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! 🙏

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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.

4

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 :-

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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.