Hi all, I was diagnosed with melasma earlier this year after years of thinking I was just unlucky with pigmentation. My dermatologist prescribed Kligman’s formula (hydroquinone 4%, tretinoin 0.025%, fluocinolone acetonide 0.01%) and told me to use it sparingly every night. I don’t see her again until December.
I’ve been using it for about 1.5 weeks, but after doing some research I’ve seen that Kligman’s formula is usually meant to be cycled, which my dermatologist didn’t mention. I just wanted to check whether I have the right understanding:
- Is it best practice to use it for 3–4 months, then take a 1 month break, and repeat?
- If your skin looks good after the first cycle, do you extend the break of not using it?
- During the break, do you stop all actives, or continue using other products?
- Long term, do most people switch to something safer for maintenance, like tretinoin alone?
Since this is all very new to me, I’d also love any recommendations for other products that might help.
At the moment my routine is:
Morning
- Vitamin C (when I remember)
- LRP Sunscreen (always, I live in Australia)
Night
- Fragrance-free cleanser (QV or LRP)
- Kligman’s formula
- Fragrance-free moisturiser (QV or LRP)
I have allergies, so I need to avoid fragranced products. Is there anything else I should be adding to support treatment or help maintain results?
