Melasma can be stubborn, and some common skincare habits may actually make it worse. In this video, dermatologist Dr. Dray discusses 3 common melasma mistakes that can worsen hyperpigmentation, including inadequate sun protection, using too many skincare products, and overlooking heat exposure as a potential trigger.
She also explains why tinted sunscreen can be particularly helpful for melasma. In addition to protecting against UV radiation, tinted sunscreens containing iron oxides may provide protection against visible light, which can contribute to melasma in some people.
If you have melasma or struggle with stubborn facial hyperpigmentation, these simple changes may help you better manage your skin and prevent worsening discoloration.
#melasma #hyperpigmentation #sunscreen #skincare #dermatologist #tintedsunscreen #skincaretips
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Disclaimer: This video is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice. Content provided on this Youtube channel is for informational purposes only. Please consult with a physician or other healthcare professional regarding any medical or health related diagnosis or treatment options. Information on this Youtube channel should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional. The statements made about specific products throughout this video are not to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
Thank you 🙏
I wonder if heat while exercising outdoors (like today, 95 degrees F) would still contribute to melasma? Even if I’m diligent about sunscreen? Thanks for all these videos, I’m learning so much!
I noticed after about six months of hot yoga classes that my melasma had become exponentially worse.
@jenniferbritzke9887interesting! Thanks for letting me know!
Heat. She said heat. There’s nothing to wonder about.
I was a tennis player and didn’t wear sunscreen and got severe melasma. I discovered your channel years ago and it changed my life. My derm at the Brigham prescribed Hydoquine and sunscreen. Twenty years later, my skin is gorgeous, thanks to your advice and sunscreen and tretinoin.
You are using hydroquinone for 20 years
Thank you Doc❤ In the summer time it really gets worse while using sunscreen. Going to see a Derm.
I forgot to reapply sunscreen before driving home & my melasma was worse the next day. You can’t skip even one time!!
listen to this woman !
Self tanner drops for the face, not a make it worse mistake, per se, but also a big mistake. HUGE. 😭
Yeah, fake tan doesn’t disguise hyperpigmentation 😂
Does the heat rule apply to red light masks?
I came to the comments to ask the same thing.
@Linda9.12I hope she answers:)
My red light mask made my melasma so much worse. I can’t use it anymore. Waste of money.
I believe that me red light mask brought out my melasma.
Red light mask triggered mine badly. I had very little melasma until I started red light. Now its been a year of melasma treatment and I am still struggling to lighten it. I miss my other red light benefits but the melasma is just way too bad when i use it.
I have it and this is why i hate summer time and just hot days especially on a long drive i can start feeling my face burning from the sun and im like nooooooooo! Im really good at protecting my skin and staying away from the sun.
What about indoor lights (any kind) – do they affect hyperpigmentation/melasma as well? Or just sunlight?
I have & I hate it on both my cheeks 😩
My melasma gets worse even with sunscreen and hats ect. 😢
I’m half Korean and mixed European heritage. I have super pale skin with brown and almost black melasma all over my face. Nothing seems to work for me from it getting darker. I live in AL. Super hot/humid with almost 10 UV index all year round. Suncreen/hats aren’t enough for me.😭
Try to keep cool with a neck fan and/or a mini hand held fan. The neck fans with the cooling plates are the best. Heat triggers mine too.
I got it because of hormons and yes…it’s a bit frustrating but using all these tips I can survive and even go to the seaside and enjoy a nice vacation: this summer many laughed when my husband rented a motorbike and I bought facial masks to go with him but it worked. Thanks God I never liked extreme tan and lying hours on the beach if there was no shadow. The skin must be protected even if you do not suffer.
always have good skin care yet like my grandma use to say your face is not a cake,does not need layers
Love it !😂 Your Grandma sounds like my mother R.I.P. ❤
My melasma is very heat triggered. Ive found azelaic acid and tranexamic acid to be my holy grail products for melasma. And a cooling neck fan or hand held fan.
Being a mom cooking meals for the entire family it’s almost impossible not to be in front of the stove.
@patty7545yes, I feel your pain! I use my neck fan and hand fan every time im in the kitchen. Neck fan is nice because your hands are free to cook. I also have cool gel packs in the fridge that I will grab when I feel my face getting too hot.
I’ve learned to try to regulate my body temperature also. So I don’t get overheated. I don’t take very long hot showers. Warm water only on my face. Never hot water. No saunas. No hot tubs. All of that will flare mine up. Also vitamin C. As much as I hate to say it, so many of them are so unstable and oxidize on my face resulting in darkening.
Battling melasma is such a struggle might as well put on a full face mask with cutout eye holes to protect from sunlight and blue light. Jeez!
I do! One can buy pretty silk-like pink colored with spf of 50 for those times when you need to cover the face – use a small umbrella, pretty gloves & spf clothing. With 8 Mohs skin cancer surgeries on my face, I’m more than done in my life with not taking the sun seriously. On top of that I happen to live at 6700 ft elevation in Colorado…I cover up…yes, in Summer too – got to.
Funny, my mom has said she wants to do that. They’re hard to not be face coverings in pastel covers. (I’m def not wearing black)
This is crazy-I have that exact mark that your are showing! I always thought it was sun spots growing g together, but it looks exactly like what you are showing.
Important imformation – thank-you so much Dr. Dray!