My Melasma Fight - Mountain View, CA

Thanks dear i hope the same, i am trying to be very careful keeping away from high estrogen food and use sun protection all the time.

if you go to the triluma.com website they tell you where u can find a doctor depending where you live of course.

https://www.triluma.com/dermatologist-results.aspx?zip=94040 check the list i used my post code of Mountain view

Hello, I find him on RealSelf and he seemed knowing a lot but I felt he was treating me like to fast and I had a lot of questions and he was rushing everything to go to his next consultation...so okay I understand the guys is busy but I did not like that too much then I went to see the lady who does the quote for the treatment and she was very nice. At the end I decided to not do it there cos I was reading laser can just bring more melasma and a peeling can be also very bad so I was scared and I went to the California skin institute in Mountain view the people there is very nice and the doctor was the CEO and he was very clear to me about my options and he in very polite way and words told me doctor Ting was kind of a money maker people, cos he has all this machines and peeling renaming treatments that already exists making them his own (so I was in chock and glad I did not went for it) any ways he told me before to do any laser or peeling I should treat my skin to prepare it fie a final strong treatment but it was super expensive like 5.000$ So I passed and in my desperation a friend talked to her doctor sister in Brasil and she had melasma over her lips while studying here in California 3 years ago and she adviced me to use a brighter with retinol or just retinol serum morning and night and Triluma at night after the retinol just on the spot and marks and I was mmmmm okay I will try and in just 2 weeks and half the biggest melasma mark I had by my eye was all gone I could not believe it and just cost me all the treatment 150$ usd. So is up to you Jenny but I would advice you to go to triluma website and check the authorized doctor to prescribe that in your city and make an appointment if triluma does not work then you could move on to a more expensive and stronger treatment. Good luck melasma is a forever problem every 2 months when I feel is coming back I just reapply triluma always using sunblock of Zinc and titanium dioxide.

Thank you so much for the info. Helped me to explore more options.
I actually live in Sunnyvale, so will "follow" your journey especially if you find a good doctor.

https://www.triluma.com/dermatologist-results.aspx?zip=94040 this are ones for Mountain view.

Hi, been using Tri-luma for ~6 weeks. Some of the spots are actually darker.
Wondering whether you use it everyday and whether you use any other topical cream beside Tri-luma. Thank you very much for your help.

Malamysz, thank you so much for sharing this with me, i will totally give it a try if i can find it in my city =). Vi peel is a brand? or is a kind of peeling?

I also tried the VI Peel for my melasma. It actually made my melasma worse immediately. I kept getting told that the new brown spots would peel away, but they never did. It was over a year ago, and I still have them. I wish I never got that peel. I have done the Melanage peel - it was THE BEST. I recommend that!

Thanks for your recommendation =) i went actually to a consultation for the Vi peel and they were very nice and helpful, but i have been using tretinoin and brightening therapy of Kojic acid, arbutin and emblica and those product in a week made my skin flaky and now i am peeling, So i could not do the vi peel. I will check out Melanage peel too to see what would be better for me. I went to a very good dermatologist and he told me in summer is not recommendable to peelings, he also told me the only peeling he would suggest is the TCA.

I think for vi peel or any other peel like TCA, you have to stop using retinol and other treatments, maybe week prior. Depends on the skin.
I would definitely try Vi peel before TCA, due to fast results. I had TCA peel and it takes 10-14 days to look normal.
Also you can do peel whenever, you just have to use zinc oxide sunscreen, not chemical one and use hats. Because if son would be an issue that you should also stop tretinoin etc. It is recommended to do it during winter time, but what if you live in Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona etc?
Plus UVA rays (UVA=aging) are active all year around even when it's overcast, July or December. UVB (B=burning) when it's sunny. UVA penetrate deeper and these cause aging and major sun damage deeper in dermis.
ONLY zinc oxide provides broad spectrum protection, I recommend Tizo age defy sunscreen, 20% micronized zinc oxide (meaning you will NOT look like ghost).
Melange peel is basically retinoid and arbutin, but never tried it.

So overall I would go with Vi peel precision plus, which combo of TCA, salicylic, glycolic, hydroquionone, phenol, retinol acid, vit C.
If you have time TCA 30% and up definitely will erase most of the damage. But protections is crutial so invest in MINERAL sunscreen, apply every 2 hours. I do it gently over make up too.

one more thing when you do any peel, you have to stay from sun 100%, if you expose your skin it will get worse. Peel by itself it will not cause increased pigmentation.
With TCA spots will get darker and will stay that way until skin peel off (up to 2 weeks).

hey i want to know.. after peel u have to stay out of sun for life time..

Of course you need to isolated your skin from the sun for complete until you skin recovers from the peeling. I would not say for life but having melasma you need to stay away of the sun and use protection or you might ending with more melasma also you need to use sunblock all day of titanium dioxide every 2 hours reapply inside the house and if you go out stay by the shadow and use a hat and plenty of sunblock. God luck. Winter is the best time of the year for a peeling.

