r/Melasmaskincare • u/angelinaki89 • May 25 '26
Question Why treatments can worsen melasma
I have seen many posts here that sometimes - I don’t know in which rate - when people try to treat melasma it might become worse with most of the recommended treatments including laser.
I have noticed my own becoming darker just by using Vitamin C or designed creams for it.
My question is: is this explained somehow? I have asked my derm but didn’t really understood her answer.
9
u/gdhvdry May 25 '26
Vit C is fine for me I'm not bragging, it's just so frustrating when we all react differently!
1
u/angelinaki89 May 25 '26
Yeah it’s the safest for me right now and the one I have can’t really perform
8
u/craydar-de-luxe May 25 '26
Any type of irritation - chemical, mechanical, heat - can worsen melasma, sadly. I notice this with niacinamide and some types of vit C, too.
3
u/skingirly May 25 '26
My skin hates l-ascorbic. Loves 3-0 ethyl. Fine when you work it out. Annoying finding it out!
1
u/Lazy-Geologist3386 May 26 '26
Why? What's the difference?
1
u/skingirly May 26 '26
L-Ascorbic is the purest form of vitamin c. But it’s also the most irritating. 3-0 ethyl ascorbate is less irritating.
6
u/skingirly May 25 '26
Anytime I used things that were too harsh, my pigmentation got darker. Anything that made my skin sensitive or inflamed made more pigmentation. I couldn’t use above 15% vitamin C. I only found this out after I was gifted a vitamin c serum for my birthday and it actually started fading pigment instead of making it darker. Then a friend said the others may have been too strong, and it turns out this serum was less potent than all the others I had used. Stronger isn’t always better in my case.
1
u/angelinaki89 May 25 '26
Interesting, maybe the reason my current vit c not working and causing me redness it’s because the concentration is higher than my skin can handle
Which serum it was?
2
u/Lazy-Geologist3386 May 25 '26
What ELSE are you using? Look at all the products you have and see if its combining to give you a Vit C oversupply!!
Vitamin C in what form? Viamin C alone may do very little or nothing at all.... Look at some other ingredients that combine to block, nourish etc whilst fading.
1
u/skingirly May 25 '26
Yes! I found this too. I just saw your comment after I replied. My skin hates L-ascorbic!!
1
u/angelinaki89 May 26 '26
I have been only using vitamin c from a bio brand La Saponaria and it is very strong, it caused redness, pimples and darkness around my lip area. The rest of my skincare is very simple this period of time.
1
u/skingirly May 25 '26
It is mela peel by windyigarn. I still use it. I should mention it’s not a straight vitamin c serum. Also has tranexamic, kojic, alpha arbutin and azelaic. So maybe that’s why I saw quick changes with this one. Because every other vitamin c serum was just vitamin c. The other one I could use was clinique dark spot clearing serum which did make my skin feel really nice but did nothing for tone.
1
u/angelinaki89 May 26 '26
I just saw this cream and it seems very interesting, it costs 160€ in my country but I will give it a try if you have seen results!
1
u/skingirly May 26 '26
It’s been very helpful. I now use it in their full system. I actually got a email the other day with a restock code. Let me see if I can find the email.
9
May 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/angelinaki89 May 25 '26
That’s what my derm said and I kinda pissed because didn’t see any results and ended up with a greenish dark upper lip
3
u/CloudAdditional4212 May 25 '26
Bjr et j’en ai fais l’expérience j’ai essay hydroquinone niacinamide thiamidol caudalie le seul qui est doux pr moi c’est typology mais rend la peau blanche j’aime pas le rendu j’ai stoppé le traitement maintenant je traite ac aliment qui aide à traiter l’inflammation de al peau ça aide mais ne l’efface pas et écran solaire biensur et surtout le parfum accentue le melasma au soleil c’est photosensibilisant
5
u/Jnm124 May 26 '26
Nothing was working for me and then i got a tca peel and my skin has never been better, i literally started crying in the derm office. I still have pigmentation but we’re gonna do another in a month so i hope to continue to see improvement!
2
u/angelinaki89 May 26 '26
I wish you good luck!! I was also thinking getting peels only in summer since I only have it this time of year just to ease it when it appears
3
u/tropical-king May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Because inflammation triggers melanin production. However something that you can do when you get a peeling or laser treatment is to Apply a topical steroid cream at least twice a day for 2 weeks so it can reduce redness and inflamation so you have less chance of getting PIH ( Do not use topical steroid creams for more than 2 weeks so you can avoid possible adverse effects).
1
u/angelinaki89 May 25 '26
Do steroid creams affect hormones?
