Seeking Melasma Advice Finally Fed Up
About me & my melasma - it started about 10 years ago on my upper lip area. I attributed it to my low hormonal birth control. At the time I had sought advice from my gyn, dermatologist and primary. I never really got anywhere, the answers I always received were avoid the sun and it’s not that bad. I did try a few months of a prescription retinoid that had absolutely no changes for my skin. I just decided enjoying the sun was not for me. Avoiding the sun helped but it never fully went away. Covid hit and I decided it was a good time to quit my birth control to see if that would solve my problem. My melasma mustache 100% disappeared HOWEVER, it moved to the lower jowel/side of my mouth. It’s better than having a mustache but I hate it, I hate it so much. I’ve tried repairing my skin barrier, anua 10+ txa, good molecules discoloration serum, and ordinary azelaic acid in a very consistent skincare routine for the past 8 months and have not seen any significant changes. I will say that some days are better than others, and I don’t know if that has anything to do with my cycle and hormones or my routine. I also consistently wear a mineral SPF (naked Sundays, I really like it) and a sheer tinted foundation with SPF and titanium dioxide sunscreen. I have naturally olive skin tone, I don’t sunburn so that probably puts me at a Fitzpatrick four.
What have you guys tried that has worked for you? What is the next thing I should try? My personal feeling is that it has to be something internal that is causing my skin to do this. Is there some sort of vitamin deficiency or imbalance that someone else has found? I do know that I am vitamin D and iron deficient so those are two things I’m working on, but I’m curious if anyone has seen results from improving those? I feel like Reddit is the last place to save me as I have not had help from the doctors that I’ve sought out. I get that my melasma might not be a severe as a lot of people, but it’s something that still bothers me and I can see when I look in the mirror. In this photo it’s not one of the “bad” flare ups, it’s actually looking pretty mild today.