Pregnant women and those women who are consuming contraceptive pills must be very careful as they could get melasma issues or dark skin colouration. It is believed that melasma can be due to many reasons like fluctuations in hormones, sun exposure, genetics etc. Point is that melasma patches develop slowly over time. Melasma is also known as the mask of pregnancy.
Various reasons for getting melasma are
Hormonal fluctuations:
Melasma could be due to hormonal changes in women. It is mostly seen in pregnant mothers. It is learnt that fluctuations of hormones like estrogen and progesterone could trigger melanocytes to produce more melanin. This would lead to brown patches.
Sun exposure:
Melasma can occur due to exposure to the sun. Melanocytes would get stimulated due to sun rays exposure and this would lead to increased production of melanin. It must be noted that melasma would worsen during summer seasons.
Heat:
Not only UV radiation from sunlight but also heat could lead to melasma in women. Point to be noted is that prolonged exposure to heat would lead to sweating and this would then result in melasma or worsen the already present melasma.
Visible light:
Melasma can occur due to visible light also. This would include blue light from electronic devices etc..
Genetics:
It is well known that genetics is responsible for transmission of various health issues from our parents to us. This also includes melasma. It is said that those with the family history of melasma could develop melasma themselves.
Various home based remedies for treating melasma are
Lemon juice:
The dark skin coloration due to melasma could get lightened by lemon juice application. Here, lemon juice is squeezed directly from lemons and applied on the affected areas with the help of a cotton ball. The affected portion with lemon juice is left for ten minutes and then washed with lukewarm water.
Aloe vera:
It is possible to treat melasma with the help of aloe vera. The reason for that is due to soothing and skin lightening properties of aloe vera. Here, aloe vera is extracted from the leaves and is applied on the affected areas. The area with aloe vera is left for 15 minutes and then washed well with water.
Apple cider vinegar or ACV toner:
The natural acids present in apple cider vinegar or ACV would exfoliate skin and would lighten dark spots. First, ACV is diluted with water to make ACV toner. This is then applied on the affected areas using cotton balls. After 10min, the affected portion with AV toner must be washed with water.
Sun protection:
By protectingng from the sun, it would be possible to manage melasma well. It must be noted that by wearing broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or more we could get protection from the sun. The sunscreen must be applied every 2 hours. By wearing wide brimmed hats plus sunglasses, protective clothing etc, skin could get protected from harmful sun rays