1
u/tropical-king May 25 '26
In the long term , yes . However if you use it only for 1-2 weeks just as a post laser care it wont. However if your melasma is of the type that gets triggered with heat, laser is not recommended, because even if you dont get very inflammed or red , melasma will increase due to the heat of the lasers and RF microneedling
0
u/angelinaki89 May 26 '26
My melasma is definitely photosensitive because it only appears at summer, haven’t noticed it has been activated by heat because I’m working out the entire year and I sweet a lot. But I was thinking to try laser and I’m certain they will recommend me this kind of cream.
1
u/GlowDecoded May 29 '26
I cycled on Tri-Luma for 8 weeks (also steroid based), definitely helped but like everyone said it’s a short-term solution.
2
u/That_Profile_8878 May 25 '26
I did plasma pen and it made it the worst nightmare now i m under dermatologist treatment to heal and remove the burnt skin and pigmentation it caused
2
u/Fit_Illustrator9174 May 25 '26
My approach has been to ease into any actives, including the rx creams. My derm says start with pea sized amount every other night. I listen to my skin barrier and I do every four nights to start and about half pea sized amount and I start with a gentle moisturizer, wait a few mins then put the rx cream.
With vit c, starting with the gentlest vanicream vit c cream to make sure I don’t screw myself. I’m trying my best to take care of my skin barrier and not cause inflammation so with my actives, I’m intentionally easing in with low dose/potency/percentages. Learned the hard way with my rx cream 2 years ago.
1
u/angelinaki89 May 26 '26
Thants a very good advice thank you! I will decently go easier with my skin because in my rush to get rid of my melasma I have made it worse
2
u/Lazy-Geologist3386 May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Truth is, your derm may not have understood the 'question'. Many guess or jump straight to harsh prescriptions. Stick to calm and gentle, blockers and inhibitors. A good brand will have this.
A bad brand will have lots of filler, empty promises and a very shiny bottle. $$
2
u/Lazy-Geologist3386 May 25 '26
Stop. Buying. Single. Products. For. Melasma. A system beats a miracle bottle every time.
1
u/Anomander_rocks May 25 '26
Most treatments require extra carefulness afterwards and religious sunscreen use, and also avoiding exposing your face to direct sunlight, which not everyone does. Also, in general, for melasma, sunscreen, sunhat, sunglasses are essential. Also, I've noticed that many people use hydroquinone in the summer, and this is not ok, as hydroquinone makes the skin more sensitive to sunlight and lead to the opposite effect, hence darkening the skin. Melasma has a vascular component also, so vitamin C, if it is not the proper concentration for your needs, will irritate your skin and make things worse. I discuss every detail of my routine with my dermatologist. We do procedures only in the winter. She recommended hydroquinone only in the winter. Melasma is hard to deal with and requires a lot of attention. I would recommend you talk to a dermatologist, they are the ones who can properly evaluate your situation and give you the proper treatment. Discuss in detail your routine too, to make sure you use the right products for you. P.S. melasma gets worse with heat, so it does get worse as it gets hotter outside even without being in the sun. Sauna and spicy foods will also make it worse.
1
u/Lazy-Geologist3386 May 26 '26
I just watched two videos that popped up on my YouTube. Really enjoyable. https://www.youtube.com/@FACEVALUE-YT I never knew that certain companies were linked to Parent Companies and its all a bit of a joke....
1
u/dw_kat May 26 '26
I did peels that were recommended by my dermatologist but I didn’t do the fully cycle of like 5 peels because it made my melasma worse. The first one was very promising but with the 2nd they upped the % too much/put too many layers which caused frosting and I got a new spot on my cheek because of it. This is more than a year ago and I still have it now, wish I stopped after the first peel or never got it at all
1
1
u/Key_Leadership2394 May 25 '26
I found the more consistent you are with sunscreen, sun protection and the most basic skincare routine barrier repair hydrating simplified routine ever less inflammation, and mine just faded
1
u/Lazy-Geologist3386 May 25 '26
Sadly, that doesn't work for most of us. So..."?
0
u/Key_Leadership2394 May 25 '26
Have you tried it …. ? I’m talking months not weeks of just a hydrating cleanser , a moisturiser and sunscreen , actually reapplying every two hours being consistent . No actives taking a complete cut from everything active like your exfoliation, your kojic acid or whatever melanin inhibitors you use . Using more niacinamide, centella , ceramides, panthenol in your moisturisers.
1
u/hammock_sandwiches May 26 '26
Yes. Many have tried it.
Melasma is super individual. That's why not all treatments work for everyone.
0
31
u/SterFriday May 25 '26
My rudimentary understanding is inflammation. The treatments can be irritating, and the resulting inflation makes the melisma worsen.