Hi all! I'm new here. I've been suffering from melasma (hyper pigmentation) and vitiligo (hypo pigmentation) for a couple years now. I've decided to join your forum now so I can share with you what's finally working for me to reduce & almost eliminate sumptoms of both horrifying conditions! I felt like I was letting you all down by not sharing with you my success. I'll skip my personal back story and just get right to it. You are forewarned, my method is not an overnight fix and certainly takes time and dedication on the part of the sufferer to see results. I have slowly, but surely started to put my symptoms into remission (without a single medication) by drastically altering my diet. I have done a tremendous amount of research on the causes of melasma/vitiligo and the answer is all too common—an imbalance of hormones and a "leaky gut." Since my goal has always been to eliminate the use of medications I've turned to changing my diet and reducing stress levels (through exercise, meditation, 8 hrs of sleep) to balance my hormones and digestion, naturally. I tried many of the meds in the past that I see msny posting about (triluma made my patches darker! ). Although some of these meds may help to lighten your skin, it's a temporary "band-aid" fix. Not to mention the fact that some of the medications are only meant for short-term use due to other issues they could cause (I believe triluma is banned from the market in Europe). Anyway, if you want to put your symptoms into remission I believe you must commit to resolving what's CAUSING your symptoms. I started the Paleo diet (specifically Whole 30- the Autoimmune protocol) two weeks ago and my melasma (on my upperlip .. Which had symmetrical dark grey/black patches) has almost faded entirely. I, of course, can still notice what remains, but my friends and family say they don't see it at all anymore with make up on. WHAT A RELIEF THIS HAS BEEN. I actually went on two dates this week bc I'm finally beginning to feel like I'm not a prisoner to this horrifying, hairless "mustache" that was on my face. I have been on the paleo diet before (type in Whole 30 or Paleo in Google and you'll find all the info you need), but never paid attention to what foods may or may not be exaccerbating or even completely triggering my symptoms. The whole 30 concept is to eat clean (no grains, dairy, alcohol, added sugar/artificial sweeteners and processed foods) for 30 days. Then you are coached as to how and when to reintroduce certain foods. The idea is to really pinpoint which foods/drinks may be triggering symptoms (a common one is gluten). Anyway, the diet is strict. I won't down play it. But once I figure out which foods I know to avoid I will at least have better control of this condition rather then allowing it to rule me. If you want to know more about my story, the diet or have any questions please feel free to reach out here. I have many resources and books I can recommend, as well, which I have found incredibly helpful. Please keep in mind that this has been my experience. I am by no means a doctor, so this is me just sharing what has worked for me! I wish you all the best and hope that I can help in anyway possible. Stay strong! You're all beautiful!