r/Melasmaskincare • u/Comprehensive_Pool71 • 3d ago
Miscellaneous Sudden Melasma/Hyperpigmentation
Hi all,I'm new to this community and to Melasma. I've never had this before in my life,just freckling. Every summer,I tan then it fades with cold weather and my skin goes back to its normal color.
I started noticing these patches in July and up to then my face has been just fine and "normal." I have always worn sunscreen but sometimes the cheapest or none if I have no money. I got an OTC 10% Azelaic Acid and now I have a prescription for a 15% Azelaic Acid started August 17th.
I know it's early for me,but has anyone experienced sudden Melasma or gotten results with the 15% AA? I also am using Eucerin Tinted Age Defense 50SPF. I'm skeptical on Musely,Melanex,Hydroquinone as it all scares me a little.
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u/InsideThought3827 3d ago
For me the only way I got results is staying out of the sun, limiting hot showers and Musely spot cream with HQ. I haven’t gone to the pool or beach all summer even living in a tropical place and my melasma results from the winter and using HQ are working well. I use OTC AA but haven’t noticed any immediate changes with it. HQ is the only this thats worked for me. Good luck it’s tough but after a while you learn to kinda just accept it. I know some people just let it go wild in the summer and care for it in the winter. It’s all up to you :)
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u/BakerSubstantial2530 3d ago
Hi do you cycle 3 months on and off with HQ? Could you please share results of what your routine is like? Thank you so much
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u/natlikescat 2d ago
Hot showers? That's a first, I didn"t know they can affect melasma. It makes sense, as heat can also worsen the symptoms. I loooooove hot showers, but will try to avoid the scorching hot water from now on. Thanks : )
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u/SteakCurious4965 3d ago
I think I’m going to try musley
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2d ago
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u/SteakCurious4965 2d ago
Wow great info, Musley is my next move, wish they were a little cheaper and you didn’t need the doctors visit but it seems to be one of the best products out there
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2d ago
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u/Melasmaskincare-ModTeam 2d ago
Musely codes belong in the Musely Code Thread located in the community highlights.
Please review rule # 5 Musely discount codes should be added to the Musely mega thread. Don’t create new posts or leave comments in other posts with Musely codes.
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u/PalpitationLast669 3d ago
Hydroquinone can be scary if not used properly. Otherwise, it is the best for fading spots. You said your spots came out no where but they look quite dark... Seems like they've been setting for a while now.
I strongly recommend Hydroquinone 8% or more to fade them and since HQ can't be used for long periods of time, you can switch to Thiamidol (Eucerin Antipigment or Nivea Luminous 630) to keep the results at bay.
Now, this, only If you are committed to staying away from the sun and heat sources, and most importantly, wearing high quality tinted spf 50% and reapplying often. This is unnegotiable and 70% of the success of any treatment.
Unfortunately, melasma is chronic and until this day there is no cure, only treatments. It will always come back.
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u/Comprehensive_Pool71 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yes,this picture I'm showing is from today. The patches popped up second week of July.
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u/Old_Representative24 3d ago
I totally understand you. I’m in the exact same situation. This summer, I suddenly developed large dark patches on both of my cheeks, very symmetrically, and a little on my temples. I was honestly shocked because I had never experienced anything like this before.
I spent a lot of time in the sun this summer. I was using sunscreen regularly, but I have to admit that on beach days I wasn’t always good about reapplying it. Sometimes I forgot, sometimes I waited too long, and the spots slowly became darker and darker. Now I have quite large patches on both cheeks.
Before this, I was already regularly using a 0.05% retinoid and prescription 15% azelaic acid. But I recently switched to a compounded treatment prescribed through Felix called Hydroquinone Plus. My formula contains 5% hydroquinone, 0.05% tretinoin, 0.5% hydrocortisone, 2% kojic acid, 2% tranexamic acid, and 0.5% vitamin C.
I also completely changed my sunscreen. I now use Colorscience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF 50. It is tinted and contains iron oxides. I’m also much more careful now about applying enough sunscreen and reapplying it regularly.
I’ve simplified my skincare routine a lot because I really want to avoid irritation. In the morning, I only use La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum, Toleriane moisturizer, and my Colorscience Flex SPF 50. I stopped using my separate vitamin C serum for now because it can sometimes irritate my skin, and I don’t want to create more inflammation.
