Melasma After Pregnancy (Causes, Prevention, Treatments)

Melasma is a common condition among pregnant ladies and known as pregnancy mask. It is a kind of hyperpigmentation, characterized by tan or brown patches on the face. The best way to get rid of brown patches and get back to normal face is to treat melasma after pregnancy, in order to get better result and not to put health of the baby at risk.

In this article of Hipregnancy, we will discuss everything you need to know about melasma post pregnancy, the ways to prevent it, or how to treat it. Keep reading to the end to forget all negative impacts that melasma had on your confidence.

Also Read: postpartum rash

What is melasma?

Melasma is an example of hyperpigmentation or discoloration, especially on the face. Pregnant ladies usually face with this brown patches on their cheeks, forehead, nose, upper lip, and chin as well. Do you know what causes this type of discoloration?

Generally speaking, even doctors don’t know the exact cause of melasama, but there are some factors which may lead to this condition. These factors include pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy, birth control pills, anti-seizure medications, and family history of melasma.

In fact, it is unclear why ladies experience melasma during pregnancy, but researchers and experts theorize that increasing hormone levels during pregnancy such as, estrogen, progesterone, as well as melanocyte-stimulating during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, can play a key role in having melasma after pregnancy.

Also Read: Back Pain After Pregnancy

How to prevent melasma during pregnancy?

Experiencing mask of pregnancy or melasma is common among pregnant ladies, but is there any way to prevent this condition while pregnant?

In fact, there is not enough information about the cause of melasma during pregnancy. Therefore, the cause of this problem is unknown, but there are some works that can be done to lower the risk of developing this condition while pregnant.

If you don’t want to experience brown patches, you need to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day. In order to get better results, you should reapply it every two hours, especially at the times you sweat more. In addition, avoid going out at the sun’s peak hours, between 10 A.M and 2 P.M.

Another important way that can help prevent the mask of pregnancy, is to have a skin-friendly diet. It means that, you can reduce the risk of discoloration during pregnancy, or melasma post pregnancy by consuming foods containing vital nutrients and vitamin D, including egg, milk, orange juice, fish, yogurt, and mushrooms.

Does melasma go away after pregnancy?

Most pregnant ladies are worry about hyperpigmentation or mask of pregnancy, but the good news is that this mask is temporary, doesn’t get worse after pregnancy, and fades after childbirth or breastfeeding. This happens because hormones turn to normal levels after delivery.

In general, it may take a little time to fade melasma after pregnancy, but if you take treatments, you will have a light skin without any dark spots sooner. Be patient during melasma treatment and try to choose safe ways for the health of both you and your breastfed baby.

It is more advisable to visit and consult your doctor post pregnancy about your skin condition. The doctor is the only person that can tell what you need to do for your melasma and how to get rid of it.

Melasma after pregnancy treatment

Usually, melasma goes away on its own, but if the signs of pregnancy mask bother you, or it doesn’t fade even after you have finished breastfeeding, you can stick to the plenty of available options for treating this hyperpigmentation after pregnancy.

Just keep in mind that, you need to be patient, if you want to get rid of changes happened to your body, like fading melasma, or getting rid of stretch marks after pregnancy. Here are some examples of the best treatments for this condition;

• Sunscreen
• Over-the-counter creams, containing up to 2% hydroquinone
• Corticosteroid
• Prescription creams, containing 4% hydroquinone
• Bleaching agents

Be aware that, all the above examples, except sunscreen, should be avoided during breastfeeding. If you want to choose other options instead what mentioned above, you can take other acid treatments like glycolic acid, kiojic acid, retinoic acid, and lactic acid lotions.

These treatments decrease the appearance of melasma over the time, but they may have side effects. Skin irritation is a common side effect of using these treatments among ladies. Furthermore, skin may darken permanently after long-term using of hydroquinone in high concentration.

How to lighten skin melasma after pregnancy, “home remedies”

It is proved that home remedies can be really helpful in treating issues after delivery, like headache after pregnancy, and melasma. If you don’t want to use over-the-counter creams or even prescription ones, you can try at-home masks, alongside eating healthy foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, iron and vitamin B12.

Try the following home remedies to reduce the appearance of melasma after pregnancy;

• Mix a solution of half apple cider vinegar and half water to use as toner.
• Make a mask with cooked oatmeal and honey, leave it on skin for about 10 min and wash it.
• Mix a solution of a half of fresh lemon juice and half of cucumber juice or water to lighten top layer of your skin.
• Use a cotton ball to apply milk of magnesia on the dark spots, let it stay on your skin overnight, and wash it in the morning.

Conclusion

Although melasma after pregnancy is not a cause of discomfort, it can have a negative effect on ladies’ confidence. Fortunately, the mask of pregnancy goes away on its own, but in a few cases it may last longer to fade.

The best medicine to treat melasma is patience, but there are some options like creams that can be used to fade the brown patches caused by pregnancy mask.

We mentioned some medical treatment and home remedies to get rid of melasma, but do you any other ideas for fading the signs of melasma after pregnancy? If yes, comment on to help new moms facing this problem.