The pictures shared above are from DermNet NZ are skin that suffers Melasma and shows the different ways it can present visually on the skin.

Cheap and effective Vitamin C and B products can make a huge difference when working to treat Epidermal Melasma, especially when combined with Green LED Light therapy. I want you to think of Vitamin B and C products as the best topical products to help decrease pigmentation caused by Melasma due to the way they work to inhibit Melanin production within the skin.​ ​

At-home beauty technologies such as light Microbrasion, Microneedling (NO BLOOD!) and Green and Red LED Light therapy can be VERY effective at treating the problem of Epidermal Melasma. 

Due to Epidermal Melasma being a more superficial form of Melasma, products such as the Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Liquid Peel, and or at-home, Microdermabrasion may work well to decrease the effects of Epidermal Melasma.

I personally advise caution using skin peels regularly, and recommend doing light Microneedling every 10-14 days (no blood) for a few months first which works as a great reserfacing treatment, and only then layering in light skin peels if nessessary to build on results if you are not having regular treatments like Venus Freeze therapy. This is due Microneedling triggering much more collagen and elastin growth than that gained by doing ongoing and light skin peels. This is due to mature age skin thinning over time and causing fine lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores, pigmentation issues and sagging skin. The last thing you want to do is feed into the problem of thinning skin by continuously stripping the skin using skin peels, and whilst light peels like Drops of Youth Liquid Peel purchased from The Body shop are quite mild in the world of skin peels, it is best to invest in treatments like Venus Freeze therapy to target the problem of thinning skin properly as you mature. Maintaining thick, strong and properly functioning skin by having regular treatments like Venus Freeze therapy gains you more leeway when it comes to being able to use products like light skin peels ongoing.

I heard about the Drops of Youth Liquid Peel from a client whose daughter suffers from Epidermal Melasma, which became much worse after getting pregnant. The formulation helped to decrease the problem after she regularly used it every few days for a few months. It should be understood that the little rubber-like balls that build up under the fingertips as you rub the formula across the skin are made up of both the product itself and dead skin cells that sit on the outer layers of the skin. If you put the product on a hard surface, such as a desk the product will start to form the little rubbery balls, but this does NOT mean it is not an effective light peeling agent. I personaly trialed this product, using it every two days for two weeks and found my skin became very shinny and became more sensitive. This was because this was too much exfoliation for my skin, however it proved to me that the peels does infact work.

I very much like it because I think if your skin responds well to it then there may be no need to purchase and use an at-home Microdermabrasion device. Of course purchasign the peel regularly this is an extra expense to consider ongoing, whereas the at-home Microdermabrasion devices are one-off purchases, that may be far more cost-effective due to there being little to no ongoing costs, due to the little grinding discs used on these kinds of devices not needing to be replaced very often.

Example Of Morning Skincare Routine:

• • Cleans the skin twice with Cetaphil or QV Cleanser, once with fingertips and warm water, the second time with the cleanser and a soft-bristled cleansing brush.
  • Use the Drops of Youth Liquid Peel every 2-3 days, on VERY dry skin, or perform light Microdermabrasion therapy every 2-3 days a week after cleansing the skin.
  • Apply a Hyaluronic Acid rich serum onto damp skin (hydrating the skin deeply comes first, pigmentation products next) rich serum, five minutes after that apply a Vitamin B serum, five minutes after that apply a Vitamin C serum followed by sunscreen and makeup if worn daily.

If using a Vitamin B or C that contains Hyaluronic Acid you might be all good as far as hydration, finding you don’t need to use a concentrated form of Hyaluronic Acid on its own. If the skin becomes dry, then you know you need more Hyaluronic Acid, which you should think of like a BIG drink of water for the skin, and not so much as an acid.

If staying inside Cetaphil or QV moisturiser can be used to seal the Hyaluronic Acid into the skin properly, or a moisturiser like the Moogoo Brightening moisturiser could be applied which has some extra B and C Vitamins in it.

Example Of Evening Skincare Routine:

• Cleans the skin twice with Cetaphil or QV Cleanser, once with fingertips and warm water, the second time with the cleanser and a soft-bristled cleansing brush.
• Apply a Hyaluronic Acid rich serum onto damp skin (hydrating the skin deeply comes first, pigmentation products next) rich serum, five minutes after that apply a Vitamin B serum followed by a Cetaphil or QV moisturiser to seal the Hyaluronic Acid into the skin properly, or a moisturiser like the Moogoo Brightening moisturiser could be applied which has some extra B and C Vitamins in it.
  

  Example Of Weekly At-Home Skincare Treatment Routine:

• Perform Green LED Light therapy for 20 minutes, followed by Red LED Light therapy daily, or every 2nd day ongoing.
  

