Melasma: Just how common is "common?"
September 20, 2013 9:50 PM   Subscribe

Is melasma ever a symptom of something, or is it a symptom of melasma?

Everything I've read about melasma attributes it to pregnancy, the pill, or hormonal changes from menopause. It seems fairly common, since all of those things are common, and it's a harmless condition.

What about melasma (or melasma-like splotches) that appear on women who have never been pregnant, never been on the pill, and aren't near menopausal age. Is it also common, or is it possibly a symptom of something else? I've also read that melasma is more likely to develop on women from certain ethnic backgrounds, or from significant sun exposure, but again, what about women who have none of these factors in their history?

According to the answers here, melasma-like skin blotches could be a sign of something serious, possibly melanoma. Are there other conditions it could indicate? I tried to find an answer to this question online, but everything I pulled up either attributed melasma to the things listed above (which, you know, might sum it all up), or was homeopathic junk about adrenal fatigue and the like.

Obviously, only doctors can make diagnoses, etc. But I want to know: can the appearance of melasma on women who don't have any on these known causes be a symptom of something else, or is it just a common thing that happens, sometimes?
posted by sock puppet of mystery! to Health & Fitness (8 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: A family member of mine has melasma-like blotches that her doctor says are related to a hormonal imbalance caused by PCOS. That and a few stray unusually-dark hairs on her chin and neck (they're really barely noticeable to me, but she complains about them) are her only symptoms.
posted by erst at 10:03 PM on September 20, 2013


Best answer: My dermatologist said it could have been caused by a sunbur as a kid or teen or even just triggered by stress.
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 10:08 PM on September 20, 2013


Best answer: It can be associated with thyroid disease.
posted by Crotalus at 11:28 PM on September 20, 2013


Best answer: What I thought was melasma once turned out to be tinea versicolor, a fungal infection.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 4:34 AM on September 21, 2013


Best answer: Oh, so that's what those marks along my hairline are! (I'll double check with my doctor when I see her in a few weeks.) I have largely asymptomatic PCOS... between 25 and 30 I've developed what looks like a little melasma along my hairline (and right along my lipline... like I've been eating chocolate ice cream - my husband once tried to wipe it off!), minor body acne, a few stray black hairs, etc...

I mention this because I didn't know I had PCOS until I went for an exam by a urogynocologist for overactive bladder, and he leant into my hip and could feel one of my ovarian cysts with his bare hands! So unless you've specifically had PCOS and similar eliminated as a possibility - it is quite possible to be a bit off kilter and not realize it. I've never been pregnant, am not on the pill, am nowhere near menopause, and have no thyroid problems (it's been checked). I bet if we both ask our doctors, we both get told it's melasma/'nothing' - but do ask. Peace of mind and all that ;)
posted by jrobin276 at 4:54 AM on September 21, 2013


Best answer: The autoimmune disease scleroderma can cause skin discolorations that can look very much like melasma. Lupus also causes a facial rash, but I think it's more often reddish than brownish. Both of these autoimmune diseases affect many more women than men.
posted by Corvid at 10:52 AM on September 21, 2013


Best answer: Vitamin B12 and/or folic acid anemia can cause melasma. It wouldn't hurt to take a vitamin with folic acid in it and get some B12 that dissolves under your tongue - no more shots! I had that type of (macrocytic) anemia from many years of Dilantin. I'd developed quite noticeable melasma over my face and neck but after I was put on B12 injections and a folic acid supplement the melasma slowly went away.

Keep pestering the doc until you get an answer. I'd probably try a dermatologist, because from my own experience, they're incredibly nitpicky and fussy about every little blemish - at least a dermatologist will take you seriously.
posted by aryma at 7:08 PM on September 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Interesting. So, it's a thing, but it can indeed be a thing caused by another thing. Thanks for the info - I'll bring this up to my doctor.
posted by sock puppet of mystery! at 4:32 PM on September 30, 2013


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