Melasma Remedies

Prior to this I tried many over the counter remedies with no or little results.

I would recommend this method if you want fast results:

1. 1 X 1000 mg capsule/tablet or 1/4 level teaspoon powder/crystals for 5 days with breakfast

2. 2 X 1000 mg capsule/tablet or 1/2 level teaspoon powder/crystals for 5 days with breakfast

3. 3 X 1000 mg capsule/tablet or 1 level teaspoon powder/crystals for 5 days with breakfast

But its best to start slow and work up to a steady dose and you can go up to 5 x 1000mg.

Some friends found that they were more comfortable increasing their dose at a much more steady rate than that outlined above and they may have taken a few months to reach their optimal dose. It is wise to not rush in order to allow the body to adjust properly.

Hope this helps someone!

Hi Everyone...a quick update on my treatment of melasma. This is day 3 and i can see some improvement -just enough to get a little excited!For me this is like a miracle after all the diasters of creams and lasers. I know there is some improvement as a lady at work told me today I looked 'glowy' today. No one has said that to me in years!

This is the regime I have followed for 3 days:

3000mg of pure MSM - bought at pharmacy
3000mg of vitamin c
2x 100g of GRAPE seed (capsule form) bought at pharmacy
Dab hydrogen peroxide on to affected areas - evening only
Apply Glycolic exfoliator - leave on for as long as can stand as burns like crazy after the HP

(The glycolic exfoliator is from Skin Doctors and is called Rapid Peel - I tried it before on its own and it didnt work)

By no means has my skin cleared up but I am going to keep going with this system and see how I look in a week.

A bonus has been I am full of energy from all the supplements!

Thank you and good luck to everyone with their treatments

Maz :)

This is what cured it the first time: I used a product range made in South Africa called RegimA. These are powerful plant based products with no colourants, perfumes, mica, titanium, animal extracts or mineral oils, and they are not tested on animals. They do contain the lowest possible dose of paraben preservatives though, to protect users from harmful bacteria which love to grow in all that yummy plant-goodness.

I got their AHA peel done at a salon. I think I did it 3 times over the course of 3 weeks. It's not like a chemical peel that literally pulls off a layer of skin, it is quite a gentle, gradual peel that just encourages the dermis to let go of old epidermal cells faster than usual. In addition I used their home care products to repair my skin: a night cream which also contains the AHA acids, the wash which neutralises the night cream in the morning before going out in sunny South Africa (very important), a repairing day cream with natural spf 15, and twice a day I used their vitamin C serum underneath the moisturizers, which lightens pigmentation. I also used their natural sunscreen which has NO titanium or other physical blockers, it contains laminaria algae from the South Sea Islands which helps the coral there to stay alive and colourful even in shallow sunny water. It also has LOADS of skin repairing and protecting plant extracts. Very light, no pore-blocking effect, very effective, non-carcinogenic.

It worked like a charm. My melasma was literally GONE for years. My skin was perfectly clear and smooth.

So now that it's back with a vengeance, after the stupid contraceptive injections (which I have since learned are formulated for dogs, not humans, eek! ) I think I will try it again.

To be honest I am a bit strapped for cash at the moment, so I might first try making my own serums instead. I'm going to try a combination of 3 things: Topical vitamin C serum, Hyaluronic acid serum and MSM serum, and see what happens. If anyone wants to try this with me, here are the recipes.

DIY vitamin C serum:

2 teaspoons of distilled water

1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin

half a teaspoon of L-ascorbic acid crystals

Shake vigorously and store in a dark glass bottle in the fridge for up to 10 days. Apply morning and night (a little bit of redness or flaking is normal, if this happens, reduce to once daily, or stop for a few days, and moisturise your skin well to prevent any scabbing, those will become dark as well and that is working backwards!) PLEASE DON'T USE ASCORBIC ACID POWDER, MUST BE L-ASCORBIC ACID CRYSTALS.

DIY Hyaluronic acid serum:

100ml of very cold distilled water

1 gram of Hyaluronic acid powder

Put into a dark glass bottle and shake vigorously, put in the fridge for 12 hours (it will be a goopy gel when it is disolved.)

Apply morning and night, or add it to your favorite moisturiser.

DIY MSM lotion:

3 heaped teaspoons of pure MSM crystals

half a cup of pure aloe gel

Mix it up and store in dark glass in the fridge. Apply any time.

NOTE: these serums are best made up in small quantities and kept in the fridge. Throw the unused portion out after 7-10 days and make it up new, especially the vitC serum! If it starts to get a little orange it has oxidised and is useless, toss it out. Store bought serums have a TON of preservatives in them, which is better than putting harmful rotten bacteria-infested products on your face, but the best is making it up fresh in small batches.