  Example Of Monthly At-Home Skincare Treatment Routine:

• Light Microneedling (no blood), done every 10-14 days, followed by Green LED Light therapy for 20 minutes, followed by Red LED Light therapy.

Cheap and Effective Vitamin B, C and Hyaluroic Acid Products:

Here are some cheap and effective products you can easily purchase online:

The Ordinary range has a cheap and effective Vitamin C cream that many of my clients have liked. The only trouble is that this can cause sensitive skin types to react, and be a bit stingy to use at first, and then the skin gets used to the pure L-Ascorbic Acid contained within this product.If the skin does not settle down, you will need to try the Original Vitamin C product that is better suited for sensitive skin. L-Ascorbic Acid is a pure kind of Vitamin C, so packs the most amount of punch when it comes to inhibiting Melonan production that causes pigmentation to develop after sun exposure, but sometimes the skin simply does not like it.

Here is a link to Vitamin C serum in the Ordanaty range that is a little more expensive but great for sensitive skin types. This serum is rich in Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, an oil-soluble derivative of Vitamin C that can be used in higher concentrations without drawbacks.

There are many cheap and effective Hyaluronic Acid rich serums and gels on the market such as the Chemistry Brand. These products should be applied to very damp skin directly after cleansing  so that the Hyaluronic acid molecules can bond with the water molecules and enable them to be dragged deep into the skin cells along with the Hyaluronic acid molecules themselves.

The Ordinary brand has a great Vitamin B5 + Hyaluronic Acid Serum.  It should be noted once again that some skin types may find this enough to hydrate the skin properly. If the skin becomes dry you will know that it is in need of some more Hyaluronic Acid.

I personally advise using a pure 2-3% Hyaluronic Acid chemist compounded product, which will have a life span of around 6 months and need to be kept in the fridge between uses when performing Microneedling treatments at home. This kind of product will cost you around $80-100 per 50gm tub (I sell this product cheaply to my clients due to purchasing in bulk from a compound chemist I trust) and will contain far fewer chemicals than store-bought compounds.

You are able to use store bought Hyluronic Acid compounds to use as a lubricant whilst performing your one at-home Microneedling treatments, as well as applying them to the skin after a treatment is performed, I just prefer less chemicles when Microneedling due to how deeply the product is pushed into the skin throughout the treatment proccess. Read my blog giving you info so you can go on work with a compound chemist that will help you create the right product for your needs.

Alternative Vitamin C, B and brightening compounds that are great for sensitive skin:

Moogoo Vitamin C serum.
We made this serum by dissolving an oil-soluble form of Vitamin C called Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate or VCIP, through a base of hydrating antioxidant oils that mimic the skin’s own sebum. Sebum is the oil that is excreted from your skin, so this product has been created by using a derivative form of Vitamin C to use a form of Vitamin C that causes fewer reactions and compounded in a way that allows the skin to absorb it better due to the skin thinking it is sebum.The only problem with this product is some of my clients complain that it is oily and difficult to use with sunscreen and makeup due to the oil factor.

Moogoo Vitamin B.

Moogoo Brightening moisturiser (to wear over the top of vitamin C and B serums on days you are not going out into the sun, and in the evening to seal in your Hydrate Acid rich gel or serum. Purchasing the Brightening moisturiser gives your skincare routine a little boost as far and applying extra Vitamin C and other pigmentation fighting ingredients such as Indian Gooseberry Fruit Extract is a non-irritating antioxidant that works to help lighten the skin regularly.Keep in mind honey you will need to leave off applying Vitamin B and C products to the skin for 5-7 days after performing a Microneedling treatment in case the skin is too inflamed to handle it. Your skin will tell you if you have applied these products too soon after performing a Microneedling treatment.

At-Home Devices

Microdermabrasion Devices:

Gentle Dermabrasion can be done 1-3 times a week, depending on the age and type of skin.

As mentioned above you may find using the Drops of Youth Liquid Peel from the Body Shop every 2-3 days ongoing may enable you to skip having to use an at-home Dermabrasion device, or you may prefer to use an at-home Dermabrasion device due to it being cheaper in the long run, or use both the Dermabrasion device and the Drops of Youth Liquid Peel (or another type of light peeling agent), performing the peel after a Dermabrasion treatment, or on alternate days in order to intensify the results gained from your at-home treatments.

It should always be kept in mind that inflammation can trigger pigmentation in Melasma prone skin types, so make sure to always do Green and Red LED Light therapy afterwards so that the Green LED Light can decrease inflammation within the skin, and the Red help kick start the healing process.

