Treating Melasma and Pigmentation With The Ordinary- What We’re Up Against
I’ve done a drawing to show you what it looks like-
Treating Melasma and Pigmentation
Treating Melasma and Pigmentation- Prevention
synthetic oestrogen can give you brown spots on your face
How To Get Rid Of Melasma and Pigmentation- The Ordinary Products
The Ordinary Melasma and Pigmentation Regimens
- Glycolic Acid 7% PM1
- Niacinamide 10%
- Use Granactive Retinoid 2%/5% PM2 (alternating evenings with the acid toner.)
- Moisturiser
- Hydration- SDSM by NIOD or Marine Hyaluronics if you’re on a budget
- Alpha Arbutin 2%
- MAP 10% mixed with Resveratrol+Ferulic
- Moisturiser of your choice, I like Cerave Lotion
- Sunscreen, I like Canmake Mermaid Gel
- Hydrating essence like SDSM by NIOD
- Niacinamide mixed with Marine Hyaluronics for hydration
- MAP
- EUK-134 0.1%
- Borage oil if my skin is feeling dry
- Sunscreen spf 50
- Hydrating essence like SDSM
- Modulating Glucosides by NIOD
- Niacinamide 10%
- Once the previous steps have absorbed well, Tretinoin 0.5%
- Cerave lotion
- Borage oil mixed with Seabuckthorn oil
How To Get Rid Of Melasma and Pigmentation- Other Products/Topicals
- Kojic Acid– Kojic Acid comes from a certain type of fungi. It blocks the Tyrosinase enzyme from creating melanin. Apparently it’s more effective when paired with Glycolic Acid, so that could be a good tip. This Kojic Acid cream from Amazon has a good concentration (4%) and costs £27. Pay attention to skin when using Kojic, it’s known to cause sensitivity.
- B-Resorcinol– The key ingredient in Eucerin Even Better Concentrate £28 from Boots. Another Tyrosinase inhibitor. Here is a small study on humans (human ladies, it’s nearly always ladies) that shows positive effects. Can also be found in L’Oreal White Perfect Double Essence which also contains Lactic and Glycolic Acid.
- Liquorice– Naturally occurring and possibly better than. Found quite often in asian skincare, like Dear, Klairs Supple Preparation Toner from Yesstyle
- Hydroquinone– Hydroquinone is the strongest of all anti pigmentation agents. It’s only available on prescription in the U.K. because of safety concerns. There were some worries that Hydroquinone could cause cancer. It turns out the only basis for this is a study showing Hydroquinone can contribute to a type of kidney cancer in rats. The real worry is that it could cause something called “exogenous ochronosis“- a bluish black discolouration, basically the last thing you want to happen. This is a worrying possible side effect but actually happens extremely rarely. There’s been 28 reported cases out of millions that have used Hydroquinone over the years. Exogenous ochronosis is most likely to occur if you use hydroquinone for a long time. If your pigmentation is really getting to you and you’ve tried everything, Hydroquinone is available via Dermatica
How To Get Rid Of Melasma and Pigmentation- The Supplements
- Pycnogenol– extracted from pine bark, pycnogenol contains powerful antioxidants that could help prevent sun damage. Available from Amazon
- Glutathione– another antioxidant, it’s also an anti inflammatory. Glutathione very popular in Asia and often injected IV as a skin lightening treatment. There’s actually not great evidence that it really works. Available from Amazon if you still want to try it.
- Polypodium leucotomos– An anti inflammatory that inhibits sun damage and helps prevent sun burn. Available from Amazon.
- Tranexamic Acid– Mainly used for increasing blood clotting in ladies with heavy periods or those with bleeding disorders. When taken in low doses (250mg twice a day) reduces melanin production and is safe for healthy people. Available from Boots.
How To Get Rid Of Melasma and Pigmentation- The Treatments
- IPL/Intense Pulsed Light– IPL seems to have a better track record than laser for melasma itself. IPL can penetrate deeper into the skin than laser, which is where the pigmentation often lies in melasma. The side effects can include temporary redness a possible worsening in pigmentation. The same side effects are much more likely if laser is used.
- Cosmelan peel– A multi ingredient mask/peel applied by a skin professional. It consists of one/two sessions at a clinic for application of a brown mask. It has to be worn for ten hours each time so it’s a bit of a procedure. It contains Azelaic Acid, Kojic Acid, Phytic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Arbutin and Titanium Dioxide. I’ve seen some impressive results from ladies on a Melasma Facebook group.
- Acid peel– Acid peels are particularly effective if the skin is primed for a few weeks beforehand with something like Hydroquinone or Tretinoin. Good acids for peeling include- Glycolic, Lactic, Mandelic and Trichloroacetic/TCA.
- Microneedling– Microneedling creates minute channels into the deeper skin to allow actives to penetrate deeper. You can have this done by a professional to ensure safety or you can get your own roller. I got mine from Amazon and it’s 0.5mm. The skin should be really clean before, and the roller sterile. Vitamin C would be a good active to apply afterwards.
Treating Melasma and Pigmentation With The Ordinary- Take Home Message
- Seek support– There are some fab groups on social media- Skincare Addiction on Reddit and The Melasma U.K. and Melasma group, The Deciem Chatroom on Facebook.
- Be sun safe– Seek the shade, wear a hat, use factor 50 broad spectrum sunscreen. If you’re not avoiding UV, there’s not much point treating pigmentation.
- Check out the Ordinary– The Ordinary has many affordable products that are in a good strong concentrations. It’s a fantastic starting point for pigmentation sufferers.
- Don’t expect immediate results– You need to be consistent with anything you use for pigmentation, it could take up to a year for an active to have its full effect.
- Combination treatment works best– In all the studies I read, products tend to work better together. Retinoids and vitamin C, Arbutin and Glycolic Acid…
- Remember that you’re beautiful!!!
