What's the best melasma treatment?

Melasma is a very common and extremely frustrating skin condition that causes brown discoloration to the face. It affects women much more than men and can be the cause of much emotional distress. Generally speaking, melasma is hormonally generated and can be caused by oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and even menopause. It can be exacerbated by heat and sun exposure. Oftentimes, patients spend much time and money on bleaching products which are not meant to be used long-term and leave many disappointed. Non-ablative lasers have not proven to be a good treatment option because of inconsistent outcomes and the potential of making the discoloration more pronounced. Melasma can be found in the epidermis as well as the dermis or even a combination of both. We have been using a depigmentation mask that is worn for several hours followed by a home maintenance program. This product is called Cosmelan by Mesoestetic. We have achieved consistent outcomes for most of our patients with approxmiately 5% that are non-responders.
Although there is no "cure" for melasma, Cosmelan is a safe and affordable, treatment option for many with little to no downtime.