From Skin Care to Treatments, Here’s How I’m Managing My Melasma
I'm Adore Beauty's resident beauty newbie. Before working at Adore, I was travelling the world for 4 months with just one tiny tube of Jurlique moisturiser. I washed my face with warm water and used olive oil as a deep conditioning treatment. Oh, how things have changed!
For the past few years, I’ve had this dark line above my lip.
At first, I thought it was some sort of natural lip liner everyone had.
Then I noticed it would darken during summer holidays. Weird!
And as time went on, the dark line started to look more like a moustache and less like natural lip liner. Even weirder!!
After coming home from an extended holiday in Queensland with very pronounced areas of uneven skin tone, I was keen to figure out what the hell was going on.
I had a skin consultation and was informed my moustache was, in fact, melasma...
Hang On… What Is Melasma?
Melasma is a complex type of hyperpigmentation that can be caused by a multitude of factors including hormones, medication and internal imbalances.
According to dermal therapist Yads Cauchi, “If you see hyperpigmentation around the mouth occurring, this is probably melasma.”
“Melasma is often symmetrical on the face and commonly occurs during pregnancy, presenting as a mask across the nose, cheeks and the top lip.”
Another of our good dermal therapist friends James Vivian adds,
“Melasma isn’t caused by the sun, but it loathes heat and light. This is why it gets darker, not only in the sun, but also in hot, humid environments.”
Learn more from James Vivian about melasma and how to treat hyperpigmentation in general in this YouTube video below.
After learning all this, it made sense how my melasma moustache came out to play after a hot, humid Queensland holiday.
It also helped to know melasma is both common and harmless.
But for many people, myself included, it can really affect your self esteem.
The key is knowing what triggers your melasma and understanding how to manage it.
For example, my melasma moustache flares up in hot weather.
It LOVES the sun, which is why sun protection is so important to me, including SPF50+ sunscreen and wearing a wide-brim hat.
Ingredients & Skin Care Products For Melasma.
If you’re currently struggling with melasma and want to help fade the look of it, there are some products specifically designed to manage your skin concern.
Here are the ingredients you should be regularly adding to your skincare routine for managing melasma:
- Sun protection is your best friend when treating melasma (and not just SPF). I believe you should choose the SPF that you’re going to wear every day, which for me is a chemical sunscreen that provides hydration and sits comfortably under makeup.
- However, I choose a physical sunscreen when I’m outside on a hot day as they're formulated with filters that partially block UV and visible light.
- Skin brightening ingredients like vitamin C help to even out skin tone and protect the skin against environmental damage.
- Hydroquinone and its derivatives will help to reduce melanin build up, preventing hyperpigmentation before it occurs.
- Resurfacing ingredients like alpha hydroxy acid glycolic acid and retinoids will encourage cell turnover, helping to reduce dark spots and even out skin tone.
Not sure where to start?
We curated the Pigmentation Correction Routine Bundle to include some of the best starter pigmentation products discounted so you can try before you buy full price.
This value bundle has your chemical exfoliant, vitamin C serum and physical sunscreen together, and delivers a very lovely $33 saving!
OK, but do skincare products for melasma really do anything?
In the Instagram post below, you can see a comparison of how my skin tone looks when I've been doing my melasma skincare routine.
That's the first pic, compared to when I've been hanging out in the sun too much (second pic).
My Melasma Skin Care Routine.
When my melasma flares up, I now know which products to reach for to lighten the appearance of my ‘stache!
And which skin treatments to book in - more on that in a second.
You can watch the super quick version in this video below, or keep scrolling for the details on a few of the best products for melasma I’ve found.
1. Skin Treatments For Melasma.
More than any skincare product, regular skin treatments tailored to my skin concerns have done wonders for me.
I'm a regular client of James Vivian, a dermal therapist and co-host of Adore Beauty’s podcast Dermal Diaries.
To manage my melasma ongoing, we do a combination of laser treatments, skin needling, LED and chemical peels.
Speak to your dermal therapist or dermatologist about the right in-clinic treatments for your melasma concerns.
I highly recommend listening to the episode of Dermal Diaries podcast below if you’re keen to learn more about in-clinic treatments.
2. Aspect Pigment Punch+.
Aspect Pigment Punch+ 30ml is a powerhouse pigmentation serum that has a bit of everything.
It contains a blend of vitamin C, a derivative of hydroquinone, a peptide that helps to prevent discolouration, niacinamide and lactic acid.
Note: This serum won’t ‘get rid of’ hyperpigmentation (you’ll need a skin treatment for that), but I apply this morning and night to keep the melasma moustache at bay.
Shop Aspect Pigment Punch+ here:
3. A SkinCeuticals Vitamin C Serum.
Depending on your skin type, there are a few different SkinCeuticals vitamin C serums to choose from.
SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF is my personal choice because it’s formulated for oily/combo skin types, but here’s a quick breakdown of which of these vitamin C serums works best for who:
- SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum - 30ml = Best for normal to dry skin.
- SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF = Best for normal to combination and oily skin.
- SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF 30ml = Best for oily, acne-prone and reactive skin.
All of these high-potency serums contain L-ascorbic acid, which has been proven to be the most effective form of vitamin C.
The patented formulas are exxy, but you can’t really do better if you’re looking to minimise the look of hyperpigmentation and brown spots.
Shop your SkinCeuticals vitamin C serum here:
4. An Exfoliating & Vitamin A Treatment.
I love a two-in-one AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) and retinol product.
Why? Because they combine the two resurfacing ingredients into one hard-working treatment step.
Both of my top picks come from the same brand:
Alpha-H Beauty Sleep Power Peel (50ml) is an overnight treatment you apply like a moisturiser.
I highly recommend it, but it is a bit hardcore if you're a beginner.
Alpha-H Midnight Reboot Serum 50ml still contains your glycolic acid and granactive retinoid (a gentle form of vitamin A), but it’s a gentler option for beginners.
The best thing about these products is that they’re powerful without being irritating.
Shop the Alpha-H products here:
Side note, we break down the difference between these popular Alpha-H skincare products in this YouTube video below.
5. Last But Not Least, Sunscreen!!!
As I mentioned, find a sunscreen that you'll want to wear every day.
Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF50 Sunscreen 75ml is one of our best-selling SPFs, especially if you are looking for a physical/mineral sunscreen because of your melasma.
Lean Screen has a soft mattifying finish, so works particularly well on oily skin types.
And of course, SPF is only one part of sun protection!
Always seek shade, and wear sunnies, a hat and protective clothing. Use sufficient sunscreen for all unprotected areas and reapply sunscreen as directed. Always read the label. You know the drill.
Shop Ultra Violette Lean Screen here:
Finally, the most important thing to remember about melasma is that it doesn't just go away.
You can’t ever ‘get rid of it’, and it will continue to flare up as you’re out and about living your life.
Your best bet is to manage melasma ongoing with consistent skin care and treatments, rather than strive for an unachievable quick fix.
The alternative would be to lock yourself in a cool, dark room to avoid hyperpigmentation...
You do you, but I’d rather continue my melasma skincare routine and chuck on a hat.
For more on my hyperpigmentation skincare routine, you can watch my YouTube video below.
You can keep reading about products and treatments to help manage pigmentation in these articles...