About the peeling thing: I absolutely do not recommend chemical peels or glycolic peels. They are synthetic and so strong that they need to be buffered with other chemicals to prevent injury, and they peel A LOT of skin off at once, which often causes more pigmentation. Alpha Hydroxy Acids from fruit, milk or other plants are better, but be very careful with this, NEVER use a product with AHA's while you are in the sun, I can't BELIEVE there are day creams with AHA's in them!!! Only use at night, and they must be NEUTRALISED off in the morning, not just rinsed off with water. Get a good quality product which respects these logical principles.

Also avoid mineral based make-up which contains sulphur dioxide as this causes a whole other kind of pigmentation as well.

I really hope this post helps someone, good luck and please let me know if you try any of these remedies and what happens. I will post again when I have tried this for a little while. And remember, beauty is not a mark in the face, it is a light in the heart. Much love to you all.

Besides my diet, my daily oral supplements include MSM, GSE, ACV, Matcha-green tea. MSM and GSE are very bitter if not taken correctly. The trick to taking those two with the bitter taste is to have the MSM powder in a spoon, squeeze some GSE drops on top of the powder and place the whole thing in your mouth then immediately wash it down with OJ or Grapefruit juice. OJ or grapefruit juice is packed with Vitamin C and vitamin C helps absorb MSM better.

Topically, I cleanse and exfoliate my face twice a day with regular facewash and a toothbrush. I am using O--y regenerist and an old, soft bristle toothbrush. First, I wet my face with warm water to open up pores and then apply face was to the toobrush and work in circular motion on my face for a good 5 minutes and rinse, pat dry and apply vitamin E oil. I don't put alot of vitamin E oil since it is heavy and oily. I am only using 1-2 drops, rub it in my hands and apply to both my face and neck.

For daytime, I am also using physical suncreen after vitamin e oil. There are 2 types of suncreen, chemical and physical. Make sure it is physical, which contains Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium. These are the ingredients that can prevent melasma from getting darker when exposed to sun.

For nightime, I exfoliate then apply a cream for melasma and vitamin E oil. One thing I forgot to mention. I also drink 1 teaspoon of extra virgin coconut oil a day. This is excellent for hair and skin. I hope someone can benefit from my remedies and good luck! :)

I started an HQ cream 10 months ago, didn't feel it did anything so stopped and now believe my melasma has darkened. I decided I really have to do something as it is affecting my self-esteem, I had my hormones checked via blood test, hoping that would come back abnormal and give me the answer, but hormones are all in check. So I've been advised to have skin needling and chemical peels ( expensive ) and invasive procedures I've never been a fan of either. I was thinking of going ahead but now reading all these posts I'm back to where I was a while back believing this is an internal problem.

For those that are reading this, I know I haven't told you of any remedies or glimmers of hope but the above gives me the opportunity to express my problems and history with melasma and I can come back to this site with what I experiment with and learn.

I plan on using the GSE, MSN, B-12, cod liver oil, aloe vera, ACV and tumeric. Will update with how it goes.

This site gives hope and support, and know that beauty really does come from the inside.

My melasma began about 10 years ago. After reading the many posts on this site, most helpful was by Maria of Dallas in regards to an inside/outside approach. My melasma is 50-60% lighter today. The only diet change I made was to STOP drinking black tea (advised in reducing melasma). I switched to non-caffeniated to help get the grapefruit seed extract down.

Here's the treatment I designed for myself with YOUR help, and today has been exactly one week.

-1 ____ Multi Vitamin

-1000 mg of Vitamin C

-3x per day of 15 drops: Grapefruit Seed Extract (liquid). I use mint or chamomile tea to get this down as it's very bitter and I'm unable to take with water.

-Before shower, on a cotton pad, mix apple cider vinegar (50/50, diluted with water) with liquid grapefruit seed extract and rub on off - DO NOT scrub or you'll burn your face causing extra stress which darkens the skin. Just rub on very generously and let it dry - like a toner of sorts. Your melasma turns darker at first when you apply the apple cider vinegar, and then lightens upon drying. I leave on until I feel a slight stinging feeling, and then immediately rinse off in shower. After shower, I reapply ONLY the apple cider vinegar and let dry. Then I use Castor Mineral Oil an massage into face. Afterwards, apply your daily lotions, make-up (Bare Minerals make-up is great as it includes sunblock in all products: concealer, foundation, veil so you get multi-layer sun protection) etc as usual. I also apply extra sunblock throughout day and use a hat when outdoors.

