Cure for Melasma _{Page 2 of 12}

hello,

i have been on different infertility drugs for almost 2yrs now and w/in the last 6months i have noticed these brown patches above my top lip. they are driving me crazy and have made me very self conscience, that i dont even want to look in the mirror. can melasma be connected to infertility drugs- since they mess with your hormones? i have brought it up to the clinic and they didnt have much to say on the topic and when i asked my obgyn, they suggested anti-depresants. can anyone help me with this?

To Mandy99, healthnut, lepoardlady, and codex...what brand MSM and Vitamin C are you taking? I have been battling with Melamsa (dermis and epidermis) for a year and have it on my upper lip. It appears that my melasma is hormonal and none of the treatments I've tried have worked. What other vitamins, herbs, or supplements are you taking? And, have any one you tried an internal cleanse? Thanks!

hi tbwjordan! i take 2 TriMedica Pure MSM 1000mg capsules 3 times a day. i also take Nelsons Arnica 30c *usually around 7 pellets* 3 times a day. for me drinking alcohol seems to make my melasma worse so i quit drinking and tried changing my diet *no greasy fast food* and that seems to be working very well! good luck! :)

Hii codex! thanks for your quick reply. Nelsons Arnica 30c is nowhere to be found in our stores in the US. I would have to order them online from UK. I hope using a different brand will work just as good as Nelsons. And, I was not able to find TriMedica Pure MSM either. I'm glad it works for you and hope it will work for me too.

any arnica pellets *tablets* will do, it doesnt have to be nelsons...you can buy both the MSM and the arnica at any vitamin shop in the USA. just make sure when you buy the MSM that its pure. a lot of companies put metal additives into theirs. just type into google 'pure msm' and you'll find one particular company that carries the puremsm logo. i wish i could give you the site on here, but they dont allow any hotlinks :(
i noticed results in about 5 days...not a Huge amount but noteworthy!

great! thanks! I did buy Bluebonnet MSM and says it is pure patented MSM and nontoxic form of active sulfur. Wish me luck! Hope it works as fast as yours did! :o) Is there any way we can communicate via email if we continue to go back and forth? Thanks!

tbwjordan: I'm new to the post and trying to digest all this info. How you began using the MSM? Is it working yet? I just got some and took 2000mgs today with vitamin c and also using hydroq. cream and renova at night. It was getting better...I have on my upper lip but then it started getting worse...I wonder if my time of the month is a factor. Any info you're willing to share would be great!

GUYS LISTEN DONT DESPAIR. I hate to blow the bubble on homeopathy - I found MSM pis helped a little with melasma. I had dark brown grey melasma on my upper lip. nothing could get rid of it - I was so utterly depressed. make up only made it worse and factor 50 sunblock didn't prevent it from darkening in the sun despite a hat so I went to have FRAXEL laser treatment.
After suffering with this for four years it has finally totally disappeared.
it is very important to find a good practitioner who can get levels right but fraxel is a miracle. After only two treatments it had faded so considerably.
Please don't suffer anymore or waster your time with anything else .
Good luck

mindyhugsopera: Everyone reacts to treatments differently. From researching about Fraxel, IPL, etc, I have seen many people have been disappointed with the results. Fraxel and IPL works for pigmentation, but again, with melasma everyone reacts differently and there is no guaranteeing results. I'm glad Fraxel worked for you. :)

unhappy7: I am also new to the post and trying to digest all this information too. I started MSM, Vitamin C pure absorbic acid, cod liver oil, and Arnica 30c last Thursday. I haven't seen improvements, yet. How long have you been using the MSM, Vitamin C, and creams? I used creams in the past and stopped using them because it was making my melasma darker. When I have my time of the month, it does get darker. We share similiar experiences with melasma. I am hoping the supplements that I am taking will help. To be honest, there is no cure, but we have to find a way to control our melasma. Hope this helps.

tbwjordan: thanks for your reply. I started the hyrdoq.cream June 1 and then added the renova one or 2 weeks after that. I just stared the MSM and Vitamin C yesterday. I'm going back to the derm next friday because I have some more questions, like it mine epidermal, which may give me some hope, or dermal, which will make me want to crawl into a whole the rest of my life. It makes me really sad. I divorced a year ago and at this time of year, I should be in FL having a great time at the beach! Now I don't think I'll ever be able to do that again. So depressing. Hope the treatments work for you...

