Afraid to look in the mirror because it seems like Zorro is staring back? That mask-shaped pattern of darkened splotches on your forehead and below your eyes is called melasma. Though often referred to as the mask of pregnancy, melasma actually can develop at any time. Because it is linked to estrogen, the condition affects women about nine times more often than men…and it is particularly common among women who use hormone therapy, take birth control pills, or are or have been pregnant.
Melasma is very difficult to treat, so prevention is definitely the best approach. Since sun exposure triggers melasma, you’d think that sunscreen use would be the answer. And it is—but only if you use the right kind of sunscreen. Here’s why: Typical carbon-based sunscreens work by absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays…and this chemical reaction generates enough heat to injure the hypersensitive pigment-producing cells in melasma-prone skin, causing even more dark blotches to appear!
Better: The so-called “chem-free” sun-protection products, which contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, are most appropriate for women with a history of melasma, said Neal B. Schultz, MD, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and author of It’s Not Just About Wrinkles. These products are not carbon-based, so they do not absorb UV rays—instead, they work by blocking or reflecting rays, as a mirror would.
Are you thinking that the thick, white smears from such mineral-based products look almost as bad as the melasma itself? In the past, that may have been a concern. But today these products are made with tiny micronized mineral particles that are too small to reflect visible light, so they blend into the skin invisibly, Dr. Schultz noted. These particles won’t clog pores, either, so you don’t have to worry that they’ll cause blemishes.
Bottom line: The term “chem-free” may not appear on product labels. So to get the right sunscreen for your melasma-prone skin, look at the active ingredients list on the label to be sure that the product’s only active ingredients are zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Just a pea-sized dab will take care of your whole face.
