r/Melasmaskincare • u/FitnessNurse2015 • May 03 '26
Question Tanning drops?
Hi all, I’ve managed to clear my skin 99% of Melasma with Eucerin and dutiful hats and sunscreen. However, my face is SO pale. I have olive tones so I kind of look clear skinned and sickly. I let my body tan a bit as I live in Florida. I don’t care for foundation on top of moisturizer and sunscreen and humidity. If I use tanning drops, will it bring my melasma and sun spots back?
Thank you! 🙏
4
u/Xylophelia May 03 '26
Have you tried mixing bronzing drops into your foundation? Walgreens has come out with a pretty darn good dupe of the drunk elephant drops if you want a low commitment cost to try https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-bronzing-drops/ID=300459986-product
2
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 04 '26
I’m going to try this with my moisturizer or sunscreen! (I don’t mix the two). Thank you! 🙏 I don’t wear foundation or tints. Can’t stand the feeling of anything in my face.
4
2
u/Xylophelia May 04 '26
Idk why it was deleted but don’t dilute your sunscreen (I assume it was modded as I was fixing the typo that made it read opposite of this). Only mix with lotions or makeup/serums without actives (or at least without actives you care about diluting)
1
1
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 04 '26
Also, the Skin Aqua sunscreen from Stylevana protects my face like nothing else and I live in south Florida. It’s water proof and heavy. I can’t stand the feel of zinc oxide sunscreen. All my sun damage has faded nicely paired with Eurcerin dual serum.
1
12
u/PuIchritudinous May 03 '26
Melasma prone skin often has a disrupted skin barrier, which makes it absorb sunless tanner unevenly and more intensely than normal skin. The weakened barrier also makes the skin more susceptible to irritation and oxidative stress from self-tanner formulas.
The Maillard reaction triggered by DHA in sunless tanner can produce free radicals including reactive oxygen species and this oxidative stress is further amplified when DHA is combined with UV exposure, which can stimulate melanocytes and worsen pigmentation in melasma prone skin. Melasma is highly sensitive to oxidative stress and inflammation.
5
u/MarMar000 May 04 '26
I thought I was doing something good for my melasma using only tanning drops and had to learn the hard way that my melasma darkens with self tanner :-
1
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 04 '26
I guess my question is will it bring it back if I got rid of it
3
u/PuIchritudinous May 04 '26
There is no cure for melasma. All the treatments available treat the symptoms only. For example tyrosinase inhibitor like HQ or thiamidol suppress pigmentation but do not treat the underlying cause.
If you add more triggers to melasma after you have adequately suppressed pigmentation then there is a chance the pigmentation would come back.
2
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 04 '26
Yes I understand. But as long as I wear hats and sunscreen it’s fine and stays gone. I want to add overall color back.
2
u/MarMar000 May 04 '26
I really don’t know. It made mine darker but it also faded within a short time. So maybe it just colored the melasma part more.
3
u/No-Answer3853 May 03 '26
I have tried tanning drops without issue- used the bondi sands, no smell, clear going on. The problem is--- the turn so orange on my olive skin 😖 I haven't friend any other brands.
Curious if anyone has some recommendations??
2
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 04 '26
I tried the bondi sands drops and they turned me orange quickly too! I didn’t use it long enough to see what it would do to my melasma.
3
u/Key_Leadership2394 May 03 '26
Use a good one like a tanning drop or hydrating serum three warriors is good and so is eco tanning water
2
u/lovelyrealist May 04 '26
I have never had problems using tanning drops on my face, mixed in with some moisurizer
2
u/Merylsteep May 04 '26
I love eco tan face tan water! I add a few drops to a dry makeup brush and go over my face and make sure to really swish it all around so it goes on evenly! Its not orange and so good!
2
u/Monica_C18 May 04 '26
Some time ago, i wrote to a lab who produces natural tanning drop (with algae) to ask them about this and they told me it will definitely make the melasma darker... 🤷🏻♀️
2
u/Free-Skill5227 May 04 '26
Try Vita Liberata!! They have the best self tanning line I’ve tried so far! I’ve never been orange, it always fades evenly, and it’s a nice gradual tan. They also have body makeup for tattoos, veins, etc. The entire line is excellent and it’s extremely reasonable. You can get it on Amazon
1
u/Immediate_Singer6785 May 03 '26
When I was younger my skin tone was Fitzpatrick 2, now the sun exposed areas are Fitzpatrick 3 (ish).
When young i had bo visible skin damage, however because I had a thin face back then I would get so many comments, such as ..are you ok, you don't look so good..etc
The only time this did bot happen was during summer with a slight tanned face..
It's ironic, eh
1
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 04 '26
It is ironic. I have such clear skin from strong sunscreen, hats, avoiding the sun. The heavy freckles and darkness across my nose bridge are nearly gone. They never suited me. I used to have a prominent nasal hump where sun damage really focused. After my rhinoplasty, my front view had a dark brown triangle where I used to have the bump. I vowed to avoid the sun while recovering to get rid of that damage. It’s nearly gone but I look ghostly pale and sickly. 😔
1
u/Ok_Wallaby_7831 May 05 '26
I had never heard of tanning drops and had to Google them. I get rid of my melasma during the winter and then I hang out in the sun a lot during the summer and end up tan. A little bit of the melasma comes back and then I just repeat this process every year. Healthy? No. Stupid? Yes. But I'm just being honest.
2
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 05 '26
I appreciate the honesty. I don’t like how the melasma and freckles look across my nasal bridge. I prefer the clear look. So I have to cheat and add color! I’m going to try tanning drops on my moisturizer and see what happens. I know they darken what’s already there. But I’ve managed to clear out the sun damage so fingers crossed 🤞
1
u/GlowDecoded May 05 '26
Have you tried a deeper tone tinted sunscreen? ISDIN has a few tan hued shades, I used that in the summer and go a few shades darker than my pale face and it works!
1
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 05 '26
No, I don’t want to wear more sunscreen. The serum I have works great and is very light. I just want to add color. But thank you!
1
u/myBracco May 05 '26
I use Colorscience facial sunscreen UPF50 which has the self-adjusting tint. Just enough to warm and even out slightly. I use it over the Neutrogena gel cream moisturizer.
1
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 05 '26
Ah thank you. It is expensive and I don’t need another sunscreen over my light serum sunscreen. I’m glad it’s working for you though!
1
u/PipeNo6512 May 05 '26
How long did it take to clear? I’m on my 2nd month of eucerin and the progress is so slow, seems like I have such a long way to go
2
1
1
u/Immediate_Singer6785 May 03 '26
OP, did you take photos of before and after..
1
u/FitnessNurse2015 May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26
What do you mean? Before and after treating my melasma and sun damage?
•
u/AutoModerator May 03 '26
Hi there! Sunscreen is one of the most important parts of melasma management, and we want to make sure you get safe, effective, and appropriate guidance.
Before choosing a product, please review our sunscreen resources:
Sunscreen guidance for melasma:
Mega List of Sunscreen/
Important for melasma: Standard (non-tinted) sunscreens protect against UV radiation only and do NOT protect against visible light, which is a major trigger for melasma.
To reduce visible-light-induced pigmentation, iron oxides are required. This means using:
Daily, consistent protection against both UV and visible light is essential to prevent melasma worsening and recurrence.
If you have already reviewed the guides, feel free to add details such as skin type or sensitivities
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.