Have you seen improvements since you started the creams and supplements? Hope you get good news from the dermatologist next week. If it is epidermis, you are in good shape. If it is dermis, then you can join the club. My melasma is both epidermal and dermal. There are a lot of pepole out there who are experiencing the same frustrations and feelings. All we can do is keep our melasma under control by wearing hats and keep a positive attitude. Stress, worry along with the sun, heat, and time of the month will only aggravate the melasma. I went to St. Lucia recently and had to wear a hat and stay in the shade. It is tough and definitely a lifestyle change. You can still go to Florida but, have to sacrifice spending time in the sun. :) Keep us posted with your treatments.

Unhappy7: Have you seen improvements since you started the creams and supplements? Hope you get good news from the dermatologist next week. If it is epidermis, you are in good shape. If it is dermis, then you can join the club. My melasma is both epidermal and dermal. There are a lot of pepole out there who are experiencing the same frustrations and feelings. All we can do is keep our melasma under control by wearing hats and keep a positive attitude. Stress, worry along with the sun, heat, and time of the month will only aggravate the melasma. I went to St. Lucia recently and had to wear a hat and stay in the shade. It is tough and definitely a lifestyle change. You can still go to Florida but, have to sacrifice spending time in the sun. :) Keep us posted with your treatments.

Yes, I have seen some improvement from using the creams but it seemed to get worse again when I got my period. I have been very stressed and down because of divorce issues which I'm sure hasn't helped this ugliness. So if it's epidermis, then it will go away? Unfortunately, I am an avid horse back rider and compete so total sun avoidance is near impossible tough I try my best to limit time in the sun. I do wear sunblock ALL the time now. Was your melasma aggravated at all when you were in St. Lucia? Did the shade really help? I give you credit for going and hope you were able to have a good time regardless! Have you used creams too or just the MSM and supps? If you don't mind me asking, what skin type are you and where is your melasma, your upper lip? (sorry if you already answered in a previous post) I'm fair skinned so I'm a bit surprised this happened. I'm guessing from being on BCPs and stress. Man, if it was on any other part of my face, I wouldn't be so down about it but it's my upper lip! Geez, at least if it was on my forehead or cheek, I would be more comfortable being public about. But my upper lip...I say nothing and just want to hide. I can't wait till winter! How sad is that?

Unhappy7: That is great news you are seeing improvements with the creams. Yes, stress, heat, and the time of the month will aggravate melasma. I am not a doctor so I cannot say if your melasma (epidermis) will go away. To be honest, there is no cure for melasma. All we can do is CONTROL it. We have to find a remedy(s) that will keep it under control. Every treatment works differently for everyone. I live in a state where it is sunny most of the time and it is definitely a lifestyle change. I am more of a hermit now than I ever have been. I went to St. Lucia for my sister's wedding and it was pretty stressful. I had to wear a wide brimmed hat and stay in air-conditioned places. Regardless of trying to avoid the heat, stress, sun it made my melasma darker. I have used creams such as Retin-A, Epiquin, and Murad. They worked at first then made it darker. I have only been on the supplements for a week and half. So far, no noticeable improvements. I have olive skin and it is more likely for women with darker skin to get melasma. All I can suggest is remain positive, reduce stress in your life, wear hats and sunscreen, and try rememedies that works for you.

Dr. Lokesh Kumar: Can you please be more specfic about Sepia 1m and Sulphur 1m? Thanks!

tbwjordan: thanks for your comments and support. Have you hear or read on other forums of people who's melasma simply went away and never came back? I'm hoping that mine is temporary but know I will have to take precautions from now on which just plain sucks. The past few days it has looked ok. I have been riding my horse in the late afternoons and yesterday I was out sweating and hauling hay bales. Thankfully it was shaded where I was working (it was sunset) but it was hard work. It didn't seem to make it worse which I guess is a good sign. The lighting here at work makes it look worse but once I get in the daylight i can hardly notice anything. So fingers crossed, it will stay that way.

How is your melasma in the winter time? Did it fade enough where you didn't have to really worry about it?

Unhappy7: I have read many forums and some people's melasma has gone away and never came back. Some people's melasma went away for a while and then came back. It varies depending on the severity and everyone responds to treatments differently. How long have you had your melasma? Think positive that it will go away and use the necessary precautions to prevent it from getting darker.

Yes, different lightings does make your melasma look worse than others. My melasma looks the same year round and I have had it since last January. Remember, mine is epidermis and dermis which is tougher to treat.