Here is a list of at-home devices my clients are currently using and liking: https://www.mecca.com.au/pmd-beauty/personal-microderm-classic/I-038864.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA1eKBBhBZEiwAX3gql0JiCw-J4up7or6uwdUX0vOOWoUd7AVjaKKm4wFastnjfYww1mTnyRoCqWIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Here is a link to my clients second favourite at home dermabrasion device that is a little cheaper: https://au.lumaeskin.com/products/microdermabrasion?attribute_pa_colour=matte-white&gclid=CjwKCAiA1eKBBhBZEiwAX3gqlyPRz-v8tAbfpG3VMir-wHHUALNjBQTwn5jRQHExVhH-Ik1_Vw9wWhoCSH4QAvD_BwE

Here is the third most favourite dermabrasion device that is cheaper again: https://www.shavershop.com.au/homedics/radiance-microdermabrasion-system-008974.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA1eKBBhBZEiwAX3gql6ZkbP1jHsACb9DCDQZ3YrhYmEmtufMwBbuS7tspRVBDxUsgGJtKgBoC8bIQAvD_BwE

Microneedling Roller Devices:

Please understand the info given in this message is for information purposes only and I take no responsibility for any injury, infection or any other kind of negative outcome that may result from your performing your own Microneedling treatments at-home. You will need to be mindfull of how your skin responds to these treatments, and start with doing very light treatments, and watching how your skin responds before performing more intense treatments. Keeping a journal of your treatments, how many times you went over the skin and how the skin responded is best, so that you can adjust your treatment process accordingly.Using a 1mm or 1.5 mm roller every 10-14 days, taking it over the skin enough times for the skin to go VERY PINK/RED, but without causing the skin to bleed when doing treatments for Melasma can work well to resurface the skin in a dramatic way that also helps to create thicker, stronger skin over time. Currently I am liking the Microneedling rollers purchased from Essential Derma. Here is a code to use to get a 10% discount on all Essential Derma products: JESSICAT

If needing numbing cream than I advise purchasing Numit cream from your local chemist. If it is not on the shelves, ask for it over the counter. Make sure to patch test the numbing cream before using it within a treatment.

MAKE SURE TO DO GREEN LED LIGHT THERAPY DIRECTLY AFTER DOING MICRONEEDLING FOR 20 MINUTES TO DECREASE INFLAMATION WITHIN THE SKIN AND HELP DECREASE DARK PIGMENTATION, FOLLOWED BY 15-20 MIN OF RED IF YOU HAVE TIME TO BOOST THE OVERALL HEALTH OF THE SKIN AND GET AHEAD OF THE AGEING PROCESS.

LED Light Devices:

Read my blog talking about the different types of devices on the market and what to watch out for.

Whilst you may resolve hormonal pigmentation issues with regular light Microneedling, and the use of Vitamin C and B products, (possibly also folding a little Microdermabrasion therapy and, or some very light and regular skin peels like the Drops of Youth, sold by the Body Shop) I highly recommend including Green LED Light within your at-home treatment routine due to having seen it work miracles on Melasma.

Green LED Light needs to be used every day, or every second day for 20 minutes to treat Melasma effectively.

Performing Red LED Light therapy for 20 minutes after a Green LED Light treatment, or on alternate days will boost the overall health of your skin, and trigger rich collagen and elastin growth, helping your skin to be more resistant to the natural ageing process.

Apply Green Tea to the skin due to it making Red LED Light therapy 80% stronger because an enzyme in the Green Tea reacting to the Red LED Light.It takes about 20 minutes for the Green Tea to take effect so doing 20 minutes of Green LED Light to help decrease pigmentation caused by Melasma, followed by 20 minutes of Red LED Light therapy, done to raise Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) levels in the skin cells and trigger rich collagen and elastin growth, the skin will be well-prepped for by the time the light turns from Green To Red. 

Read the Green Tea Study to understand more about the importance of applying Green Tea to the skin 20 minutes before enjoying a Red LED Light treatment.

If purchasing a mask it needs to be kept in mind that many people find the masks uncomfortable due to the weight and shape of the mask.

Here is a link to a quality device that a few of my clients are enjoying using: https://www.shopzal.com/product/dermaluminate-led-light-face-and-neck-mask/

Many people prefer to use a device that is not sitting directly on their face for comfort and ease of use. Here is a link to look at a device many of my clients use: https://drpen.com.au/products/pdt-light-therapy-machine? IF YOU PURCHASE THIS DEVICE PLEASE USE THIS CODE TO GET A 10 % DISCOUNT: JESSICATSMEDISPA10 

Please know I am not endorsing any of the devices or products listed above due to my not using them personally. I am simply letting you know about devices that my clients are liking.

I hope you find this info of interest and it helps you get on top of your pigmentation issues. Jessicat Xxx