Healing melasma is not an easy task. For me, it was a multi-year project, daunting, stressful, and heartbreaking. Since I didn’t know the full extent of how co-factors worked, my skin got worse from doing things that should have helped. I had no idea what I was doing; the whole experience was trial and error, I was my own experiment. Waiting to see if my new protocol had any impact took between 3-6 months. If I had a roadmap, it would have taken half the time to reverse. 

To get the results I have now, I’ve tried everything in the book, from juice cleansing to using MSM, heavy metal detox, tattoo removal, dermatological interventions, and more. Years later my skin has reversed about 90%, entirely from internal treatment, and once the pigmentation is gone it is gone for good. My process took a long time because I had a deeply embedded internal disharmony.. Even though I still have some light pigmentation left, it continues to fade, and I rest assured at night, knowing that by the end of 2022, my skin will be fully cleared. It took persistence, dedication, and mental fortitude to keep going. Not only did I reverse my skin, but I also ended up reversing several other conditions along the way. I learned so much about how to care for my health and prevent disease as I age. 

Every melasma sufferer wants to know the path to healing, but having the mental strength to walk this path and take control of your health starts with the warrior mindset. Women will spend tons of money on lasers and products, and embark on an endless series of topical regiments. If this sounds like you, you’re going to have to take that same passion and dedication and shift it inwards towards the internal healing process. This is the only way to have a permanent reversal which comes from true healing and mental resilience that leaves you feeling authentically confident in your skin.

1) You will learn to manage stress.

Stress is one of the leading causes of melasma. While it may not be your root cause, it is a major contributing factor. Every melasma sufferer has negative thoughts and emotions about how, why, and what to do to get rid of the condition. This becomes an endless negative feedback loop, intensifying the stress, and then creating more stress trying to relieve it. The resulting mindset from dealing with melasma actually makes melasma harder to treat.

 Excess cortisol is not suitable for your health, especially in the long run. Stress is a  contributing factor to the development of so many diseases. The word "disease" comes from the French term Des and ease, which translates to "lack of ease," which is what stress does to the body. It gives you the inability to relax or to be at ease : dis-ease. 

Chronic stress contributes to many diseases like depression, GI problems, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and asthma, to name a few. Prolonged and intense stress can impact your heart health dramatically, and has even been known to induce seizures. The hormone cortisol, also known as your stress hormone, influences thyroid and estrogen pathways, which are two main hormones associated with melasma. These hormones depend on cortisol for complete balance. It is important to understand this specific stress-cortisol-melasma connection. You can read more about that in the Defining Melasma article. 

Internal treatment for proper stress management takes a broad based approach and can include a range of modalities from adaptogenic supplements to breathing techniques and meditation. You’ll understand why managing your stress is essential and how it influences other systems like estrogen and the thyroid. Applying these interventions leads to a happier and more fulfilled life in general, including better sleep and more energy during the day. You will have better skin, and you will age better. These are all of the amazing benefits of cortisol/stress balance. 

2) You will have more authentic confidence.

Melasma can dramatically strain your confidence. It is uncomfortable when you don't recognize your own face in the mirror and it can be overwhelming when engaging with others. I used to hate having my photo taken. I would literally dislike myself from looking at the pigmentation on my face. There’s a period of about 7 years of my life that I have no photos from. My insecurity became self loathing at some points .I have talked to many women who have expressed similar sentiments along a variety of ranges and intensities. It’s normal to feel this way, and no matter how many topicals you do or how much money you spend on treatments, the possibility of constant failure is always looming. 

Once you've decided to treat your skin internally, you can start relaxing because you're going to embark on a new journey. You’ll learn how to persevere through challenges and accept that the process will take time. Finally, you can focus on yourself and help your body; this is the ultimate form of self-care. Slow down and pay attention to what your body is telling you.

The good thing is, I have developed a roadmap to guide you through reversing melasma.  You won't have to go through what I did and waste years in the trial and error process. You will get to bypass the majority of that. Things may come up that I didn't have to deal with, but overall the roadmap should work for everyone regardless of their root cause. There will still be trials and errors, but you won’t have to spend excessive time lost in dead ends and confusion. I went through the hard part, and now you can reap the benefits of what I learned to help yourself. I want that for you too!! You got this!!

