ASK DR. STEYN
Dear Dr. Steyn,
I recently had a baby and now I’m starting to notice large brown patches on my cheeks and forehead. I’ve never had a problem with dark spots before and I’m wondering what I can do to make them go away. Thank you, Kim P.
Dear Kim,
Thank you for your question.
It sounds like you may have a skin condition called melasma. It’s a benign type of hyperpigmentation that can occur during pregnancy as it’s linked to an increased level of female hormones in your body.
Treating melasma can be tricky business because it’s not a simple case of sun damage. Melasma tends to be deeper in the skin and it’s very difficult to get rid of it permanently once you have it. Without knowing your exact skin type, I can only give you some general guidelines as to how we would approach treating this condition.
First and foremost we would recommend a good sunscreen, especially in the summer, to prevent your melasma from getting worse. It tends to become aggravated when exposed to UV rays so that would be the first step.
As for treatment there is no quick fix for melasma unfortunately. We may recommend a series of skin peels, microneedling, laser, IPL and/or home care products containing skin-brighteners. It’s hard to predict which combination of treatments will work for you as each person’s melasma is different. The best thing to do is schedule an appointment so that I can see your skin and customize a treatment plan to get your skin back on track.