Typical ranges. Session numbers, timelines and results vary with severity, the treatment chosen and individual response — your plan is confirmed at consultation.
What Is Melasma Treatment?
Melasma is an acquired pigmentation disorder in which the pigment-producing cells in certain areas of the face become over-active, producing symmetrical brown or grey-brown patches — classically over the cheekbones, forehead, upper lip and chin. It is far more common in women, usually appears between the twenties and forties, and is strongly associated with pregnancy ("the mask of pregnancy"), oral contraceptives and other hormonal changes. Sunlight and heat are the main external triggers; a genetic tendency and darker skin types (Fitzpatrick III–V) make it more likely.
What makes melasma different from other pigmentation is that the melanocytes remain over-active. Sun spots and post-acne marks are the residue of a past event; melasma is an ongoing process. That is why it relapses when treatment stops, why aggressive treatment often makes it worse, and why "cure" is the wrong word. It is also why treatment is a long-term plan: control the triggers, lighten the pigment gradually, and maintain.
Melasma is described as epidermal (pigment in the upper skin, responds faster), dermal (pigment deeper, responds slowly) or mixed — most Indian patients have the mixed type. A Wood's lamp or dermatoscope helps judge depth at consultation. Treatment then combines prescription lightening creams as the backbone, gentle repeated chemical peels, low-fluence Q-switched laser toning where appropriate, oral tranexamic acid in selected patients, and — above everything — daily broad-spectrum sun protection.
What Can Melasma Treatment Help With?
- Melasma on the cheeks and cheekbones
- Melasma on the forehead, temples and upper lip
- Pigmentation that appeared or worsened in pregnancy
- Melasma linked to oral contraceptives or hormonal change
- Relapsed melasma after previous treatment
- Mixed pigmentation where melasma sits alongside sun damage or post-acne marks
Key Benefits
Who Is This Treatment For?
Adults — mostly women — with symmetrical facial pigmentation that has been diagnosed as melasma, or that has not responded to over-the-counter creams and needs a proper diagnosis. It is for people prepared to follow a long-term plan: daily sunscreen, prescription home care, in-clinic sessions and maintenance. Melasma that appears in pregnancy often improves afterwards, and treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding is limited to safe options. Anyone who has been using unlabelled "fairness" or steroid-containing creams should stop them under supervision — they are a common cause of melasma getting worse and of thinned, sensitive skin.
The Treatment Process
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
Melasma lightens slowly and deliberately. Expect the first clear change at 8–12 weeks of consistent home care and sun protection, with meaningful lightening at 3–6 months. In-clinic sessions — peels or laser toning — are typically 6–8 sessions over that period. After that, maintenance is indefinite: a lightening cream a few nights a week, daily sunscreen, and a review or top-up when needed.
Fast results are a warning sign in melasma. Strong peels, high-energy lasers and steroid-containing creams can lighten quickly and then rebound darker or damage the skin. We do not use them, and we tell you the timeline honestly at the first visit.
Downtime & Aftercare
- Sunscreen SPF 50, ideally tinted with iron oxide, every morning and reapplied every 2–3 hours outdoors. Hats and shade help. This is the treatment, not an add-on.
- Use prescription creams exactly as directed, including planned breaks. Mild dryness or irritation at first is expected; significant redness or stinging means stop and tell the clinic.
- After a peel: mild redness and light flaking for a few days. No scrubs, retinoids or acids for 5–7 days; moisturise.
- After laser toning: brief redness; make-up and normal activity the same day.
- Avoid heat — saunas, steam, hot yoga, cooking over a hot stove for long periods — as far as practical; heat worsens melasma independently of sun.
- No waxing, threading, bleach or salon facials on the treated area during the course.
Who Should Avoid or Postpone This Treatment?
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: hydroquinone, retinoids, oral tranexamic acid and laser are avoided; azelaic acid, gentle peels and rigorous sun protection are the safe plan, and melasma often improves after pregnancy.
- Oral tranexamic acid is not suitable for anyone with a history of blood clots, stroke, heart disease, or on hormonal contraception without medical review — screening is done first.
- Recently tanned or sunburnt skin is not treated with peels or laser until it settles.
- Active infection, cold sores or open skin in the area.
- Unlabelled "fairness" or steroid-containing creams should be stopped under supervision before treatment begins — they worsen melasma and thin the skin.
- Anyone unable to commit to daily sun protection: treatment without it does not hold, and we would rather say so than start.
Why Choose Lavanayam for Melasma Treatment?
An MD dermatologist confirms the type and depth before anything is applied to your skin, because the treatments that suit sun spots can worsen melasma.
We plan for maintenance from the first visit and tell you the honest timeline: lightened and controlled over months, kept that way indefinitely.
Gentle repeated peels and low-fluence laser toning rather than aggressive resurfacing; prescription agents used with breaks to avoid rebound.
Home care, peels, laser toning and oral tranexamic acid are all available here, so the plan is chosen for you rather than by what one clinic offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Treatments
Melasma Treatment in Gaur City 2, Greater Noida West
Lavanayam Skin, Hair and Laser Clinic, GF 06/07, 14th Avenue High Street Market, Gaur City 2, Greater Noida West, UP – 201318. A few minutes from Gaur City 1, Noida Extension and Sector 16C.
Tuesday – Sunday: 10:30 AM – 7:30 PM
Medically reviewed by Dr. Anshul Choudhary, 18 September 2026.
Ready to Begin Your Skin Journey?
Book a consultation at Lavanayam and let our experts design the perfect treatment plan for you.