Many people suffer from different skin conditions that affect their self-esteem and how they view themselves. While many of these skin conditions are irreversible and often only get worse, there are ways to cover them up.
The effects of melasma can leave many women feeling self-conscious about their skin and appearance. Luckily, there are some ways to even out the skin tone, giving a more natural and healthy look.
Self-tanning is one of the better options out there, as you can choose and control how dark you want your tan to be. However, many women wonder if it is actually safe to use self-tanner with melasma, and is there a chance it could make the melasma worse?
What is Melasma?
Melasma is a fairly common skin condition which appears as brown and grayish-brown patches on the face. It appears mostly on the face, concentrated on the cheeks, the bridge of the nose, the chin and the upper lip. Melasma spots can also appear on other areas on the body, especially in areas where the skin is exposed to a lot of suns. Melasma patches are often symmetrical on the face, with both sides of the face having matching markings.
Melasma is more prevalent in females and often occurs during pregnancy. A survey from the American Academy of Dermatology shows that 90 percent of people who suffer from melasma are women. While melasma isn’t harmful, it does cause many people to feel self-conscious about their appearance.
What Causes Melasma?
There isn’t one definitive cause of melasma, but there are certain elements that can affect the skin’s pigmentation, leading to melasma patches. People with darker skin are more prone to melasma than those with more pale skin.
Many women with sensitivity to estrogen and progesterone may find that birth control, pregnancy and hormone therapy can all cause an appearance of melasma. It is also seen that excessive stress and thyroid issues can bring about the onset of melasma as well.
One of the biggest contributions to melasma is the sun. The ultraviolet rays of the sun can affect the melanocytes, which are the cells responsible for pigment, causing them to turn darker.
Can Self-Tanner Make Melasma Appear Darker?
Many women who have melasma find that the condition makes them self-conscious about the way they look, as the darker spots stand out against the rest of their skin. Self-tanner seems to be a good option to help blend the darker patches in with the rest of the skin, but some worry that the self-tanning lotion might actually accentuate the darker spots.
Luckily, self-tanner will not make the melasma patches darker. Self-tanners have an active ingredient called DHA, which does not actually affect the pigmentation of the skin. DHA works by staining the dead outer layer of the skin called epidermis. The stain is temporary and will not leave a lasting darker tone on the darker areas caused by melasma.
Does Self-Tanner Help Cover Melasma?
If applied properly and with care, self-tanner should not worsen the appearance of melasma. Self-tanning products contain DHA which only react with the outer layer of dead skin, which is why self-tanners have to be applied often. The DHA should not darken the melasma more than what it darkens the rest of your skin.
It will darken in correlation with the rest of your skin, so while the patches might get slightly darker, they will probably be less noticeable with the rest of your darkened skin. This applies to self-tanner being used on your face and the rest of your body.
The Best Self-Tanners for Melasma
If you are worried about using just any self-tanning lotion to help cover melasma, here are some of the best ones to try on the market. They offer great coverage and are still gentle and hydrating for the skin.
1. Skinerals Self-Tanner
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The Skinerals brand is one of the most gentle on the skin. It contains mainly natural and organic ingredients instead of harsh chemicals that could actually cause damage.
With the Skinerals Self-Tanner, you will be left with a glowing, beautifully even tone that is streak free and not blotchy.
It suits all skin types and is perfect to use to cover any darker patches. After each use, your skin will be gorgeously bronzed, but also smooth and fresh.
2. Beauty by Earth Self-Tanner
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Beauty by Earth offers up this effective self-tanner that saves you from any blotchy patches or orange streaks.
It is all natural and cruelty-free, so you know it contains only the best ingredients to help transform and protect your skin.
You will be left with an incredibly gorgeous glow, that takes your skin from boring to glam, and because of its natural ingredients, you won’t be left with a strange, orange tinge.
The natural ingredients will help nourish your skin, which is what you need when melasma is present.
3. St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse
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For a lightweight, easy to use self-tanner, this is a great option for you. It is super-lightweight, making it perfect to use on the face.
It dries in 60 seconds, meaning that you can carry on with your beauty routine as usual, without having to wait for ages for your self-tanner to dry.
The St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse gives a streak-free, natural-looking glow that will suit all skin types. It will help smooth out darker patches to look more even with the rest of the skin.
The ingredients are gentle and will help nourish the skin while making it look summer-ready as well.
4. Tan Physics True Color Sunless Tanner
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This self-tanner will give you a flawless and stunningly authentic looking tan. It will hydrate the skin, and replenish it with its natural ingredients. The self-tanner helps you build a tan with its correcting tints and full-proof color.
The correcting tints help even out the tone of your skin, blending in the darker areas with the light. This is such a help when applying self-tanner to melasma affected skin.
The Tan Physics True Color Sunless Tanner is not only a self-tanner, but it is an anti-aging moisturizer as well. Protecting your skin while making it look amazing.
5. Bahama Tan Sunless Lotion
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The Bahama Tan Lotion contains no toxic chemicals and will cause no streaks or blotches on the skin. It contains natural and organic ingredients which are kind to your skin.
What makes this self-tanning lotion great for melasma spots is that it can be applied over 1 to 4 days, to create the tone and tan that you want.
This means you can achieve a tan that matches all the different skin tones you have due to melasma. It is easy to apply and can be used all year round, giving you great coverage all the time.
How To Apply Self-Tanner on Melasma Prone Skin
When applying self-tanner to melasma prone skin, there are some ways to prevent the darker patches from becoming too dark. You can use either petroleum jelly or moisturizer to protect the darker spots and to stop the DHA from reacting with the epidermis too much.
If you are trying to cover darker spots, it might be worth using a Q-tip to dot the barrier cream over the smaller spots.
Another way to prevent these areas from darkening more is by applying the self-tanner evenly over your whole body, and then dotting away the self-tanner from the darker areas and applying moisturizers to the darker spots. This will mean the darker spots won’t react with the DHA like the rest of the skin, and the moisturizer will help keep it hydrated, but also provides a barrier between the epidermis and the active ingredient DHA.
Does Tanning Cause Melasma?
Tanning under the sun can definitely cause melasma, or at least worsen the appearance of melasma spots on the skin. The ultraviolet rays stimulate the pigment cells in the skin which are responsible for the darker patches. Melasma can be activated easily by the rays from the sun, so it is really important to be wearing sunscreen when venturing outdoors.
Your face is usually at the highest risk of being sunburned, as it is fairly open to the sun, this is one of the reasons why melasma presents itself on the face more often than not.
When you have been out in the sun, you might think that you have achieved a beautifully even tan, but after time certain spots, mainly on your face, will darken while the rest of your tan fades. Avoiding the sun, or wearing a heavy-duty SPF sunscreen can help prevent melasma, or even just lessen its effects if it already present.
Self-Tanning and Melasma
Choosing the right self-tanning lotion for melasma will not only give you an even, streak-free tan, but it will also contain ingredients that will nourish and refresh your skin, keeping it feeling and looking healthy and renewed.
Don’t let dark melasma spots get you down. With the right self-tanning lotion and the correct application, you can blend the darker spots in to match your beautiful new glowing tan. You can achieve the skin tone you have always wanted, and you can look and feel as gorgeous as you deserve to.
