Shalini has always been a fitness fanatic – she’s good in almost all kinds of sports, like gym training, running, mountain climbing or badminton. Recently she’s turning 30, and she finds herself being trapped in the problem of “skincare trouble”.
“Juliet, my mom told me that she started to get melasma after she turned 30. I love outdoor activities so much – I feel like I’m going to have it, too!”
Melasma is a common pigmentation problem for women in their 30s onwards. In addition, statistics show that melasma occurs in 90% of women, with around 25% of them having melasma after their pregnancies. Thus, melasma is also known as the “mask of pregnancy”.
It is difficult to get rid of melasma, and bad personal habits are one of the leading causes. Although I find Shalini a little more worried than she should, I’d like to help her avoid getting melasma too. Here are 4 bad personal habits that can cause melasma!
Types of melasma
Before I start today’s topic, I would like to give you a little introduction about melasma. Melasma comes in the form of flakes or patches, and usually occur on both sides of the cheeks. Melasma forms as mainly 3 patterns on our face:
Centrofacial type: appears on forehead, nose, cheeks, upper lips, chin
Malar type: appears only on the cheeks
Mandibular type: appears only on the jawbone
The most common pattern of melasma is the centrofacial type, while the least is mandibular type.
1.Not practising sun protection
UV (ultraviolet) radiation is the most harmful in causing melasma on our skin! Melasma usually occurs on both sides of our cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, lips, and eyelids, as these are our skin areas directly exposed to sunlight!
I’ll teach you the “ABC rules of sun protection”, as suggested by AwayAmerican Dermatology Association:
- Away: Avoid going under the sun during peak hours (from 10a.m. to 3p.m.) and getting sun exposure for more than 20 minutes.
- Block: Remember to apply sufficient amount of sun protection products to block out UV radiation
- Cover up: Wear a hat, cover-up clothes (long sleeves and pants or long dresses), sunglasses; use an umbrella
Sun protection is very important. The photo below is a 69-year-old uncle who had been a lorry driver for 28 years, spending most of his time on the road. UVA radiations could easily penetrate through his lorry window, and after prolonged sun exposure, the left side of his face looks significantly older than the right side of his face (U.S. drivers’ seats are on the left).
Image source from： The New England Journal of Medicine，Jennifer R.S. Gordon, M.D., and Joaquin C. Brieva, M.D.366:e25 April 19, 2012
Does this photo seem shocking to you? UV radiations bring more harm than we think it does! To understand more about the basic knowledge of sun protection, you may read, “When and How to Apply Sunblock (Sunscreen)?”
2.Using unsuitable skincare or cosmetic products
Some cosmetic or skincare products may contain chemical ingredients that could cause skin allergies, artificial fragrance or heavy metal composition. Using these beauty products would trigger phototoxic reaction in our skin. Certain chemical components could absorb UV radiation “better”. Therefore, once these chemical components are absorbed into our skin, they will “desperately” absorb the UV rays under sun exposure, causing harm to our skin and the melanin (dark pigmentation that naturally occurs in our skin) to further deposit.
Anyone could be at risk of having phototoxic reaction, thus, I would like to advise you to use only quality assured products. Besides, to avoid end up with worst case scenarios, please avoid making D.I.Y (Do-It-Yourself) fruits / vegetable masks, as many food ingredients are photosensitive (sensitive to light; e.g., lemon, orange, celery, etc.)!
3.Experiencing Lifestyle Changes / Stress
When a woman is pregnant, estrogen and melanocyte-stimulating hormones in her body increase at the same time, causing pigmentation on her skin.
Interestingly, besides being pregnant, the melanin-cell stimulating hormone (our pituitary gland would naturally secrete this hormone) may also increase under another condition - when we’re under stress or have sleepless nights.
That explains why people who tend to burn midnight oils or undergoing stress have dull skin!
To avoid looking dull, remember to practise a healthy lifestyle, have enough sleeps, and always maintain a joyful spirit! If you find that it’s hard to sleep at night, you can read my previous article on “Real Life Nightmare - Insomnia” - hopefully you could find a suitable way to relax!
4.Using birth control pills / injectable contraceptives
Err, taking birth control pills shouldn’t be categorised as a “bad habit”, but it’s one of the main cause of melasma.
I’ve mentioned earlier that melasma is also known as the “mask of pregnancy”. It’s not just about the pregnancy alone - conditions that shape our hormone changes (including taking birth control pills) could lead to melasma formation.
A past research showed that among a total of 199 ladies who take birth control pills, around 24% of them have melasma within 1-4 months after taking birth control pills.
If you’re taking birth control pills or contraceptive injections and melasma occurs, I would suggest you to consult your gynaecologist - perhaps there are other alternatives for proper family planning, or birth control pills that have lower hormonal changing effect. If you’d like to consult professional gynaecologist (women’s specialist), you’re welcome to take a look at this list of Malaysian women’s specialist clinics!
Shalini expressed that it’s easy to tackle melasma for her, as she always practises a healthy lifestyle - she always sleeps early and puts on sunblock whenever she’s outdoor. Now let’s hope she could prevent or delay melasma!
If you have melasma, and you’ve tried various methods and products yet there’re not much positive effect, you may seek professional advice from a licensed doctor. Here at ERUFU Care, we are a community medical support network that helps you to find specialist clinics in Malaysia - find your preferred clinic that provides melasma treatments here!
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