3) You will repair your health and age better.

Melasma is caused by a disharmony between organs and systems. Studies have shown that melasma is multifactorial for most people. It is possible to have only one cause, but very rare. Usually multiple systems are not communicating correctly to yield clear skin. Systemic imbalances within the body are eventually expressed through pigmentation. Remember, the skin is always the last organ to show symptoms. 

Healing the symptom by clearing the disease implicitly replenishes your entire system. The roadmap focuses on all possible causes and co-factors and works to restore harmony. This restoration will not only help you age better, but it will help you feel better. Over time you will notice that your sleep is restored, you are less tired during the day, and you genuinely feel better. Even if your only symptom is melasma, you will notice a difference in your day-to-day experience. 

How you age should be important to you, no matter how old you are when you get melasma. If you’re young, for example in your early 20’s, you may only have light pigmentation. In this case it will be easier to reverse and set yourself up for a long life of health and well being. For those of us like myself, who dealt with a decade or more of this condition, the journey may take longer but reversal can be accomplished, and better health and quality of life will be the results. It should go without saying that the longer you wait to address the internal issues, the longer and harder the process of healing becomes. But for all of us healing is available, and along with it more graceful aging and an overall improved sense of well-being.

4) You get to enjoy sunshine again.

The warm sunshine beaming on my face and skin is one of my favorite feelings. One of the cruelties of melasma is how it robs you even of the simple enjoyment of sunshine.  On days where I would normally be out enjoying the weather, carefree and happy, I would have to worry about my condition worsening when exposed to direct light. After all the hard work and healing, I no longer take this feeling for granted. 

It’s not just sunshine, but also heat that can be aggravating to melasma, because of the high levels of inflammation. Imagine being able to take a vacation again without having to fear the sun. Or being able to be happy about the summer heat again.

One of the first signs of reversal is that your skin won't change in the sun or heat. This is an incredible achievement because sun aggravation is one of the main components of melasma. This doesn't mean you should lay in the sun all day, all the time, but you are turning that inflammation around.  You will learn to be in the sun without causing inflammation and damage and still get a tan. Of course, you might still wear hats until you’re confident enough about your progress, but you'll be able to do so by choice. 

Invite the sun back into your life. 

5) Invest in yourself, internal health is wealth.

Topical treatments of melasma are a bottomless pit of expenses. Dermatologists, creams, peels, prescriptions, lasers, and treatments of all kinds; it adds up and doesn’t stop. You can spend endlessly trying to fix the problem from the outside in, it costs time and money. If you even find an impactful remedy you will need to keep it up for the rest of your life. Not only does this take a toll on your pocketbook, it can be very expensive for your psyche. And let’s not even talk about the price of all those treatments and processes that end up making the condition worse. 

Think of the cost of conventional treatments as an ongoing tax you will have to pay for the rest of your life, a tax on your time, your energy, and your finances. Compare that to internal health, where the money you spend is an investment into yourself. At some point, you will no longer need to continue spending all that money and time. After your melasma is reversed it will be up to you if you want to continue investing into various aspects of your wellness. You will know your body and your mind much more intimately, and this will be a choice you get to choose if you want to reap even more benefits. 

What I’ve found is the deeper I go into my own healing, the more I discover intrinsic joy in participating in the process. This is another difference between conventional/topical treatment and the internal approach. Conventional treatment is draining, it feels like an endless pit, it is a battle against a foreign invader. On the other hand internal treatment is inherently fulfilling, it creates its own energy and momentum. It is a deeper knowing of yourself, and a letting go of habits and patterns that no longer serve you. This is not to say that there aren’t deep challenges, roadblocks, and frustrations along the way. But even the act of encountering and ultimately overcoming these obstacles becomes part of this rejuvenating lifestyle.

This is The Mind Body Beauty Way.

You can see that healing from the inside out is better for so many reasons. You deserve to look and feel your best. This is the real self care people should be talking about.  

Leave a comment and tell me, are you excited to take control of your health and skin? What is your next step in doing so?

Check out my article from last week Vitamins, Minerals, & Your Skin.