Ask Dr. Schultz
Help with dark splotches on face?
Hi Dr. Schultz!
I have dark colored splotches on my face in a few key areas — above my upper lip, right above my eyebrows and my nose, and just along my hairline. It seems to me like these are all places where my sunscreen gets rubbed off when I get sweaty outside, and they did seem to get a little worse when I got pregnant two years ago. What can I do to lighten them, and keep them from coming back?
Dark splotches that occur during pregnancy or from birth control pills are very common and are sometimes called “the mask of pregnancy” and are probably not related to isolated areas of sunscreen failure (although it’s a very interesting idea).
It is caused by a hormonal stimulation of the pigment cells (melanocytes) which once started, is very hard to stop. The most important part of lightening the blotches is preventing the sun from making them worse..best to do with sunscreen with SPF 30 with Zinc and Titanium EVERY DAY of the year on the entire face and a hat with a wide brim. Also need to use pigment lighteners (skin bleaches) which are available over the counter but stronger ones require a prescription from your doctor . Last, Vitamin C based topical antioxidants also help reduce brown pigment and are available without a prescription.