I agree with Marcheline, but would use 20% zinc oxide instead of titanium. Zinc oxide it;s the only ingredient that truly provides broad spectrum protection and acts like a shield on the skin (unlke chemical sunscreens that get absorbed and change UV rays into heat).

I also use peels regularly all year long, with maximum protection and never had any problems. I live in Pacific Northwest and there is different climate that for example in Las Vegas, where even heat (hot wind) will aggravate melasma, plus it's sunny 350 days in a year.

I live in California where is sunny most of the year and it can get pretty hot here. I have seen different cosmetologist and dermatologist and all of them have said "if you are a person whit melasma and freckles easily you should be very careful with peelings all peelings have different intensity", so it might depends of how strong is the treatment you are getting too. In office peeling are very strong compared to the ones u do at home. Some people do stronger ones of TCA but personally I wouldn't do it by my self ....I prefer pay a professional and don't take any risk at home.

Oh yeah good point! Some sunblocks have those two ingredients :)

hey.. have u ever heard about revlite laser for pigmentation??? is this procedure is safe??

Thanks for this information, i have never heard of this before and i just watched a video about this Laser, but sound pretty similar to the fraxel laser and the result seems to be very similar too if you research many doctors or cosmetologist will say yes go for it is the best but one treatment is never enough depending how is your melasma how deep and how dark, etc... when i went to the the skin spirit they gave me a test and it was painful like hell gosh and was just a second, the skin got very red and a little inflamed for 2 weeks looked like a mosquito bite me lol and then it got darker and one day i started to notice some of the melasma broke and clear skin appeared. I haven't done the real treatment just because they asked me $800 for each treatment and i will need to do it 5 times according to them and that is too much money.... So i do believe the correct Laser will help but, you have to research a lot, because not all the lasers do the same job some people get worse melasma. Just don't believe all what you see on internet always search for reviews. Good luck

I searched for the reviews... bt doesn't find any which help me to decide that should I go for the treatment or not.. its new laser so people are not aware of this... also m scared to get any treatment coz I don't want to worsen my pigmentation.. peel are not safe and laser also doesn't work.. plzz tell me one thing.. after getting patch test.. does melasma reoccur more dark or it faded completely??

Thanks Pixiebnb, in a few months more i will do another update with photos.
I have not done this yet because there is nothing good to share yet :'(, but i am confident i will win this battle.

I did in home a peel with mandelic acid and i got more pigmentation so i think a stronger peel might give me more i am so lost..... no clue about why it works with some people and give more pigmentation with other is like gambling with the skin.

Hello Laurakate8500, yes i am still on my treatment and maintaining the result with the old melasma, but i have got a few new little brown spot by on my other side very close of my eye and it made me so sad that i cried, but i am optimistic that it won't get bigger or darker. I am also following a healthier food routine to clean my liver and that takes time, but i am confident once i get to do it new spot won't come up anymore and the old melasma will disappear for good. Milk Thistle in capsules, 1 gr in the morning before breakfast and another at night after or before eat dinner and a paleo diet should clean my body and my liver from toxins and get a better clear skin. Good luck.

Hello Gt91, I am still doing the treatment and the old melasma has faded but have not disappeared.... I guess is just think of time. The sad news is I have got a new little brown spot on my left side very close of my eye and it driving me crazy because i don't want it get bigger or darker..... so it's summer and is really hard to stay away from the sun all the time so i am using sunblock every 2 hours even when i am inside of the house; also I got a new spot treatment serum from kiehl's and i am adding it to my routine morning and night. I will take photos soon of my face but the marks are still there just less darker.

We are in the same boat :( tried a lot of things , Mesoastetic http://www.mesoesteticusa.com/depigmentation.html used it every 2 years is expensive but I was doing well. later I notice that it wasn't working as it did before, after a wile I use a diferent cream that probably had hydroquinone (I didn't know the contents). And The last one was a Chemical Peel (to aggressive and abort the mission after the 3rd treatment, had little improvement) Now and I only keep only using (Im on my 2nd Sunsafe capsules, ill use 2 more months to hope to see some results) & Vit C+E Antioxidant serum, Phyto corrective @day and @night every other day Retin A 0.01% and Neostrata Skin HQ Lightening.
Sun block +50 and powder Sun block every 2 hrs (even inside the house too :)))
I regret not using the sun block before and more constant.
And yes is very frustrating :((
I found this interesting.
http://www.prpcosmetictreatments.com/2016/01/prp-melasma-hyperpigmentation-treatment.html
I think Ill give it a try and Ill let you know, after the 3rd session its when they see results (a friend of mine had it done with and she's happy).

BTW I found UPF+50 Some nice Wallaroos brand Sun hats in amazon

(I really don't like using this, but protects) http://www.sunprecautions.com/shop/womens/accessories
Good luck

Also everything you said all about the food is right, ill have my degree of Dietitian in this December, Im 46 and 2 daughters in Collage.

I have never tried IPL just because i am too scared to get more melasma, i have read on realself post of doctors and some websites talking about the IPL could go either way treating melasma.... how often have you done this?

I do it twice a year. And it does help. You need to go to a cosmetic dermatologist

Thanks dear i will search more about this