People face numerous facial issues. These include allergies, changes in skin tone, facial hairs, and cancer among others.
Facial issues can have a significant effect on the victims hard because most of the time you cannot cover up the condition as you would other body parts. One of the conditions that can change how you look is Melasma.
This article will let you in on what it is all about as well the best sunscreen to use in the event the condition shows its “ugly” face.
What is Melasma?
Melasma is a condition that causes patients to have darker patches of skin on the nose, forehead and upper cheeks. The spots or patches are usually tan or brown in color.
For some people, the discoloration can affect the entire face and not just the aforementioned areas.
Symptoms Of Melasma
The main symptoms of Melasma are irregular and dark hyperpigmented patches that typically appear on the forehead, lips nose, and upper cheek. In most cases, the patches will not suddenly appear on the face but their development happens gradually.
Studies show that there are no other symptoms associated with Melasma other than the cosmetic discoloration.
Risk Factors
Examples of some factors that can cause Melasma include:
- Sun damage
- Hormones
- Very high temperatures
- Inflammation
- Diet (eating too much sugar)
- Being female
- The oral contraceptive pill
- Pregnancy
- Taking anti-depressants for a prolonged period
- Family history
- Working outdoors or living close to the beach
- Exposure to pollution
What To Look For In Sunscreen
Melasma patients must use sunscreen every day especially if you are going to be stepping out into the scorching sun. Skin specialists recommend that you look for the very best in the market if you do not want the condition to worsen.
This is crucial because sunscreen helps to control Melasma while at the same time minimizing undesirable effects.
Looking for the ideal product can prove to be difficult but not if you continue to read this article. Before diving into the best sunscreen for Melasma, it would only be proper to let you know the factors to look out for when shopping for the ideal sunscreen. These include:
- Physical Sunscreen– There are two types of sunscreen i.e. chemical and physical. It is recommended that Melasma patients opt for the physical type because it tends to be more proactive in regards to protecting the skin from soaking up the excess sun.
- Broad Spectrum– Rather than picking the regular sunscreen you are better off going for the broad-spectrum one. This not only offers protection from UVA rays but UVB rays as well which are equally harmful.
- Zinc Oxide- If the sunscreen you want to purchase does not have a high concentration of zinc oxide, you better put it back on the shelf or cart. This is because zinc oxide is one of the most essential minerals for treating and preventing Melasma as it blocks the rays of the sun from penetrating your skin.
- SPF 30 or more- Always go for a sunscreen that has SPF 30
As a side note, it is wise to avoid sunscreen that has synthetic fragrances and alcohol, especially if you have oily skin. The product should also blend into your skin without leaving a heavy white cast.
We have taken the time to research available products to present to you the top three Melasma sunscreen products that will help you out a great deal.
Summary
When it comes to sunscreen for Melasma, there are numerous options in the market where some are definitely better than others. This means that you have to be very keen when sourcing for the product to use so that it ends up being highly effective and beneficial.
Go through all the ingredients to pick the ones that will greatly help with the condition.
Where possible, only go for brands that have a high reputation to be sure that you are using the real deal. Immediately change anything that does not work for you to avoid further problems.