Please email me to continue our conversations. Thanks.

To codex: Hi there...I've been on the supplements and Arnica 30c for 2 weeks and have not seen any improvements. Can I ask how severe your melasma was? Was it epidermis, dermis or both? I plan to continue the supplements as my guess is it will take longer to heal. Thanks!

I went to the dermatologist last week (my 3rd one actually) and got somewhat good news. She seemed very informed about the condition and was simpathic too and gave me the time of day by answering all my silly questions. She was the only one that used the Wood's lamp to see how deep my melasma was. Luckily mine is most epidermal/on the surface. She said to continue the Lustra 4% cream but use that in the morning rather than at night and then she gave me stronger Retin-A gel to use at night (I was using Renova .02% before which didn't do much). She told me to start with the .4% first for a few days and then go to the .1% and alternate the lower and higher for a few days till my skin gets used to it. She also told me to use a higher spf, like Neutrogena Dry Tough Spf 100. Yup, 100! She said use it every morning and reapply when outdoors. Yes, higher spf do have more spf despite what others may have said. Ok,70 spf is not twice the 35 spf but it does have more spf which we all need. I'm also still taking 2000mgrms of MSM which if anything is helping my knee pain! So far, I've had some peeling and have been a bit more confident being outdoors. The doc made me feel a lot better and reassured me that it will get better but use the sunscreen every day. She said I should see some real improvements by September if not sooner. Remember, I'm very fair skinned so my treatments may not be applicable to others but I thought I'd share anyway. Good luck to all!

Unhappy7: That is great news!!! I am so happy for you! Now, focus on using the treatments, sunscreen, and a keep a positive attitude. You will be melasma free in no time. Keep us updated with your condition. Take care.

Like everyone on here, I too have suffered from melasma for years - mine is above the lip. Drives me nuts! However, have some great news to share - quit the prescription creams (too dangerous and unhealthy)and tried the supplements instead. Happy to report after just a few days of taking them, seeing GREAT results - melasma is fading finally and I have to stare at the area in order to really see the discoloration in the mirror!! Wish I had known of this earlier! I had a feeling I may have high copper levels in my system so I chose a multi-vitamin (pre-natal is only one with no copper), 2000 mg Vit C, 3000 mg of MSM (have to take this slowly) and 100 mg capsule of grape seed extract. I also use the Nivea cream twice a day (one in the blue container with magnesium sulfate). This may not work for everyone but wanted to send out a note in case anyone out there hasn't tried this route yet - if you haven't tried supplements, give it a shot! It could end up working wonders!!

Penelope33: How long have you had your melasma? Was it just epidermal or both epidermal and dermal? Currently I am taking Vitamin C, MSM, and Arnica 30c and have not seen any improvements. I have taken Grapefruit Seed Extract and no longer taking it. I did consider taking the Grape Seed Extract. Where can you find the prenatal vitamins with no copper in it? I am so happy that the natural remedies are helping your melasma fade!!!

tbwjordan: Thanks so much! Hoping I can spread the word and encourage others suffering from melasma to try an alternative route - have little hope in doctors for this anymore. I've had melasma for about 3-4 years now. My dermatologist said since it wasn't responding too well to the topical creams that it was both epidermal and dermal. With my doctor, it was prescriptions or nothing. Try the Grape Seed Extract instead - got a bottle of it at a Whole Foods location and is a great antioxidant! The prenatal vitamins I found at Walgreens - it's their own brand of a daily vitamin and contains zero copper which is very rare. Wish you all the luck with this and let me know if you have any more questions! :)

Penelope33: Thank you for replying! It is nice to 'meet' someone who has both epidermal and dermal melasma. It has now given me hope that the supplements may help after all!! How long have you been on the supplements? I forgot to add that I am also taking Cod Liver Oil. I will certainly try the Grape Seed Extract! I do go to Whole Foods for my supplements. Any brand you recommend? I would like it very much if we can communicate via email? If you don't mind, that would be great. If you click on my profile, my email address is listed. Thanks!

To those taking grapefruit seed extract, should i be taking drops or pill form? or doesnt it matter? also is there a brand better then another? anything i should be looking for on the lable?

And for the MSM, how do you know what dose you should start with? and is there anything special to be looking for besides being 'pure'?

Alittle advice would be greatly welcomed, good luck to u all :)