Melasma Treatment

What is Melasma?

Melasma, also known as chloasma, is a chronic pigmentary disorder of the skin amongst women of South East Asian descent and patients living close to the equator. Usually presenting insidiously as a mild and faint discolouration of the face before darkening. It is sometimes called the “mask of pregnancy” due to it being a common occurrence among pregnant women, it can affect women outside of pregnancy as well. It can also affect men, although at a much lesser scale.

Melasma patches vary in size and distribution and usually develop at a gradual pace depending on the person. These patches may gradually disappear a few months after pregnancy, but this does not always happen. If this is the case, you may consider undergoing treatment to remove melasma patches.

What causes Melasma?

The pathology of Melasma is complex and there are both extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Genetic susceptibility has been noted. Excessive UV damage and exposure may aggravate the condition further. It can also be confused and complicate post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation caused by damage to the skin such as chemical peels or allergies to certain facial creams.

There are still many questions regarding what exactly causes melasma. Medical studies have shown that melasma disproportionately affects more women who have darker skin, estrogen sensitivity, or are under extreme stress. Many also believe that melasma is caused by the overstimulation of melanocytes when the skin has been under heavy exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun, which is especially common in tropical countries like Singapore.

The most at risk of developing melasma are:

• pregnant women in their second or third trimesters
• women who are undergoing hormone therapy
• women who take birth control pills, and
• women who use skincare products that are not gentle to the skin

How is Melasma treated at Cambridge Medical?

Cambridge Medical offers the following treatments for the removal or reduction of the appearance of melasma:

What is the PicoCare 450 Pico Laser?

Cosmetic laser treatments have evolved throughout the years, and one of the latest innovations in laser technology is the picosecond laser. A picosecond laser, or pico laser, is a type of laser technology that delivers energy in very quick pulses, making it an effective tool for treating pigmentation problems such as melasma. The PicoCare 450 Pico Laser Pigmentation Removal treatment can target the pigments in the skin which effectively breaks them up. The body will then naturally flush away these broken pigments out of your skin.

How does it treat melasma?

The quick pulsing application of laser energy allows the treatment to deliver high-energy light beams that last for a very quick time. This enables it to deliver most of the energy on the melasma pigments and leaves the surrounding tissues unharmed. This results in fewer side effects, reduced discomfort, and less damage to the skin compared to other laser pigmentation removal treatments.

How is the treatment performed?

We will first assess and examine the melasma and determine its severity. The procedure is very safe with minimal discomfort, so there is no need to apply a numbing cream unless the patient so desires. The laser treatment is very quick, with most sessions lasting less than 30 minutes. The patient may feel a tingly sensation that quickly dissipates each time a laser pulse is applied.

Is there any downtime?

There is very little downtime if any after a pico laser treatment. There may be some redness, but this should disappear within a few days.

How quickly will results show up?

Depending on the patient assessment, it might require 2 to 3 sessions of the pico laser treatment before the melasma fully disappears. However, the patient will notice that about a week after each session, the melasma patches will look lighter and less noticeable compared to before.

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