Melasma occurs when natural pigments in your skin darken, creating brown or gray-brown patches. The discolorations typically appear on the face, but they can develop on any part of your body exposed to sunlight, such as your arms, hands, or neck.

Ultraviolet light triggers melasma, whether from natural sunlight or a tanning bed. Hormone fluctuations, birth control pills, and hormone replacement therapy also cause melasma. It commonly develops during pregnancy, when it’s known as chloasma or the “mask of pregnancy.”

When it’s caused by hormone changes that return to normal — such as after you’ve had your baby or you stop taking birth control pills — melasma may go away without treatment. In many women, melasma lasts for years and must be treated using topical medication, peels, or laser therapy.

PICO Enlighten uses rapid pulses of laser energy to eliminate the pigments causing your melasma.

The laser is set to a wavelength that’s only absorbed by the pigment, so it doesn’t damage the surrounding skin. Laser energy heats the melasma pigments to a temperature that breaks them down into small pieces; then they’re eliminated by the body.

PICO Enlighten is safe for all skin types, even sensitive skin.

VI Peel includes a group of peels formulated to target specific skin problems. The VI Peel Precision Plus removes sun spots and pigmented discolorations like melasma. It contains ingredients such as retinoic acid, salicylic acid, vitamin C, hydroquinone, kojic acid and hydrocortisone that work together to remove dark patches of skin.

It takes about 25-40 minutes for your physician at Revive Wellness Center to apply the peel; then you’ll wait five hours to wash it off. Over the next few days, skin in the treated area will begin to peel. As new skin growth replaces old skin, you’ll lose the discolored area.

Hydroquinone is a topical gel, cream, or lotion that you apply to the discolored area. As it’s absorbed, hydroquinone blocks the biochemical process that causes discoloration. It reverses melasma when used regularly, but if results don’t appear within two months, you may need to stop using the medication and try another treatment.

Exposure to sunlight makes the same area darken again. You’ll need to use sunscreen to maintain the results achieved with hydroquinone.

If you have brown spots that don’t go away, please don’t wait to find an effective solution: contact Revive Wellness Center or schedule an appointment online.