Skincare expert Smita Ahluwalia shares her advice on how to educate clients about treating melasma with topical skincare.
Many clients want to move away from wearing lots of makeup, but they’re often worried about uneven skin tone.
Typically, clients might complain about “pigmentation”, “dark spots”, “liver marks” or “large freckles”.
However the client labels it, it's important to establish precisely what kind of skin conditions they have, so that we know how it came about, how to treat it and how to prevent further damage.
By far the most common pigmentation issue I see in clinic is melasma. This typically presents as symmetrical brown or greyish patches on the face, with the most commonly affected areas being the cheeks, forehead, nose and above the lip.
What we need to explain to our clients is that melasma is very difficult to treat. The patches can fade and may even disappear, but for many clients, the condition is stubborn and even if the treatment is successful it may reappear.
There is no one treatment that fits all so I like to recommend a combination of treatments as part of a management plan for my clients.
Before suggesting treatment options and active skincare we need to understand the cause of melasma, what triggers the melasma, the depth of the pigmentation patches and the client's lifestyle.
During the skin consultation, I explain to my clients why melasma can be challenging to manage.
It is so important to be transparent so that the client really understands that due to factors such as hormonal fluctuations, excessive sun exposure, genetics, medication side effects and possible overuse or misuse of actives, melasma is often managed rather than cured.
I advise my clients to apply vitamin C every morning and, at night, some form of active ingredient to lift the pigmentation.
There are a number of actives such as retinoids, AHAs and BHAs, azelaic acid, kojic acid and tranexamic acid, which differ in strength.
I select the appropriate active for the client dependent on their skin tolerance and the seasonal climate.
But let’s talk about sunscreen. This is the most important ingredient we have and yet most people underapply it!
Usually, my clients give reasons such as “I look grey”, “it breaks me out”, “I can't reapply over my make-up”, “my skin peels with it” and “it doesn't sit well on my skin”.
However, sunscreen only works if it's used correctly.
We need to educate clients on how much to use, how often to apply and the correct formulation to treat melasma and prevent sun damage.
I recommend physical sunscreens which use zinc oxide to block the rays, so UV is deflected away from the skin.
For summer, I ensure clients take a water-resistant SPF and instead of makeup I recommend a tinted sunscreen.
Don’t miss Smita Ahluwalia at Professional Beauty North, where she’ll be talking about “Enhancing mature skins with non-invasive procedures and medical grade skincare” at 3pm on Sunday, September 29 on the Skin and Advanced Treatments stage.
Smita Ahluwalia is an expert facialist with 20 years’ experience in the industry, and she runs her own beauty business, Smita London, in North London.