Almost Melasma Free - Los Gatos, CA

Yes i take huge breaks, 3-6 months or as needed. I notice if i finish a treatment where i completely clear up and stop treatment, so long as i keep out of the sun it can last a long time. But if i have an incident where i end up forgetting my sunscreen through the day and wxpose my face i will notice it coming back and i will have to do a maintenence. My RetinA is .05 and the Obagi step 3 Clear is 4%.-Monica

I am 49 turning 50 in January. Thank you.

I am going through my page and not sure if i ever responded. It didnt take long to start seein that it was working. After a week i noticed the lightening
After 3 it was dramatic. I was told it would take 3-6 months but the lighter portions were nearly all and before I knew it it had all been taken care of. I avoided the sun!!!

I am 49, 50 in January.

Yes I'm well aware of. No more sun fot me and that this is a regime for the rest of my life. I have just added it to my list like brushing my teeth. I don't need the sun...tanning my legs and arms is fine for me besides the sun ages you. I had a melasma spot when I was pregnant with my daughter. I thought that one would never go away when I started. My daughter is 23 so it was very old and my very first patch. It went away afer about one month. If you want it lightened and can give up sitting in the sun then go for it. It was worth it to me. Good luck Bella.

I LOVE the SUN and Never will stay out of it. I am a sun goddess like the mayans! Even driving the sun hits my face,i do not sit out and tan, Buti attract the sun when in Mexico,plus the sun there is a DEVIL and NOTHING like California.lol. I may change my mind when i am 50+ But for now i will live with it and keep my face&body the same color. I am HAPPY for you :) Rejoice in your new skin

Hi, Can you tell me if your melasma was dermal or epidermal? I have old melasma that is resistent to treatment and only looks bit better with peels. I think it's dermal. Does obagi work on dermal melasma?

korsan2012….thanks for the info on the anthelios roche sunscreen. So I was using that and my derm rec. I switch to an all physical one saying that the ones that contain chemical like the roche posey one holds heat in which can make melasma worse so I switched to the Skinceuticals physical tinted spf50…I like that one because of the tint so I will sometimes not wear foundation, but it seems to make my skin a little more greasy and sometime sometimes after reapplying it twice, by the end of the day I feel like I am getting a little acne. Has your derm ever said anything about physical versus chemical sunscreen? I have been so paranoid to switch back or switch off and on with the two? Thanks!!!!

And sun screen no matter what. Mine is lightening day by day and obagi has hydroquinone I bet.so it will work but then come back as did mine-

hi what is msm?

Meant Obaji products. Sorry about that, good old auto correct.

Yes, probably. Melasma never goes away just able to maintain. I am down to 2-3 times a week. And I always, always wear a hat.

I just got mine in the mail today! So excited to try it! Im only 24 and only have freckles here and there but i dont want it to get worse and plus i also have sun damage. I want to fix it before it all gets worse and harder to treat. I hope this works! :)

if you want to know how much of the product and when I put them on just give me a call and I'd be happy to let you know. 408-504-5313. Monica

Yes it is...the foaming wash and toner are 6.7 oz. And the other bottles are 2 oz each. If you need to know how much and in what order to apply call me. 408-504-5313. I'd be happy to help. Monica

I am so happy for you im sure you will be satisfied with the end result. Make sure to ALWAYS wear sunscreens and a big hat even in overcast weather. Happy Mother's day. Id love to see some pics later. Ok?

Hey dear Kimmeroo and Monica! Your results are awesome! I do also suffer from melasma on my forehead, cheeks and upper lip! I'm so desperate! My Wedding is in 3 month! Would you recommend me starting with the obagi new derm line? Did you also do the obagi Blue Peel First or are you only using the products of obagi New derm? Lovely greets And thank you so much for any answer!

Hey dear Kimmeroo and Monica! Your results are awesome! I do also suffer from melasma on my forehead, cheeks and upper lip! I'm so desperate! My Wedding is in 3 month! Would you recommend me starting with the obagi new derm line? Did you also do the obagi Blue Peel First or are you only using the products of obagi New derm? Lovely greets And thank you so much for any answer!

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. I wouldn't recommend any peels. People that suffer with melasma tend to make the problem worse with peels. Reason being that the area that is not effected clears even more and makes the melasma area stand out more. The nuderm job is to even out the tone. Call me if you want me to go over the amounts of the products for day and night application. Id be more than happy to help you. I am so happy with my results. I spent the weekend back home in L.A. this mother's day and ran into friends from way back. They said I hadn't aged. What was my secret. If they only knew what I had been through just last year. They couldn't see anysigns of my melasma. Super nappy. :-D

Sorry I forgot to leave my cell. 408-504-5313. Monica

Hey Monica! Thanks for your answer- is it possible to write me the products because I'm from Europe... And do you know where i can buy these products? Have you ever tried products of dermaceuticals? Sorry that I do have so many questions...