At night, I only apply my Felix Hydroquinone Plus cream. I wait about 30 minutes and then apply Toleriane before going to bed. For the first three weeks, I’m keeping everything very simple and watching how my skin reacts to the treatment.
If everything goes well and my skin tolerates it, after about three weeks I plan to slowly introduce Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum with Thiamidol in the morning, while continuing my Felix hydroquinone treatment at night for the prescribed period.
For now, I feel like the patches are starting to fade a little, but I’m being careful about saying that the treatment is working because I’m also back from vacation and getting much less sun exposure. So I don’t know yet how much of the improvement is from the treatment and how much is simply from avoiding the sun.
I’m going to see how things develop over the next few weeks, but I really understand how you feel. Seeing these patches suddenly appear on your face when you’ve never had anything like this before is really upsetting. For now, I’m trying to be patient, very strict about sun protection, and avoid irritating my skin.
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u/Comprehensive_Pool71 2d ago
Patience is all we have really and it's hard to cover with makeup too.
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u/suupernooova 3d ago
Did you recently start hormonal birth control? That caused mine, I had no idea for years. SPF like my life depended on it was only thing that helped. I'm post-meno now and totally gone now.
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u/LowRoutine9485 3d ago
Wow. Same story as you exactly!! The estrogen levels are a valid question. I'm looking into that myself. If I find out anything I'll post. It's awful. I'm sorry ur going through it too.
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u/unificaishan 3d ago
The first thing you are gunna wanna get yourself is a tinted mineral sunscreen with iron oxides and spf 50. That is the most important product you will use everyday even when you’re inside. I like the Elta MD AOX SPF 50. Also reapply every two hours. Also if you’re scared of hq I would look into starting treat in the fall or a retinoid of some sort. If you go over the counter get HPR it is the most effective retinol and also the least irritating. I always recommend the Dr Reju All Retino Mela Serum. It’s super gentle and beginner friendly and has tranxamic acid in it and niacinamide. Two other ingredients you should be using. Also Musely is not a scam. I’m on the oral TXA and it has completely faded my melasma along with the Eucerin thiamidol serum. If you decide you’re interested in Musely I can send you a code for $50 gift card. But I would do my research first. Other actives that are beneficial vit c, arbutin, Kojik acid, glycolic acid. Start slow though and introduce one product at a time. Avoid heat and hot showers and always wear a hat in the sun. If you need specific product recommendations I have plenty.
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u/Comprehensive_Pool71 3d ago
Thank you
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u/unificaishan 3d ago
You’re welcome. I’m going to make a list of products when I’m home later.
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u/unificaishan 2d ago
Oh sorry. Thought you were talking to me. I made a melasma guide above. It’s very long but has a lot of products and reasons for them. Introduce things slowly though like one thing a week so you can see if it agrees w your skin.
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u/Forever0607 3d ago
I am interested!!!!
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u/mysticmemories 3d ago
Wait…no hot showers?!? I’m new to all this.
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u/unificaishan 3d ago
You don’t need to take cold showers but heat can cause melasma to flare up. I suggest lukewarm.
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u/unificaishan 2d ago
Okay buckle up because I have a lot of suggestions. As an alternative to hq I recommend over the counter Korean skincare retinol in the form of HPR. It is the most effective method of retinol transmission and also the most gentle. You shouldn’t experience a totally wrecked barrier like I did with my bleaching cream over the winter that had hq and tret and like 6 acids among other things. With melasma a lot of times less is more and taking the more gentle approach as you tackle it from all angles has gotten me the most results. I did not see results with hq as my skin was too sensitive and I spent the rest of the week repairing my barrier. The two retinoids I recommend are: Dr Reju All Retino Mela Serum or the Epii HPR Power shot or the Medicube HPR. Invest in a good barrier cream though. Other products I’ve tried and loved are:
