Melasma is a fairly common skin pigment disorder, in which the patient will gradually notice the appearance of numerous brown or gray spots or patches on their skin, with the face often being a focus. When the pigment melatonin is overproduced, it creates brown patches on the face — but what causes melatonin to go into overdrive and create these patches?
Causes of melasma
Melasma mainly occurs in pregnant women due to the hormonal imbalance which may induce an excess manufacture of melatonin, so it is no surprise that pregnancy melasma is also called a "pregancy mask". Furthermore, too much exposure to the sun when it is at its most intense blaze may also lead to the development of melasma, which may also occur in people suffering from an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) and in women who take birth control pills or estrogen and progesterone pills.
Natural remedies for melasma
When a person comes to experience this skin disorder, he or she usually first tries to cure it by using some natural remedies before consulting a doctor.
Lemon juice is regarded to be the best natural treatment for this topical discoloration of the skin, as lemon is known to have whitening properties. The brown patches of melamsa can, according to some, be successfully removed with the help of a daily application of some fresh lemon juice on the face.
The person can even notice the improvement of the skin appearance almost every day if he or she uses it continually every day. The discolored skin is removed due to the citric acid present in the lemon juice, which scraps the superficial layer of the skin safely.
Melasma can also be effectively healed by using onions, some people claim. The slices of onion should be soaked in vinegar and then put on the affected skin. Furthermore, the onion juice mixed with the vinegar in equal amounts can also remove these characteristic brown patches on the facial skin. Melasma may not be completely cured after a couple of weeks of using this natural remedy, but the patches are likely to fade.
Apple cider vinegar is also very potent when treating brown spots on the facial skin. In this case, equal amounts of white apple cider vinegar and water should be applied on the brown patches to dilute the vinegar a little. Apple cider vinegar has the same pH value as the skin in the humans, so it is very good remedy for treating many skin disorders.
Healthy skin can be restored by the use of Aloe Vera gel on the affected skin area. The affected skin should be massaged with the cold gel every day and the person with melasma can see how the brown patches slowly disappear. The pigmentation can also be decreased by the application of the solution made of aloe vera oil, vitamin E and primrose oil just once in a week.
Remember, however, that if a temporary situation such as pregnancy was the cause of your melasma, the skin disorder may resolve on its own after the causative factor is removed. Before using natural remedies, you can also ask your doctor about treatment options.
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