Sorry Sunsarah, I just realized I didn't answer your last post. I use the Obagi Nuderm line. I use the full line as I believe it all makes a difference. First the foaming gel, then toner. Make sure you Let each layer dry thoroughly from toner through last product. Then in the morning you apply the 3rd step...Obagi Clear, then Obagi's Exforte. Then Sunscreen..lots of sunscreen throughout the day. at night it begins again. Wash, tone and clear. Then a blend of the Obagi Blend mix with the RetinA otherwise known as tretinoin. You need a prescription for the RetinA. I use the .05 strength. Best of lunch on your wedding.

Dear please help me i have melasma in my both checks i am in UAE HOW can i get this cream here in uae?

You can purchase the line on EBay. You will have to ask a doctor for the RetinA / Tretinoin. Prescription strength .05% is what I use. Wow you are in the U Arab Emeritus? Talk about hot weather. Very hard to get melasma under control in that heat. Good luck with your treatment. I completely understand your frustration.

your kind recommendations are priceless. Thank you so much. I really want to implement your routine exactly.

Peanut5, I would have to say both since I still have some melasma tone in mynskin. It is faint but I still notice it. It began dark and dirty, resembling a 5 o'clock shadow in some places. I originally had only one spot 24 years ago giving birth to my daughter. Small patch on my left cheekbone. Couple years ago my doctor put me on birth control pills to Aleve my migraine and it happened. It came on so fast and noticed if I was anywhere near the sun it just gi t worse. So I guess youcan say I have both. I do sstrongly recommend NOT doing any laser treatment. The heat associated with the laser seems to make it worse. From people who have the melasma deep down. But that is where melasma is deep down below the surface. What is just in the uppermost layer is sun damage

Thanks so much for the reply!!!! I'm struggling with trying to figure out what to do with this…so did you just use the obaji nuderm line and that took care of most of your melasma? Can you go outside still and enjoy doing things outdoors? I have two younger kids who look forward to summer and camping, swimming etc….I just want this gone :-( Thanks for any tips…I appreciate them more than you know…just wanted a "normal" summer so bad this year…a year and a half battle of a rare bone disease with my now 10 year old son has been very stressful to say the least. Thanks again!! Oh, are you on Facebook at all? :-)

@peanut6 her results do look amazing. I bought this system too. 300$ later, it was okay. Not a miracle worker though. I would reccommend you see a dermatologist. They can prescribe you things that are muuuch cheaper, and that do the exact same thing. Save yourself the money. I wish i had. I have an appointment w a dermatologist next month :) you should try that first :) hope this helped :)

Brooke, I am sorry to say the sun is no longer my friend. I so miss looking up at the sun and feeling the warmth on my face. I still go out but always have plenty of sunscreen and a big hat. I must have 50+ hats now. I use the NuDerm line and you need to get a prescription for a .05% strength of RetinA. My whole regime was in my email. Im sorry to hear about your little boy. I hope everything works out for him and you.

Peanut you didn't see any results? Did you use the products in conjunction with the RetinA? I would be interested how you used the Obagi line if you wouldn't mind.? Thank you

Thanks guys!! I use the obagi blender and trenoitin .05% at night. It hasn't made me peel or anything? I typically use a Mary Kay revitalizing mask a couple times a week but don't know if this would make the melasma worse? The derm also had me see one of their estheticians who want me to use skinceuticals CE Phloretin serum I believe it is called. I am having a hard time finding a good physical sunscreen for my face…they are having me try skinceuticals 50 physical but it makes my nose and around my mouth dry, which is weird because I am acne prone, very oily in my t zone but dry on my cheeks…so hard to find a even ground lol…I wish I knew what caused this so I could try and fix that…it isn't sun damage because I have always taken care of my skin and used good products…very frustrating. My son is doing great now, even back to hockey (which is scary lol) but we want to go outside and play and do things and I'm freaked to…I don't want this to spread over my whole face…the derm said she does't think it will but how would she know. She has a spot that comes out every year on the side of her face, she says it gets darker by August and then is gone for winter…I looked and couldn't even see a spot on her…she said it would for sure be out by August and that she was bad about using sunscreen sometimes herself (weird) and that she used a neutrogena 70 but when I went to get that, it was chemical based and she had just told me that physical was better so confused why she does't wear physical since she has a spot of melasma. She said hers never spreads either just gets darker towards end of summer….could I get that lucky? She also uses a bb creme but when I went to look at that it had chemical sunscreen in it too…frustrating.

@peanut... you just use the blender and RetinA mix? What about the wash, toner, clear and exfoderm forte for morning and night time wash, tone, clear plus blend and RetinA? . It all works together in a sequence. If you just do a part you won't see results. One chemical sets off the next and so on. If you miss a step in baking a cake your end result doesn't come right. It is the same with treating the melanoma...no shortcuts. As a reminder...your skin will dry out at first, get very red, peel and be in pain but that shows it is working. It is peeling layer after layer to get to the new skin below. I will send you a link of people who have used the fill line and their results. You can see them on you tube.

***melasma...my auto correct is really irritating me.

Thanks M that would be awesome! Do you use the whole line just on the forehead if that is the inky place I have it? The derm said just the trenoitin and hydroquinine (oabagi nuderm?)