Do you have dark patches on your face?
Do you find them embarrassing? Do you think there is no way to fade them?
If you have brown or gray-brown patches on your face, especially on your cheeks, upper lip, nose, forehead, or chin, you may have melasma. This discoloration frequently occurs on both sides of the face.
Experts believe the discoloration is caused by normal changes in hormones that occur when a woman begins taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy
or during the second or third trimester of her pregnancy.
Because of the way it looks and when it usually occurs, melasma is sometimes called the "mask of pregnancy."
Frequently Asked Questions Return to Top
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Melasma generally occurs when estrogen and/or progesterone stimulate pigmentation hormones, causing dark brown or grey, irregular sized patches on the face. The condition, also called chloasma or the mask of pregnancy, occurs most frequently in darker skinned women, but can also occur in lighter-skinned people of both sexes.
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Melasma is primarily seen among women who are pregnant, taking birth control pills or using hormone replacement therapy. In general, the patches on the skin appear over time, and at first may resemble small moles. The patches are located on the cheeks, forehead and nose, and their irregularity in shape indicates the condition. When a pregnancy ends or hormone treatment is discontinued, the patches usually disappear in a few months. Close
Sometimes it does If your melasma does fade without treatment the dark patches can take a long time to lighten. Even if melasma fades after the delivery of a baby, it can return with each future pregnancy. If you are taking birth control pills and then stop, the discoloration on your face may start to clear, gradually. Close
Fortunately, you don't have to live with melasma. There are different prescription and over-the-counter products that can be used alone or in combination to treat melasma. And there is a triple-combination product that your dermatologist can prescribe to lighten your moderate-to-severe melasma quickly.
Tri-Luma® Cream is a unique medicine because it combines 3 effective ingredients into 1 formula...giving you a single, once-a day product to put on your face at bedtime. People allergic to sulfites should not use Tri-Luma® Cream. It contains hydroquinone, which may cause a gradual blue-black darkening of the skin. Safety and efficacy have not been established in pregnant or nursing women, br individuals with darker skin. Redness, peeling, burning, dryness, or itching may occur. Exposure to sunlight, sunlamps, or UV light and extreme heat, wind, or cold should be avoided.
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In just 8 weeks, Tri-Luma®Cream will have a maximum effect on lightening moderate to-severe melasma. Some patients had improvement of their melasma after only 4 weeks. Close
Yes. That's because every week, you, like most people, are exposed to about 18 hours of UV radiation during normal daily activities. The majority of people aren't aware of the need for daily sunscreen.
In fact, a recent survey from the American Academy of Dermatology reports that many Americans don't realize that they need to wear sunscreen every day, year round.
Use a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 and wear a wide-brimmed hat. It takes only a small amount of sunlight to worsen melasma.
Melasma can get worse even if you don't get a sunburn. If you do get sunburned, stop using Tri-Luma®Cream until your skin is healed.
Minimizing your exposure to sunlight, even during daily activities, can help prevent further darkening of existing melasma as well as the formation of new patches. This is especially important for women who
take birth control pills or hormone replacement supplements and for people who have had melasma
in the past. If you are in the sun for long periods of time, you should wear a hat to protect your face.
Do not use other medicines unless your doctor approves them.
After completing treatment with Tri-Luma® Cream, continue to protect your skin from sunlight Close
A very few patients may get severe allergic reactions from Tri-Luma® Cream. This includes people allergic to sulfites. They may have trouble breathing or severe asthma attacks, which can be life threatening. While you use Tri-Luma® Cream, your skin may develop mild-to moderate redness, peeling, burning, dryness, or itching.
Tri-Luma® Cream contains a corticosteroid medicine as one of its active components.
The following side effects have been reported with application of corticosteroid medicines to the skin: itching, irritation, dryness, infection of the hair follicles, acne, change in skin color, inflammation around the mouth, allergic skin reaction, skin infection, skin thinning, stretch marks, and sweat problems.
Stop using Tri-Luma® Cream and contact your doctor if you have:
Severe or continued irritation, blistering, oozing, scaling, or crusting
Severe burning or swelling of your skin
Irritation of your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Some patients using Tri-Luma® Cream develop dark spots on their skin (hyper-pigmentation), tingling, increased skin sensitivity, rash, acne, skin redness caused by a condition called rosacea, skin bumps, blisters, or tiny red lines or blood vessels showing through the skin (telangiectasia).
If you are concerned about how your skin is reacting to the medicine, call your doctor.
