LENA BLOG

Chloasma is a condition also called the mask of pregnancy , hyperpigmentation or melasma. In essence, the pigment (melanin) in your skin has gone out of control. This results in dark spots of pigmentation on the face, resembling in some cases a mask—thus the name. These are not freckles or dots, but sometimes large patches of dark brown skin commonly found on the cheeks and/or the forehead, although it is not limited to these areas. During pregnancy or while on birth control pills (“the pill” makes your body think it’s pregnant), your skin becomes photosensitive or sensitive to the sun. Photosensitivity is most common in women, especially during the childbearing years, due to fluctuating hormones. Unfortunately, if you’re prone to it, the only solution for keeping chloasma away is to stay out of the sun. ANY amount of sun exposure will darken the pigmentation on your face. All exposure counts, and as little as a few minutes of sun can darken the spots. If you’ve ever experie...

This, of course, is an exaggeration. Recently I had a client come in who had just seen her dermatologist. We were talking about pigmentation and “sun spo ts ” on the skin. Her dermatologist pointed out how she had more pigmentation on the left side of her face , especially around the cheek and chin area as well as her upper neck. My client was shocked to find out that this was due to driving in her car. I see this a lot — eve n on my own face; there is usually more dark pigmentation on the left side of the face, the side closest to the window of the car. This dark pigmentation is caused from sun exposure — exposure while sitting in your car driving. And if you are rarely the driver but are frequently a passenger in the front seat, you ’ ll see this discoloration on your right side. Your hands are also receiving a lot of sun while they are up or around the steering wheel. Look down at your hands next time you ’ re driving and you ’ ll see what I mean. Early in my skin...