First, I would like to start off on a positive note. It's good to be alive and there's so much to be grateful for in this life! Sometimes little things get the best of us and that's natural we are all human! Now, if you are reading this you are probably suffering from dark spots, some sort of skin condition or possibly melasma. These stubborn patches can be very embarrassing and hard to get rid of. Bare with me because this is going to be a very long, detailed post but please continue to read because it will be worth your time. I would like to speak a little bit about my experience with what I believe is melasma. I have not visited a Derm and been diagnosed with melasma but from my own experiences and research I can say I'm almost positive I've been hit with this terrible skin condition. About a year ago right around this time (July 2014) I noticed uneven pigmentation above my upper lip that looked a lot like a mustache. I was absolutely traumatized, especially because 1.I wax my upper lip and 2.I have always been told how amazing my skin looks my entire life. Through the hotter months this awful upper lip shadow haunted me but I noticed once the cooler months came around it wasn't as noticeable. Right after the new year (January 2015) I took a trip to Mexico where I was in the sun A LOT. I came back home (California) after the 7 day trip and within a day or two my upper lip was so dark it was almost unbearable to look in the mirror! I cried for months on end, I avoided going out in public, I turned down opportunities to go out and have a good time because I was so concerned with my looks. It felt like my life had changed forever and I had finally had it. I became obsessed with researching how to get rid of this awful looking mustache..that's when I found this forum. A lot of the posts have helped me and guided me to the improvement I have seen in my melasma today. It's now been a year since this mustache has appeared but I am just now slowly watching it break up before my very eyes! It makes me super happy to see improvement and I truly feel like I am on my way back to flawless skin! I'd like to also mention that through my research I have learned melasma can appear on ANYONE. It's not only pregnant women or women taking birth control, genetics also may be a cause. If we as women don't have enough to worry about already..am I right?! Let's discuss the common causes and who melasma MAY affect: Pregnant and nursing women, women taking birth control, hormonal changes, excessive sun exposure and damage to the skin combined with sun exposure, (EX. waxing and then tanning). Now that we are on the topic of pregnancy, birth control and hormones I'd like to discuss how I was on birth control for about 9 years. I made the decision to completely stop taking my birth control about 2 months ago. It has not been an ideal decision because I am 24 years old and nowhere near ready to have children. I have been with my partner for 10 years now and after discussing my health and skin conditions we agreed that there's no reason to be putting hormones in my body any longer. With that being said we have also had to make some major modifications to avoid pregnancy..needless to say I miss my birth control but I am determined to get my hormones in balance and my healthy skin back. I can't even begin to figure out what could be the cause of this melasma. I have always been extremely athletic and go above and beyond to take care of myself especially through my diet. For about a year I have thought about all the reasons as to why this is occurring and I have come up with the simple fact that melasma (for me) is internal. Like I mentioned earlier I took birth control for about 9 years I loved it it made my skin glow, my boobs grow, periods were light ect..I never had problems with the pill I was prescribed but about a year ago I was switched to a generic brand of birth control and whether it was a coincidence or not it's right around the time that the melasma appeared above my upper lip. IF the cause of my melasma is hormonal (internal) I have learned all I can do is be patient and now that I am off birth control my hormones are just going to have to balance out. I have also learned through others and my research that protecting your skin where the melasma rests is CRUCIAL. If you are out in the sun without protection (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses ect..) your problems will only get worse. Dealing with melasma has put me through a roller coaster of emotions and I've learned a lot about myself. I want to say despite all of the crazy things we deal with as women we are all beautiful. A lot of women suffer from melasma and I know how embarrassing and tough it is to deal with so I am happy to be here and answer questions as best as I can. Again, I am speaking strictly from my experience and you can take it or leave it. I want to talk about some of the products I have used over the last year. I am in no way trying to sell or promote. My experience with melasma and buying products has either been a hit or miss and as I discussed earlier my health has ALWAYS been something I've taken pride in so I refused to use harsh products on my skin. I was told lemon juice naturally lightens skin but please be careful as this is a very acidic fruit and it WILL cause your skin to peel and blister so use with caution and preferably in small amounts. Apple cider vinegar is also a natural lightener from what I've read from others fighting melasma too. Again, please be careful as this is acidic too, it will probably cause redness so it's best to use at night if you're interested. Since I'm convinced my melasma is internal I did my research and found that taking Vitamin C and MSM as well as Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) can help the body rid melasma. I have been taking these supplements 3X daily for the past 5 months and I believe it has been helping. Whether my hormones are starting to balance out or the supplements are contributing to the breaking up of my melasma I will never know and that's what's frusturating about melasma. We aren't sure what causes it so it's a game of trial and error to figure out what rids it. In my opinion, patience and faith is truly the key to beating this you guys, which is so much easier said than done, trust me I know. I am still fighting this but I am seeing improvement and that gives me so much hope. Don't lose faith, stay positive and protect your skin. Wear hats when you're in the sun, apply sunscreen religiously, drink a lot of water and do your best to eat a clean diet. One more thing that I have learned that I believe has helped my melasma is using a Zinc oxide sunscreen specifically on my face where my melasma is at. This is important because like I mentioned earlier, the sun will darken the uneven pigmentation. Good luck and God bless, we are all in this together! XOXO