The dark spots that appear on the face during pregnancy are scientifically called melasma or chloasma gravidarum. They appear because the hormonal changes typical of pregnancy stimulate the formation of melanin in certain areas of the face.
These spots usually appear around 6 months and are brown in color and although they are more frequent on the face may also appear in the armpits, groin and belly. But although it may be more common in pregnancy, they can occur whenever a woman has major hormonal changes, such as menopause or polyarticular myoma or ovary, for example.
Do the pregnancy stains come out?
Melasma tends to become more evident whenever the woman is exposed to the sun and therefore depends on her daily activities and the care she takes with the skin, the spots can become lighter or darker. When the woman has spots that do not differ much from her skin tone, they can disappear naturally after the baby is born, as long as she wears sunscreen and does not stay in the sun.
But when blemishes are more evident because they differ a lot from the skin tone of the woman, they may be more difficult to remove and a treatment needs to be followed, which may include cleansing the skin, using bleaching cream, or using laser or light intense pulsation, for example.
How to Treat Melasma
During pregnancy a woman should wear FPS sunscreen at least 15 and may also use a moisturizer with vitamin C, for example. After the baby is born, other treatments such as:
- Whitening creams indicated by the dermatologist that should be used regularly, usually at night and contain retinoic acid or hydroquinone;
- Peeling with acids that cause a slight peeling on the skin, helping remove dead cells and pigment in 3 to 5 sessions at intervals of 2 to 4 weeks;
- Laser or intense pulsed light that has a deeper action on pigment removal, usually 10 sessions, and the skin may become reddish and swollen after a session. Laser is indicated for stains that have resisted creams or peelings or for woman wanting faster results.
During the treatment one must wear sunglasses, hat and sunscreen and avoid being in the sun between 10am and 4pm.
This video indicates more treatment options:
How to avoid melasma
There is no way to avoid pregnancy spots as they are related to hormones. However, it is possible to mitigate the situation by avoiding sun exposure in the hottest hours, between 10am and 4pm, and wearing a hat or cap and sunscreen indicated by the dermatologist, reapplying every 2 hours.
