There are various skin conditions out there that affect you if you’re not careful. One of these skin conditions that nobody wants to have to deal with is melasma.

Melasma causes dark spots to show up on different areas of your face. As you can imagine this skin condition can be very embarrassing to deal with because you can’t hide it and it develops in an area where people usually look first.

The areas on the face where melasma will develop include:

  • Chin
  • Upper lip
  • Cheeks
  • Forehead

If you develop melasma then nine times out of ten you have never heard of it until now. The truth is millions of people (mainly women) experience melasma developing on their facial area.

According to Finally Melasma Free, women get it the most because when they get pregnant their hormones change and it causes the melanin pigment in their skin to begin producing at a rapid rate. This is the reason why melasma is sometimes referred to as the mask of pregnancy.

The good news about melasma during pregnancy is that when the woman has given birth to baby the melasma fades away and doesn’t return.

Besides pregnancy you can get melasma due to your genetics. If someone in your family had melasma then it is possible that you can get it too. Some research has shown that men and women who come from Native American decent can develop melasma. Even some Europeans can get melasma if someone in their family history had it.

Another common cause of melasma are age spots. Age spots are a totally different type of skin condition but it can lead to the development of melasma. Some dermatologists actually will use the same treatment to treat both conditions at the same time.

If you have a hormone replacement therapy done then you are making yourself susceptible to getting melasma. This is why some doctors recommend hormone medications as a last result because of the risk of developing melasma and other conditions as a side effect.

Finally, exposing your skin to the sun too much can cause you to develop melasma. Too much sun can actually cause a host of other problems besides melasma which is why it’s always a good idea to wear a sunscreen whenever you decide to go outside. Even when you stay inside the house or when it’s winter time and the sun isn’t out you should still put your sunblock on.


Once you know you have melasma there are a ton of different ways to treat it. The best melasma treatment is one that fades away the dark spots on your face and prevents them from coming back. Visit your dermatologist to get the best advice about what treatment will work the best for your skin type.