Show patients their result before they treat.
Brown or gray-brown patches on the face triggered by sun, hormones, and heat.
Sarah Jenkins
Plan #4108 • Overall
Recommended Protocol
Chemical Peels
VI Peels • For Melasma
Hydroquinone / brightening serums
At-home maintenance
Melasma is blotchy brown or gray-brown facial discoloration triggered by sun, hormones, and heat that drive excess melanin. It's managed — not cured — with gentle layered treatment: brightening peels like Cosmelan or VI Peel, careful laser, prescription pigment correctors, and strict daily SPF. Results build over weeks and require ongoing maintenance and sun protection to prevent recurrence.
Melasma is a common condition where patches of skin — usually on the face — develop darker, blotchy, brown or gray-brown discoloration. It is often triggered by sun exposure, hormones (pregnancy, birth control, hormone therapy), and heat or inflammation, which push pigment cells to overproduce melanin and create mask-like areas that are hard to cover with makeup.
Melasma is a high-loyalty concern for a practice because it is chronic and recurs without ongoing management — the patient needs a long-term plan, not a one-off. The provider's goal is to lighten and blend the patches while protecting the barrier and preventing rebound, using gentle, layered treatment plus strict sun protection. Showing the projected clearer complexion on the patient's own photo helps justify a maintenance program and consistent visits.
Melasma
Where it appears
Face, Neck
Facial area
Overall
Treatment paths
10
From in-clinic procedures to at-home regimens, Afters maps the full range of options — so patients can see what each one would do for them, on their own photo, before they commit.
Professional procedures performed by a provider to target the concern directly.
Energy-based and resurfacing devices used to treat the concern in clinic.
Branded injectables and medical products providers use for this concern.
Medical-grade products patients use between visits to maintain results.
The named injectables, products, and devices patients search for — each lets them preview the result before they commit.
A near-painless medium-depth chemical peel with formulas for acne, pigment, and aging.
View brandA professional depigmentation peel system designed specifically to treat melasma and stubborn pigment.
View brandSciton's gentle fractional laser — a low-downtime 'prejuvenation' treatment for tone, texture, and early pigment.
View brandA gentle 'baby Fraxel' fractional laser for early aging, glow, and skin-quality maintenance.
View brandThe fractional laser that defined the category — resurfaces deeper for wrinkles, scars, and sun damage.
View brandPatients rarely come in for just one thing. Browse other concerns Afters can visualize.
Common questions patients ask about melasma — and what practices should be ready to answer.
Sun exposure, hormonal shifts (pregnancy, birth control, hormone therapy), and heat or inflammation overstimulate pigment cells, producing the characteristic blotchy brown patches.
A layered approach works best: brightening peels (Cosmelan, VI Peel), prescription pigment correctors, conservative laser, and most importantly daily broad-spectrum SPF. Aggressive lasers can worsen melasma, so caution matters.
Melasma is chronic and tends to recur, so it's managed rather than cured. Consistent treatment plus diligent sun protection keeps it faded and under control.
Carefully chosen, low-energy laser and light treatments can help, but aggressive settings can trigger rebound pigmentation. Many providers lead with peels and topicals before laser.
It's the single most important factor. Daily broad-spectrum SPF — ideally tinted with iron oxides to block visible light — prevents the discoloration from returning after treatment.
Afters simulates the outcome on a patient's own photo and builds a visual 12-month plan — so consults convert and average ticket climbs.