Hi I have melasma on my chest area pretty bad. I freckle very easily also. I use sunscreen but it is still bad on the chest area. I am allergic to hydroquinone and cant seem to use kojic acid or any topical without getting very red , swollen and bumpy. I tried ipl which made it worse. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this??
October 2, 2014
Answer: Chest Melasma Chest melasma is uncommon, but could occur. Most likely if you have it on your chestyou have it on your face. Many of the topical products used to treat melasma canbe irritating and the chest is always extra sensitive to topicals. The discoloration could simply represent old sundamage and have that deep, darker color. Individuals that freckle have less genetic protection from the sun, so physical protection from clothing is your best bet. During the day, we recommend wearing a shirt that covers the chest. Physical sunblocks with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are excellent, but the direct heat and incident UV penetration can still damage the skin. You could try some of the non-hydroquinone products, such as Lytera, but the chest may respond best to microdermabrasion with ultrasound non-HQ Bleach and Retin A or a series of light chemical peels. It is not uncommon to have lasers and light sources create rebound hyperpigmentation. I would definitely have you see a cosmetic dermatologist as you may need hormones checked if this truly is melasma and having rebound hyperpigmentation can be a challenging issue.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
October 2, 2014
Answer: Chest Melasma Chest melasma is uncommon, but could occur. Most likely if you have it on your chestyou have it on your face. Many of the topical products used to treat melasma canbe irritating and the chest is always extra sensitive to topicals. The discoloration could simply represent old sundamage and have that deep, darker color. Individuals that freckle have less genetic protection from the sun, so physical protection from clothing is your best bet. During the day, we recommend wearing a shirt that covers the chest. Physical sunblocks with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are excellent, but the direct heat and incident UV penetration can still damage the skin. You could try some of the non-hydroquinone products, such as Lytera, but the chest may respond best to microdermabrasion with ultrasound non-HQ Bleach and Retin A or a series of light chemical peels. It is not uncommon to have lasers and light sources create rebound hyperpigmentation. I would definitely have you see a cosmetic dermatologist as you may need hormones checked if this truly is melasma and having rebound hyperpigmentation can be a challenging issue.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
October 2, 2014
Answer: Melasma treatment Melasma is extremely uncommon on the chest. Brown pigmentation on the chest is most commonly due to chronic mild sun exposure, such from wearing V-neck shirts. Nd:Yag laser can be very effective for this type of brown pigmentation, but often needs to be repeated once or twice every year.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
October 2, 2014
Answer: Melasma treatment Melasma is extremely uncommon on the chest. Brown pigmentation on the chest is most commonly due to chronic mild sun exposure, such from wearing V-neck shirts. Nd:Yag laser can be very effective for this type of brown pigmentation, but often needs to be repeated once or twice every year.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
