What is the best melasma treatment in Singapore?

Melasma often presents as brown patches on both side of the cheeks, and is fairly common amongst Asian women and the darker skin types.

I can totally understand that patients can be quite disturbed by its appearance, especially if they cannot even conceal with makeup.

Melasma is one of the more challenging pigmentations to treat since the causes are a complex interplay of factors including age, genetic, hormonal, vascular, and sun exposure.

Having said so, there are available effective treatment options that include topical lightening creams, chemical peels, oral medications and pigmentation lasers. Sun protection measures are equally as important as well.

Speaking from my years of experience treating many patients with various types of pigmentations and difficult melasma, I can say to you is that melasma can still be treated quite well with good results.

So Serene, there is still hope for you, and I highly recommend you to speak to an experienced doctor whom you are comfortable with to discuss on the most suitable treatment options for you.

For more detailed information on melasma and its treatment, you can find out more in my "Ultimate Guide to Pigmentation Treatment in Singapore".

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Dr David Ng C H

Hi!

Melasma is difficult to treat but not impossible to improve.

In fact, there are many available treatments to improve melasma. For resistant melasma ( like yours), oral tranexamic acid and low energy thulium lasers are procedures that we will recommend at our practice.

Sun protection is so important. Ensure you are using generous amount of sunblock (Broad spectrum, SPF 50) and practise sun avoidance.

Some energy devices and IPL will worsen the melasma so always speak to a doctor who is experienced in treating this condition.

Btw, you should definitely not use hydroquinone beyond 6 months. A break of a few months will ensure you do not develop the rare complication of exogenous onchronosis.

Regards

Dr Yanni

I concur that melasma can be difficult to treat, so it’s necessary to tamper your expectations as to how much improvement you can expect.

I’d generally be wary of anyone who promises that X or Y treatment will get rid of melasma completely.

As both Dr Israr and Dr Rui Ming mentioned, it may require a combination of treatments before you see improvement.

I’d suggest to have a doctor have a look at it and to ask him realistically what % improvement you can expect, and how many treatment sessions will be needed.

Cheers

You can read Dr Chew's article on Melasma for more information.

Melasma is known to be hard to treat. Combining hydroquinone , arbutin and weekly toning lasers is very important for good results . Results can be seen as early as 2-3 weeks but it takes 10-12 weeks for a great improvement .

Do take note hydroquinone needs to be stopped after using for 3-6 months continuously. It can be restarted after a break of a few months .

Melasma is a very common pigmentation problem amongst asian women and can be tricky to treat.

Nonetheless, there are still several options available that can yield effective results. These include topical whitening creams, orals, different types of lasers etc. I have had good success by combining different treatment modalities for my patients over the years so do not despair too early!

All the best!

I concur that melasma can be difficult to treat, so it’s necessary to tamper your expectations as to how much improvement you can expect.

I’d generally be wary of anyone who promises that X or Y treatment will get rid of melasma completely.

As both Dr Israr and Dr Rui Ming mentioned, it may require a combination of treatments before you see improvement.

I’d suggest to have a doctor have a look at it and to ask him realistically what % improvement you can expect, and how many treatment sessions will be needed.

Cheers

You can read Dr Chew's article on Melasma for more information.