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Pronunciations melanoma melasma polyp retinoic acid

Melasma causes dark brown patches of pigmentation to appear on sun-exposed areas, usually the face.

Melasma tends to appear during pregnancy (mask of pregnancy) and in women who take oral contraceptives, although it can occur in anyone. The disorder is most common in sunny climates and among people with darker skin.

Irregular, patchy areas of dark color appear on the skin, usually on both sides of the face. The pigmentation most often occurs in the center of the face and on the cheeks, forehead, upper lip, and nose. Sometimes people have the patches only on the sides of the face. Rarely, melasma appears on the forearms. The patches do not itch or hurt and are only of cosmetic significance.

If the skin is protected from the sun, melasma often fades after pregnancy or when an oral contraceptive is stopped. People with melasma can use sunscreens on the dark patches and avoid sun exposure to prevent the condition from getting worse. Skin-bleaching creams containing hydroquinone and retinoic acid can help lighten the dark patches.

Spotlight on Aging Lentigines (commonly called liver spots or age spots) are flat, tan to brown oval spots on the skin. Lentigines commonly result from spending a lot of time in the sun. They appear most frequently on areas that are exposed to the sun, such as the face and back of the hands. Lentigines that result from sun exposure are called solar lentigines. They tend to increase in number as people age. Thus, these spots are more common with advancing age. Lentigines are noncancerous, but people who have them may be at higher risk for melanoma. Doctors can remove them with freezing treatments (cryotherapy) or laser therapy. Bleaching agents such as hydroquinone are not effective. Some lentigines that are not related to exposure to sunlight (nonsolar lentigines) sometimes occur in people with certain rare hereditary disorders, such as Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (characterized by many lentigines on the lips and polyps in the stomach and intestine), xeroderma pigmentosum, and Leopard syndrome.

Last full review/revision October 2008 by Daniel E. McGinley-Smith, MD