Choasma faciei, or melasma, is a skin condition that is influenced by the presence of excess sexual female hormones, such as estrogen or progesterone, which facilitate the production of pigments, causing darker patches on the surface of the skin. Melasma may be removed with laser treatments or chemical peels, but if you would prefer less invasive treatments, you may opt for natural remedies. These will not remove the melasma, but they will lighten the dark patches.
1. Avoiding the Sun
Melasma occurs due to an excessive melanin production, but the occurrence of melasma is triggered by sun exposure. If you stay away from the sun or protect your face (where melasma is more likely to occur), you may avoid the occurrence of melasma. Opt for wide brimmed hats and high protection factor sunscreens.
2. Sour Cream
The sour cream is a product that contains lactic acid, which may have a beneficial effect by diminishing the skin pigmentation. The sour cream should be applied on the melasma and left for a few minutes or even hours, allowing the skin to absorb the cream. The mask may be rinsed afterwards; apply a gentle moisturizer to avoid dry skin. Milk or yogurt may have similar effects on the melasma. However, if not applied properly, the acid may also cause discoloration on the parts of the face that are not affected by melasma.
3. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is a popular natural remedy that may be used to reduce age and liver spots, freckles and may also be effective in lightening melasma. Apply sugar free lemon juice directly on the melasma and leave the juice without rinsing. The juice may be diluted, but this is not necessary. You may also add honey to the lemon juice. You may also make a mix with lemon juice, radish juice and oatmeal, applying the mix on the surfaces affected by melasma. The citric acid that is present in the lemon juice will naturally lighten the pigmentation. To amplify the effect of lemon juice, you may also choose facial creams, masks and lotions that contain lemon extracts.
4. Castor Oil
Castor oil is a natural solution to diminish age spots, freckles or melasma, as it will even out the skin’s pigmentation. The oil should be applied generously and left for 8 to 10 hours (ideally during nighttime) and wiped in the morning. Castor oil may be purchased from pharmacies, but you should make sure the oil is odorless, as the castor oil has an unusual smell that may be difficult to bear.
5. Vitamin E
Vitamin E has similar properties as castor oil. You may also purchase vitamin E in liquid form from the pharmacy or get oral vitamin E supplements.
6. Parsley Juice
The parsley juice has similar effects to the lemon juice. Parsley juice may be used on melasma alone or in combination with lemon juice, red currant juice or other dairy products. Note that these natural products should be used for a few weeks before you will see results; exposure to sun will spoil the effects of any melasma treatment.
