. When I do use it, I feel like it makes the melasma stand out even more. I’ve tried to color correct with a peach color concealer first, but that doesn’t seem to help either. Anyone found the right combo to cover melasma that works without making it more noticeable?

I have been trying to get rid of some stubborn and severe bad melasma on my cheek. Been using the spot cream from musely for almost a week and it is starting to look lighter. I am so happy. Hoping for clearing it soon. Do we have to keep using the spot treatment forever to keep the melasma at bay ?? Or a 2 month treatment is enough. Also do others had the same results as me, are they liking the spot cream? My first time trying the spot cream from musely and I am very impressed… I was struggling to get rid of that dark melasma from past 4 years to no avail. Thankfully it’s getting better… what do you think of other musely products? Any suggestions for best products that actually give results…

First time poster here…for context I’m a 36 year old female who has suffered from Melasma and Hyperpigmentation for years. My downfall is I’ve never taken skincare serious until about a year ago. Ive dabbled into curology and other subscription services but never was consistent. I’ve always been a full coverage makeup girl and just thought I’d cover it.

Back around 6 months ago I got VERY serious. Did tons of research and I started doing skincare every night. And became RELIGIOUS about sunscreen. Built my tolerance first with OTC retinol before going to 0.025% Tretnoin and got a prescription for 4% hydroquinone back in March. I’ve done really well on it. I got very minimal peeling from them. My spots have lightened a good bit. But I want more😅 I seen someone post about APC (All Purpose Creams) 10% Hydroquinone. I was due for my refill Amazon pharmacy so I ordered 10% Hydroquinone, the 0.1% Retonic Acid and the Base cream to dilute (don’t want to cause any damage)

I guess what I’m asking if anyone has used APC? Is their stuff legit? Still don’t get how they can sell what they do, but I’m not complaining😅 Is there anything else you would add? I’m open to any suggestions/recommendations. I’ll add pics of improvement.

Current skincare- AM- I keep it basic. I just cleanse, HA serum, moisturize and do sunscreen (currently using Crease 50Spf Mineral in the yellow bottle- I love it. It wears so good under makeup)

PM- Double cleanse (I’m a full coverage makeup girl) Tret, Hydroquinone, HA serum and moisturizer/eye cream.

Another thing- how much long should I stay on Hydroquinone. I’ve always read mixed answers. I was told by the Amazon Dr who I got the original script for 3-6 months. Which is kinda vague.

Thank you🩷

I've just ordered another 30ml bottle because it's on sale and realised I've been using my current bottle (which still isn't finished) for over 10months??

I spot treat around my mouth most days 1-4x per day (usually at least twice a day) and my melasma has improved significantly.

Is it lasting this long for everyone else or am I using less than normal??

Hi everyone!

A friend that frequents this sub gifted me a bunch of products inspired by this community to help with melasma/hyperpigmentation, and I’m trying to figure out what I should actually prioritize using (vs maybe saving for later) and in what order to use everything.

Context: I do not have sensitive skin and I’m well adjusted to medical grade products and treatments so no issues there. 🙂

Here’s what I have:

Medical grade chemical peels

Cleansers
- Eucerin face wash (for sensitive/eczema-prone skin)
- La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Cleanser

Hydration / Barrier
- Laneige Cream Skin Toner
- Anua PDRN + Hyaluron mist

Treatment Products
- Eucerin Dual Serum
- SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense
- SkinCeuticals Vitamin C serum
- Azelaic Acid
- Tretinoin

Eye Product
- Eucerin under-eye treatment

I didn’t get the Eucerin spot treatment.

What products here would you prioritize for the most effective results, and what order would you recommend using them in for AM and PM?

Thank you for your help!

Hi All,

I have had 3 rounds of Moxi done… and I have more melasma spots than ever before. First two rounds were great, third one I knew something was wrong almost right away.

I went to the Medspa for follow up pictures, and the technician basically ran out of the room. They are offering me a free Pico treatment and even mentioned a chemical peel.

Should I cancel my Pico appt and just ask my doctor for a referral to a dermatologist? I know in my heart that’s the answer, but I’m very ashamed of how much money I spent and the choices that have led me here.

Newly diagnosed person with melasma here 👋🏼. Thankful for this subreddit!

I noticed that our mega thread of SPFs only include American and EU brands. Does anyone have a tinted spf with PA++++ they love? Thank you!

Does liposomal glutathione lighten skin tone?

I am looking for some recommendations on what cleansers people use to remove tinted zinc sunscreen at the end of the day. I have dry, sensitive, acne-prone skin, and obviously with melasma. Oh, and starting to age. (The full combo!).

I was reading the best for zinc is oil cleansers, but my skin breaks out with oils. I now use a cleanser with salicylic acid that removes it well, but really strips my skin and leaves it very dry.

Wanted to try some milk cleanser but chatgpt tells me it will not remove the zinc.

Anyone has found an effective cleanser that protects the skin barrier but does not clog pores?

