Risk factors for facial melasma in women: a case–control study

Abstract

Facial melasma is independently associated with elements linked to pigmentation capacity, family ancestry, chronic sun exposure, sexual hormone stimuli, psychotropics and anxiety traits.

Long‐term results in low‐fluence 1064‐nm Q‐Switched Nd:YAG laser for melasma: Is it effective?

“…Melasma also has a higher prevalence among females during gestation and oral contraceptive use. According to epidemiological data, melasma can develop in 14.5–56% of pregnant women and in 11.3–46% of women who take oral contraceptives . As a result, it is thought that female sex hormones play a role in the development of melasma .…”

“…Although it is controversial, genetic predisposition has been implicated as another important cause in melasma development. Many studies reveal that melasma affects more pigmented phenotypes and the occurrence of familial melasma ranges between 10.2 and 61% . Therefore, the main causative factors of melasma can be listed as UV irradiation, female sex hormones, and genetic factors.…”

How hormones may modulate human skin pigmentation in melasma: An in vitro perspective

“…Melasma is a common acquired hyperpigmentary disorder occurring primarily in photo‐exposed areas (face, neck, forearms) and mainly affecting women of childbearing age. It can occur in all skin types but is more common in intermediate phototypes (Hispanic, Asiatic, Mediterranean African, Middle‐Eastern populations) and rare in extreme phototypes (I, VI) . While a clear female predominance of 9 or 10 to 1 is observed, the prevalence female/male differs according to the ethnic group, ranging from 6:1 to 39:1 .…”

Pilot study of an automated method to determine Melasma Area and Severity Index

“…It is a common presenting complaint in dermatology clinics and affects more than 5 million people in the United States 2,3 . In Southeast Asia, the prevalence reaches 40% in women and 20% in men 4 . As a chronic and often relapsing condition, it has significant negative impact on quality of life, even more so than in dermatoses such as acne and rosacea 5 .…”