Melasma due to hormonal disorders

In today's dermatological and cosmetic problems, melasma is always a dilemma. Most women, especially women after giving birth, have skin problems that are often melasma, freckles.

Melasma, also known as melasma, melasma, is a form of acquired pigmentation disorder, characterized by hyperpigmented macules, patches or nodules symmetrically distributed on the face, neck and sometimes is in the upper limb. Melasma is a benign disease that does not affect human health, but causes loss of aesthetics and affects psychology, creating a feeling of inferiority and shame when exposed. Melasma can occur in both sexes but is more common in women than in men.
Clinically, melasma has 2 main forms:
Melasma patches: Melasma is concentrated in one or more different patches on the surface of the skin, mainly on the epidermis. Deep melasma, also known as endocrine melasma: The pigmented areas grow concentrated in round nodules on the surface of the skin with roots deep into the layers of skin structure, mainly the basement membrane of the layer that is often affected. , sometimes extending down to the dermis. Endocrine melasma mainly appears on the cheeks, temples, sometimes on the forehead, arms... Endocrine melasma occurs when the body's hormonal balance is disrupted, especially hormones. estrogens. There is also mixed melasma, which is a combination of both plaque and deep melasma.

Melasma is formed mainly due to the disorder of melanin pigment on the surface of the skin, especially the number of melanocytes concentrated in the epidermis. The more melanin pigment particles concentrate on the surface, the darker the skin will be. The cause of hormonal melasma is still not clear, but there are many factors that show that hormonal melasma is caused mainly by an imbalance of hormones in the body.
Many studies have shown that hormonal factors, especially estrogen, are directly related to the appearance of melasma. In the body, estrogen not only helps to shape the curves of the body, maintain the libido of both sexes, directly affects the ability to absorb calcium and other nutrients, but it also plays a role in controlling the amount of calcium in the body. Melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) is a hormone that stimulates the production of melanin under the skin. Therefore, all cases with changes in estrogen levels in the body can lead to disorders of MSH production that cause overproduction of melanin that forms melasma.
The likelihood of melasma or other skin pigmentation problems in postpartum women or in those who regularly use oral contraceptives is actually higher than in other cases.
In postpartum women: During pregnancy, estrogen levels in the body increase rapidly to protect the fetus. After childbirth, the amount of estrogen suddenly decreases, leading to a hormonal imbalance that stimulates the production of melanin pigment cells, causing melasma.

For women who take oral contraceptives, the progestin content in birth control pills not only causes water retention, but also stimulates the possibility of melasma formation. There are many cases of melasma appearing early, after taking oral contraceptives for about 2 to 3 months, the skin begins to show signs of darkening and gradually forms brown spots on the skin surface called deep melasma. This melasma will increase in intensity when exposed to the sun and there is no sign of relief when the drug is stopped. Women in perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes in the body often fluctuate up and down, which can also cause melasma. The hormone estrogen is secreted in the ovaries. This process is governed by the command and activity of the brain. Therefore, any stress, pressure or stress that affects the brain to stop or reduce its ability to control brain activity leads to a disorder in the production of hormones by the ovaries. And when there is an imbalance of hormones, melasma occurs naturally. Endocrine diseases, especially those of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands or ovaries, can also be the root cause of melasma.
In addition to endocrine problems, hormonal melasma can be caused by the following factors:
Direct exposure to the sun without protection is one of the leading factors causing so me. The nature of melanin is to protect the skin from the effects of sunlight and ultraviolet rays on the skin. When the skin is exposed to sunlight without protection, the melanosome cells in the basal membrane will increase the production of melanocytes, melanin, which move to the surface of the skin to absorb sunlight and convert unwanted energy. effect on the skin. Therefore, causing darkening of the skin to form melasma. Genetic factors: In fact, the frequency of melasma in people with a family history of melasma is higher than in others. Due to factors of care, improper use of cosmetics, use of products containing many strong peeling ingredients. Stress, stress, improper diet and rest. Due to an unreasonable nutritional diet, or the use of stimulants such as alcohol, tobacco, a diet that lacks water, minerals and vitamins, makes dry, weak skin prone to sunburn. In general, hormonal melasma is mainly caused by a disorder of the endocrine system in the body, leading to an imbalance of hormones that causes an overproduction of melanin pigment cells forming hyperpigmentation spots or patches. on the skin surface. However, that does not mean that only hormonal problems can cause melasma. All problems from inside or outside the body such as environment, cosmetics, care factors or lifestyle can contribute to the formation of melasma. Knowing the cause to know how to prevent melasma is something that women should know.