I am a middle-aged Asian woman with huge symmetric melasma patches covering 70% of both my cheeks. I knew nothing about sun damage when I grew up >40 years ago. Then about 10 years back, I began to try the whitening lines from cosmetic houses one after another. A decade & many thousands of HK$ later, my melasma patches are as dark as before. Finally two years ago I visited a dermatologist with the intension of getting laser treatments. Unfortunately, laser can only treat spots & not entire patches of skin. So the good doctor prescribed a whole set of creams for me. They contain hydroquinone, tretinoin, glycolic acid & what not. Even more unfortunate, I am allergic to 4% hydroquinone. My face became as red as a boiled lobster. It was itchy & I scratched myself so much during sleep that many mornings I woke up with a whole bunch of wounds right on top of my melasma. Of course I stopped the hydroquinone. I thought I could get on with the other creams. But my face became dry, itchy & red from tretinoin. Without these two effective ingredients, the creams became ineffective. So I stopped treatment & accepted my fate.
I went into retirement & had lots of time to surf the net. An ad was boasting of a product called Meladerm. It's not inexpensive but definitely not in the league of the whitening products I tried years early: Guerlain, CD, Chanel, Shiseido, SK2, Estee Lauder, Lancome, La Prairie, Valmont,etc. I understand that all US medical products must go thru' rigorous testing to win FDA approval before they can be marketed. So I knew the product would be relatively save & got a friend to get one for me from the US.
I started treatment on 17/3. A miracle happened.The stubborn melasma that has been on my face for decades has faded about 20%. My skin becomes extremely dry & I am doing at-home facials every other night. My face is itchy & I'm training myself not to touch it. So there are only a few scars on my cheeks right now. I would be on cloud nine if my melasma could lighten by 70%.
I always thought that people who write testimonials singing the praises of products must be employed by the marketing people. I am retired & no longer employed by anyone, yet I am cautiously optimistic about the effectiveness of this Meladerm. But to play it safe, I also purchased Murad's Age Spot & pigmentation Lightening Gel in case Meladerm doesn't work. Now this tube of gel sits in my cupboard & I hope it remains that way forever since I've read somewhere that hydroquinone could cause liver damage.
I am quite happy with myself because for the first time in decades, I could use a foundation with medium coverage. I wonder whether I will ever be able to use a foundation with light coverage.
