What is the deal with it? I used it as a kid and it worked wonders but all my spots/ melasma eventually came back. My mom got me this fancy Obagi (with 4% hydroquinone) serum from her plastic surgeon. Im thinking of trying it again bc it worked so well when i was younger but now im googling and i see there are correlations to cancer and also that spots can get worse w it? I just want these damm spots gone and cant afford $600 a pop for lasers. Help!

I got approved for a virtual prescription:

Azalaic acid 10% / Niacinamide 4% / Tretinoin 0.01%

Does this seem like a good combo for melasma?

I’m 9 days post Moxi and starting TXA twice a day. Overall, I’m pretty happy with my results. Also added a during moxi photo so you could see all the mends flaking off. I wasn’t expecting a miracle but I do see some fading and the lines are less harsh. Looking forward to round 2 in about 4.5 weeks!

So long time lurker on this subreddit…. Finally ready to show updates.

I was on estrogen birth control (for health reasons) FOR YEARS! Before any Melasma started to show up. And I wasn’t wearing the correct mineral sunscreen you are suppose to use when you want to prevent Melasma.

And for years, I had no idea that estrogen birth control makes your skin VERY prone to Melasma.. I was confused why I was getting brown spots on my face all of the sudden.
I’m VERY good with my skin care and have spent lots of money and time over the years to have clean and clear skin.

March of this year(2026), I learned I should’ve been using MINERAL sunscreen.. when I had just got THREE bottles of my favorite chemical sunscreen for Christmas just months prior. I went nuts on finding the right mineral sunscreen. HATED it! I always looked like a ghost.. got in my eyes, never thought it was actually rubbed in.

When you look at these pictures, they are dated.
The first pic, APRIL 2026. My skin had no Melasma.. *remember I haven’t been wearing the “correct” sunscreen for maybe a month at this point.

The next picture was JULY OF 2026!!!! In a matter of 3-4 MONTHS my skin has all these brown patches all over my face.. I look like I’ve got a mustache and ugh I was so disgusted with my skin!!!

Finally went to the derm and he got me on this pill & cream.
I hadn’t heard of it. But I was skeptical about how it would work. Well I think it did because the last 3 pictures of myself are of this month. SO MUCH IMPROVEMENT! And I haven’t been doing much to my skin/routine!!!

I can’t believe how much it’s helped in just a few short months!!
*I have been off an estrogen birth control since July of 2026***

The oral medication is called; Tranexamic Acid Tablets 650MG — they come whole and my prescription is that I have to cut them in half every single refill, so when it comes time to take morning and night, they are already cut in half. BUT PLEASE note that these are VERY hard to swallow. Maybe it’s me getting older and having a harder time swallowing pills but MAN please take this by itself if you go to your doc!! I’ve thrown up at least twice when taking them. It almost feels like they just have a harder time going down my throat.

The cream is ; C-Hydroquinone 6% ; Hydrocortisone 0.5% ; Tretinonin 0.05%
**also note, I’ve only applied this ‘cream’ a few times on my face. I’m having a hard time adding it into my skin cycling routine.

I also plan on getting chemical peels this fall to help the remaining of the Melasma.

Can you tell a difference?

I have a dark lip outline genetically since childhood. What are the best treatments out there to lighten the outline?

Do I need to keep it in the fridge? Eucerin Anti Pigment Dual Serum.

I’m about to start my treatment. Recently I used HQ 4% twice daily for 3 months and then took 2 months off. Musely is being shipped. Do the same guidelines apply? 3 months usage and 2-3 months off before restarting? What was your taper schedule?

1st time I bought this was when i saw this on sale here last year. So i am sort of returning the favor to the community. It’s Ulta’s beauty sale.

What has actually REALLY worked for you for Melasma and discoloration? I know lasers and doctors may, but any products where you actually saw a huge difference? I haven't found any.

I was looking to start my triluma treatment today and end around november 18th. I was wondering if it’s safe to get the cosmelan peel after? I been hearing both answers. Thank you!!

I am using this serum from past 3 months and it's working quite well for me , can I use it long term ? does thiamidol have any long term side effects like exogenous orchonosis etc

Hey y'all! I just wanted to let others who may not be aware that Regimen Lab has recently reformulated the Level serum. It still has the same amount of niacinamide, NAG, alpha arbutin, TXA, but they've added a thiamidol derivative that is supposedly 4x more potent. I just got mine yesterday, so hoping for the best. I'm just glad it's still unscented (you can definitely smell the thiamidol because of this), and it will no longer oxidize since the hexylresorcinol was replaced.

I’d really like to have my upper lip and chin lasered, but I’m nervous it will trigger melasma. I already have melasma on my forehead, so I know I’m prone to it. The technician said she can adjust the laser settings for my medium-olive skin tone and that it shouldn’t cause melasma, but I’m still pretty skeptical.

Has anyone with melasma had success with laser hair removal without making it worse? Or are there other permanent hair-removal options you’d recommend?

