What is Melasma?
Melasma is a skin condition affecting adults, it occurs more often in women, those who tan easily or have naturally darker skin. Melasma can develop during or after pregnancy for almost 50% of women and is often referred to as the ‘mask of pregnancy.
What does it look like?
Melasma is a form of hyperpigmentation which develops typically on the face and/or neck area and is often symmetrical in appearance. It can present itself in 3 ways:
- Epidermal melasma – affecting the top layer of skin. The hyperpigmentation presents as brown pigmentation with well-defined borders.
- Dermal melasma – affecting deeper dermal layers of skin presents as blue-grey patches of pigmentation.
- Mixed melasma – a combination of epidermal and dermal melasma presents as a combined brown-grey pigmentation of the skin
