Page 8 - Inspire Health | November - December 2017

natural beauty

Prevent
Melasma

By Board Certified Dermatologist,

f you’ve noticed “dirty” Dr. Kate Zibililch Holcomb HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO PREVENT MELASMA:
Aside from hormonal
looking patches of skin imbalances, another com- • Wear sunscreen every day! Even if • Limit excess heat. Try to stay cool
on your face, it could be mon melasma trigger is sun you are mostly indoors, your skin when exercising outdoors. Limit
a sign that your estrogen exposure as well as irritating is still at risk. No exceptions. activity to cooler times of day.
Iand progesterone are cosmetics and skin care • Use gentle skin care products and • Supplement prevention. Try an
imbalanced. Sometimes products. cosmetics. If your skin stings or over-the-counter supplement
called “mask of pregnancy” While dermatologists can burns when you wash your face containing Polypodium leu-
cotomos extract, an antioxidant
or put on makeup, you need to
for its prevalence in expect- often control and improve switch to something else. derived from a tropical fern. It’s a
ing women, melasma is a melasma greatly, there is no • Find a good hat. When we’re safe over-the-counter medication
common skin problem in cure. Melasma requires con- outside having fun, we some- that can protect skin from the
which brown to gray-brown stant maintenance, including times forget to reapply sunscreen. damaging effects of sunlight.
patches appear on the face. proper sun protection and If you’re forgetful about things • Don’t overdo the topicals. While
like this, wear a hat to protect
retinoids, glycolic acid, vitamin C
Pregnancy, hormone brightening regimens. your face. and Kojic acid can all help melas-
replacement medicine and To treat the causes of • Research hormonal medications ma, irritation often exacerbates
birth control are common hyperpigmentation, like before using them. You may find the condition. Use one product
causes. While sunlight is blemishes, age spots and many users have had skin issues at a time to ensure it agrees with
believed to be a major melasma, use a daily sun- with certain medicines. your skin.
contributor to this condition, screen that protects against
new theories suggest that UVA and UVB with an SPF of
other forms of light or heat 30 or higher. I prefer physical
may also predispose you to blockers, which include zinc
melasma. oxide and titanium dioxide.
Although this condition Treating pigmentation re-
is common in women, and quires a partnership between
even more common in skin patient and doctor, as well
of color, it can also present as dedication to sun protec-
in men. Most people get it tion and safe-sun practices.
on their cheeks, the bridge A series of treatments is
of the nose, forehead, chin necessary for clearance, and
and above the upper lip. It maintenance treatment is
can appear less-commonly recommended periodically. AD
on other sun-exposed parts Strict sun protection and
of the body, such as the fore- habitual skincare is critical to
arms and neck. controlling melasma.
Try an over-the-counter
supplement containing
Polypodium leucotomos
extract, an antioxidant
derived from a tropical fern.

8 INSPIRE HEALTH