-Before bed, wash face to remove make-up. I use cleanser. Then apply apple cider vinegar (50/50 diluted with water), again followed by Castor Mineral Oil massaged into my face.

This has been my daily routine for 7 days now, and I've seen 50% improvement.

Ingredients you will need: Grapefruit Seed Extract in liquid form, Multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Apple Cider Vinegar, Castor Mineral Oil, cotton pads, sunblock, hat,

I really hope this is helpful to someone as you all were extremely helpful to me.

I feel guilty in a way for being so obsessed about this; vain even. But like every woman, I want to look my best and realize that your face is what people see first.

So after studying all of these posts I purchased the following: Grapefruit Seed Extract (2 a day; 15 drops), Acidophilus (1 at lunch), Zinc (1 at lunch), Milk Thistle (2 before bed). I also use Apple Cider Vinegar as a toner (diluted) in the morning and before bed.

After two weeks, I am heartened at the changes I am seeing. My children confirm that not only is the melasma noticeably lighter but that it is breaking up on my cheeks and chin. You can actually see my normal skin colour coming through. The remaining spots on my forehead are stubborn but I will see this through.

Cheers!

Secondly, I took up sunblock religiously. I apply avene emulsion 50 15/30 before sun exposure without fail. If I have to go out again and its been arond 2 hours, I reapply. If I can avoid the sun, I do.

Its been 3 laser sessions ( I might need 2 more ) and 4 months of sunblock use, and voila I have seen amazing results. The progress may be slow to completely rid of darkness but you will notice changes in skin color immediately after 2 weeks with sunblock application alone. Keep at it and you will be soon as happy as I am. :)

I am Anna Farahmand (researcher you can find me on the web) and you answer how to stop melasma in brief:

1- Fresh lemon juice dry fast, so best cheap composite to brightening skin is a mixture of fresh lemon juice with equal amount of glycerol. Also you can eat lemon juice as syrup as well as vinegar to intake enough vitamin C.

2-copper can make pigmentation. So it is good remedy to get rid of gray hair. Nutrition copper bomb is walnut. It can reverse aging if you take 6% of your calorie intake from this nut and make your hair better but also make hyper pigmentation.

3-spinach and onion are best to clear your skin from inside. Onion has enough MSM. Although you can take small amount of MSM medically.

4-nuts have much all minerals you need which are critical for your skincare.

5-if you notice, melasma is mostly visible on your face and your paw, it is because of sun. That's why Muslim women who wear scarf have a better skin, in the other hand they don't go out much time. But if you have pigmentation on all of part of your body without going exposure to sun, you can't heal it. Small size of melasma can be disappeared with laser therapy in many cases

The MSM and ACV have made my skin very soft and my complexion has cleared up a lot, but I have yet to see a huge difference in my melasma. I have started using my Retin-A and I'm hoping this will help speed up the process. If anyone has any ideas or advice I would be very appreciative. Has anyone had luck with the pycnogenol? If so, where did you get it?

My current regime is:

Scrub face twice daily (or more if can fit in) with Apple Cider Vinegar... Stinks... Rub in undiluted to the affected areas until cannot bear the stinging anymore... scrub hard.

Taking following vitamins daily:

1 zinc tablet, 1 selenium tablet, 1 vitamin b3 tablet, 4 vit c tablets, 2 pure msm capsules

Castor Oil ..... massage onto face after apple cider vinegar scrub.

Something is happening - some areas have lightened a lot, other areas are lightening but not so quickly.

I have had comments that I look 'fresh'

I'm not sure what is helping whether it is all of the above or one thing in particular.

I am not seeing the 'miraculous' overnight success that other have talked about. This is the most encouraged I have ever been though. I will continue this regime for at least 3 months to see if there is continued improvement.

Good luck to everyone fighting the same problem

Cheers, Maz

It's been a while since I last wrote to EC. I have been battling melasma for years now and it has become my life mission to find a cure. I have tried everything cosmetic with disastorous results for my face and my wallet. The worst experience I had was IPL laser which made my melasma 100 times worse.

I've tried various concoctions from EC including MSM, Grapefruit, hydrogen peroxide to little avail, , , that being said I've probably not stuck to anything long enough to see a result... I'm a firm believer if there is no improvement in a few weeks there isnt going to be.

I am now on a regime of Apple Cider Vinegar, Vitamin C, zinc and horseraddish as these are about the only things I've not tried, It's been 1 week since I started using ACV and maybe there is a little improvement but nothing as dramatic as the results some have posted. I guess we all have to trial and error various methods to find the magical one that will work.

I promised myself if I find a solution I will tell everyone... so for those of you still battling this I feel your pain and will keep you posted on any improvements I see. Cheers, Maz