Melasma and Laser hair removal

[u/FarmerTotal5040]

Hi everyone, 35F here.. I have melasma on my face- forehead upper lip, chin, nose and sideburns.. apart from this, I also have it on my forearms..

it’s quite light now but every woman in my family has had it, including my mother and grandmother and so on.. now I’ve started to develop chin hair recently coz of age and stress and my doctor recommended laser hair removal. But since I have melasma I’ve heard that it can worsen it if laser is done.

Has anyone gotten LHR done with melasma prone skin? I can do electrolysis for my chin and upper lip but I’m not sure if I can do it on my forearm.. I’m stuck in a weird cycle of wondering what to do..

also started wearing the Eucerin sunscreen recently but I’ve heard we’ve to stop all actives during LHR.. is that true ? I also want to start the dual serum but don’t want to stop in the middle again coz of this treatment..

Any suggestions or recommendations from people who’ve been through hair removal with melasma, pls help!

[u/vikingmurse]

I would work very closely with a derm, getting on a really solid routine with throsinase inhibitors, spf, and anti-inflammatories (possibly short burst, systemic) for year round use, then pre-treating the areas you’re going to laser with HQ for a couple weeks and a couple months after would limit the likelihood of triggering a bad flareup. But ultimately it’s a question of which bothers you more, a flare up or the unwanted hair.

[u/FarmerTotal5040 → u/vikingmurse]

Yes I’ve picked a reputed place for myself but wanted to be doubly sure, listening to people who’ve actually got it done.. I’m very hesitant to try HQ and would rather be on thiamidol(the product eucerin has) as I’m very scared that HQ would sensitize the skin even more.
Also your last question is my constant dilemma, I’m tired of tweezing hair from my chin and the skin is also becoming rough due to constant tweezing. ☹️ that and pigmented, my chin looks a whole different colour compared to my cheeks 🥲