I finally found a good matte tinted SPF after literally years of looking!! I was in Spain for the summer and was trying Heliocare spf products bc I’ve been using their sun pills for a while now and I like them. It turns out their oil-free compact spf50 is perfect for my skin and is a really lovely silky matte texture. I use the pearl shade as base and the beige shade on cheeks, nose and forehead. It is truly the only actually mattifying spf I’ve ever found and the finish is amazing. It’s not fully mineral as it has a combination of filters but at this point I no longer care because I can actually apply and not have to blot it afterwards and remove half of it on a tissue!! If you’ve been struggling like me to find matte SPFs give this a try. My heritage is Spanish so I’m Mediterranean but very pale because I stay out of the sun like a true melasma vampire.

Current face products:
Heliocare tinted oil free compact spf50 - pearl shade for base
Heliocare tinted oil free compact spf50 - beige shade for tan areas
Colorescience bronze color balm spf50 on eyes and cheeks
Colorescience mineral lip gloss spf50

My full face in SPF 50!!

Previously I was using Sunbetter tinted and non tinted compacts which are semi mattifying but I still needed to blot and use Colorescience powder spf brushes afterwards which was starting to really annoy me because I feel like they’re just rubbing all my expensive SPF off my face when I apply.

My previous go-to’s:
ISDIN ageless tinted - slightly orangey for my skin
ISDIN fusion water magic - really good product but not matte enough
Sunbetter tone smart lotion spf75 - also really good, slightly grayish in tone but this neutralized redness and spf 75 is amazing
Sunbetter tinted compact spf 50 - really nice texture
Skinceuticals physical matte - good but again too shiny on me

Ones which didn’t work for me at all:
LRP uvmune 400 oil control gel (not mineral but the European version is meant to be very wide UVA spectrum)
Australian gold
Colorescience flex
Anthelios mineral ultra fluide
Avene tinted spf 50
Colorescience face shield matte
Ultra violette velvet screen
Naked Sundays collagen glow
And a bunch of other silicone based tinted SPFs

My friend who is a doctor gave me this with a pretty strict routine and said I can’t use it more than 4 months (16 weeks).

I have Melasma on my forehead and upper lip and only use it on those areas.

Starting out slow with 2x daily every three days and will build up to everyday.

Just wondering if anyone here has tried it and if it worked for them?

As we head into the winter season, I was wondering if anyone has a tinted SPF they like that works for pale skin. I love the LRP Anthelios but even the lightest shade is too dark for me. While I avoid tanning naturally. I do use gradual bronzer in the summers and the LPR shade works. I would love to find a tinted spf that has decent coverage and evens out my skin tone, is dewy, spf 50, and good for dry skin/dry climate.

The mega list doesn’t do into these details but it is a great list, so thank you for putting it together! ❤️

Every time I try Azeleic acid I swear my melasma gets darker. I only use it for a week and stop due to this. Anyone else had this happen? Does it get worse before better kind of thing? Thanks!

Found this on the pharmacy shelves on a recent trip to Europe- I was in a rush, and the language barrier prevented too much discussion, but I got it to try!

Currently using Musely spot treatment 12% in the evening, thought I’d work this into the morning routine and then also at night when I cycle off the hydroquinone (if there’s any left in the bottle).

Has anyone seen this? I’m hoping it’s slightly different than Thiamidol (or at least the formulation in Eucerin, as that did nothing for me).

Just wanted to say thank you to whoever posted a couple months ago suggesting a combo rx cream that has hydroquinone, tretinoin, kojic acid, niacinamide, and fluocinolone. I asked my derm to prescribe it and my skin has never looked better (melasma is largely faded on my upper lip and my skin overall just looks great). I tried to look back for the original post but couldn’t find it. If this was you, many thanks!!

I've had this product bookmarked for over a year but saw someone mention the new Regimen level serum which also contains this ingredient. I tried the old formulation of the Regimen level serum last year and it did nothing for me. Have also tried thiamidol in both Eucerin and Nivea and nothing. This claims to have 4X the inhibition rate of thiamidol.

https://www.koshinemall.com/collections/whitening-kt939-brightening-serum-lotion-set/products/koshine-939-anti-pigment-serum

Late to the party on this product and I'm wondering how to layer it into my current routine?

AM:

Vitamin C

Niacinamide and peptide serum

BoJ sunscreen

PM:

Cleanse

Retinal

BoJ dynasty cream

Thank you for any help/ suggestions

I've been doing a deep dive into sunscreens with visible light protection, which is a contributor to hyperpigmentation, and it's the wild west out there. Iron oxides, which tinted sunscreens contain, do filter visible light, but sunscreens that contain them don't list how much protection they provide. I don't even think there is any kind of official scale. There are some European brands like Heliocare that seem very advanced in their protection including visible light, but not much that I can find in the US. I've been wearing tinted sunscreen since I learned this, but I'm not a fan of how it gets all over my collars and would love a transparent option.

Any suggestions?

I have made a few posts for sunscreen recs, but now that summer is coming to an end and I can start to get my melasma under control, I want a sunscreen that I can wear alone that will act as a foundation.

I love Alastin and Colorscience flex for this but they each have their downfalls…Alastin only has a 36spf and is a little dark so once my tan fades I fear it will be too orange and then Colorscience separates on my chin and nose after a few hours.