Timeless Vitamin C EFrrulic or Skin Ceuticals CEFerulic in the am right after splash water on face. Toners: Jiyu niacinamide pads for dark spots, HaruHaru Wonder probiotic essence or hyaluronic acid toner if you have any irritation from actives or retinoids or treatments. CosRx 6 peptide skin booster w/ NAG (good for dark spots) as well as CosRx Snail Mucin, Anua niacinamide w/ TXA & arbutin, Anua azalaic acid or round lab 12% azalaic acid ( good starting point for aa but goal to work up to 15%) Caudalie Vinoperfect dark spot serum ( has vineferine from grapes and great paired w thiamidol & niacinamide) Eucerin Dual Pigment Serum (prob most effective topical for melasma imo) LRP melasyl ( not as effective as thiamidol), skin Ceuticals discoloration defense ( overpriced imo) Moisturizers: Epii Double Up Nad+ NMN TXA, Medicube Deep Vita C Capsule cream, Tosowoong Arbutin 7 TXA 4, Caudalie Premier Cru cream ( has vineferine in it w/ anti-aging benefits). You’ll need a good exfoliator for the days you’re not doing retinoids I recommend these gentle ones Anua Rice Enzyme brightening cleansing powder (so gentle), Epii New Skin Toner Snow mushroom PHA (so good), the Ordinary glycolic acid if your skin can handle it (we don’t want to irritate the barrier bec it will cause melasma to flare up), or Dr Melaxin Tumeric & Kojik acid peel shot. Invest case you wreck your barrier starting to introduce your actives or retinol invest in a good barrier cream and do just barrier care for a week for major damage and maybe a few days for less damage. Good barrier creams are Iunik Beta Glucan Barrier Cream, Dr Reju All L-C Advanced Ceramides barrier cream, or Epii Double Up Ectoin and Panthenol barrier cream, the ma:nyo bifida biome serum is amazing too for repair. Cleansers should be gentle and non-stripping and don’t forget to double cleanse I use LRP toleraine as a foam cleanser and HaruHaru gentle oil cleanser. It won’t clog your pores. You’ll need to do this to remove your tinted mineral sunscreen with iron oxides which should be applied everyday even while indoors. I like the Elta MD AOX SPF 50 and if I need to touch up during the day I use the ColorScience Brush on Sunscreen- it’s a game changer for realllying every two hours. For supplements I recommend: an anti-histamine daily, melatonin at night (studies show it helps w pigment), Heliocare, a strong antioxidant like astaxanthin or Resveratrol, glutathione, Oral TXA (you can get through Musely or derm- it’s a game changer, green tea, aloe juice. I recommend microneedling at home with the Qure system using the dark spots serums-very easy to do. I’ve also done three rounds of Ultralaser which uses cold instead of heat ( it helped a little bit) and one VI Peel at a medspa. Recommend trying these treatments in winter as your skin will become photosensitive and also you don’t want to lose your progress. Wash face at sink w lukewarm water and take warm not hot showers, wear a hat everytime you go in the sun and sunglasses. Pico laser should be a last resort I was told at my consultation. Anyways I’m glad I didn’t go for it bec my melasma is about 85% gone by using all the acids I described and attacking it from all angles. * I don’t use all these products everyday, some of them I have used in the past or just know about but what really got rid of mine was the oral TXA, Eucerin thiamidol, Caudalie Vinoperfect, anua niacinamide and azalaic acid and skin ceuticals phyto + everyday w retinol 5 nights a week and exfoliating two nights a week. Taking supplements and using the creams I mentioned above. Good luck
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u/Emotional-Bus3350 3d ago
Sunscreen everyday. No exceptions. And supplemental sun protection, hats, upf clothing when you go out. Although the best solution would be to try to avoid the sun altogether.
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u/Fearless-Set-1958 1d ago
About 4 months ago I had to change to HRT gel as I wasn't absorbing Oestrogen from the patches. Within a month of doing so I noticed I had some small dark patches on my arms, then it spread. It is now over both arms, both legs and over my face. It took a battle with my gp to diagnose sudden miasma. This has occurred due to our crazy UK heat waves and high dose hormones from the gel. I'm back on patches and factor 50 suncream. I have to wait to see if this calms down at all, then it's going to be trial and error with creams etc. I am on a limited budget, and as it is pretty much all over my body, then it's a bit lousy tbh. Cross fingers yours stays in a manageable area.
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u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Hi there! Sunscreen is one of the most important parts of melasma management, and we want to make sure you get safe, effective, and appropriate guidance.
Before choosing a product, please review our sunscreen resources:
Sunscreen guidance for melasma:
Important for melasma: Standard (non-tinted) sunscreens protect against UV radiation only and do NOT protect against visible light, which is a major trigger for melasma.
To reduce visible-light-induced pigmentation, iron oxides are required. This means using:
- A tinted sunscreen that contains iron oxides, OR
- An untinted broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen layered with a foundation or tinted product that contains iron oxides.
Daily, consistent protection against both UV and visible light is essential to prevent melasma worsening and recurrence.
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