*ETA- pico is the only laser approved by the FDA to treat Melasma*
Has anyone had pico laser make your Melasma darker?. Ive tried peels and other lasers and just spent a lot of money ($1000) on two sessions of pico laser. First one done on “second to lowest” setting which made it darker than it was. Second time, used on the lowest setting to prevent this. No fading and initial darkness unchanged. I’m told that it not getting darker is a good sign and to go another session and going slow is the best thing to do. I had another opinion from a different spa who said this isn’t true at all and she had no idea how pico could have made this worse and that high setting sometimes have to be used. Has anyone dealt with this? I’m getting super frustrated and not sure what to do.

I’m pregnant and can’t do HQ.(my holy grail) what else I can do with my malesma. Please do not recomend me lasers, or red light therapy, I don’t believe these are help to malesma. also tried orher european products which did nothing - eucerin etc.

Open to peels, masks, etc.

Just a PSA. No DOT use red light therapy. I ended up with a bad case of melasma because of it. There should be a warning label somewhere ffs.

I tried all the creams and all that. Today I got MOXI laser and it should clear up….or so they say.

I’ll post up some before and afters if it works. I’m just super red right now. I’ll know in a couple days

TLDR: I wrecked my skin barrier using too many actives to try to reduce my melasma, and when I emerged from the wreckage, my melasma was nearly gone. Moral: sometimes the actives are the problem.

Long version:

I've been struggling with melasma on my forehead and cheeks for about a year, which was triggered by using estrogen cream on my neck for a couple months. I tried Eucerin thiamidol, Coleman compound, and azelaic acid.

Because my skin can handle a lot, I didn't really notice that I was slowly eroding my skin barrier. The only sign was that my cheeks started being more flushed, and would turn red in heat much more than they ever used to. I thought I had developed type 1 rosacea, and doubled down on the azelaic acid.

Fast forward to three weeks ago, and all of a sudden my face was stinging, red, and popping up in a bumpy, strange texture that I had never seen before. Any time I went outdoors my skin would sting and swell and turn bright red. It was absolutely horrendous.

I realized I'd destroyed my skin barrier, and went into full on repair mode. No actives, no washing, just a cool water rinse, milky toner, ceramide and cholesterol cream, Cicaplast, and a thick layer of zinc-based diaper cream at night. I stayed out of the sun and indoors for almost a week (I actually got sick, which helped). It was horrible, and my skin felt awful, but I fully committed to doing whatever I could to turn it around.

I also avoided spicy foods, hot beverages, and anything that might cause flushing.

About three days ago, I emerged from the mime mask of diaper cream that I've been wearing nonstop, and actually looked at my skin for the first time.

I realized that weirdly, my melasma was almost completely....gone?

My skin now actually looks like I did some sort of laser resurfacing treatment, it is soft, smooth, even textured, and very even-toned.

It's been a horrible experience overall, and I would NEVER recommend destroying your skin barrier to rehab your skin. I will need to stay out of the sun and baby the shit out of my skin for another month at least, but weirdly, this trauma has somehow resolved my melasma.

So the lesson learned is that sometimes the best solution is to keep things as hydrating and moisturizing and simple as possible, and actually avoid all the pigment inhibitors and exfoliants that are meant to reduce melasma.

Obviously, everyone's skin is different, but I do think that for me, hydration and moisture (and avoiding the sun) have made the biggest difference.

The crazy thing is, though, that I have always been insanely diligent about sun protection (European filters, constant reapplication, hats, sunglasses, etc) as well as layers and layers of hydration and moisture.

And the one thing that seemed to make my skin perfect has been laying off all the actives.

So, just wanted to share this story for anyone who may benefit from my mistakes. If you're using a bunch of pigment inhibitors and nothing is working, it could be worth a try to stop them all, and just give your skin some breathing room to do it's thing.

I am honestly shocked at this outcome, but I'll take whatever silver lining I can from this (self-imposed) trauma!

I’ve been using LRP chemical sunscreen religiously for about 8 years! Never realized that it was likely making my melasma worse! To be fair I never realized the brown patches were melasma until very recently :-) Anyway, I now realize I should be using a tinted physical / mineral sunscreen. As a man, who doesn’t wear makeup I’m having a tough time finding a melasma friendly product that won’t look like foundation. Any advice on a product would be appreciated :-). The catch, I’m in Canada so a lot of the products I see mentioned here are out of reach.

I did just order the LRP tinted mineral sunscreen but it doesn’t seem to have the oxide percentages recommended here.

I’m aware that Mexoryl 400 does and I’ve had real success using UV Mune, however I cannot stand the finish. Even the oil control formulas are incredibly shiny.

High percentage zinc also isn’t the best on me as I have a medium olive skin tone, so I either get a white cast or incorrect undertone if it’s tinted.

Do any of the Tinosorb or other newer chemical filters work, and has anyone tried them personally?

TIA.