What is the Difference Between Melasma and Chloasma

The key difference between melasma and chloasma is that melasma is a common skin condition that causes brown or blue-gray patches or freckle-like spots on the skin in both women and men, while chloasma is a common skin condition that causes dark, brownish patches on the skin of pregnant women.

Melasma is a common harmless skin condition that causes dark patches on the face. It is normally caused by exposure to the sun. When this condition occurs in pregnant women, it is known as chloasma or a mask of pregnancy. Chloasma is triggered by the hormonal changes occurring during pregnancy. Therefore, melasma and chloasma are two skin conditions that are highly correlated.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Melasma 
3. What is Chloasma
4. Similarities – Melasma and Chloasma
5. Melasma vs Chloasma in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Melasma vs Chloasma

What is Melasma?

Melasma is a common skin condition that causes brown or blue-gray patches or freckle-like spots on the skin in both women and men. People with fair skin are less likely to be affected by melasma than those with darker brown skin. In addition, women are more likely to be affected than men. About 10 % of those who get melasma are men. Pregnant women are more often affected than anyone else. The main causes of melasma include radiation, ultraviolet light, visible light or infrared light, and hormones. The symptoms of melasma include light brown, dark brown, and bluish patches or freckle-like spots on the skin and red or inflamed patches in locations like shoulders, upper arm, forehead, cheeks, upper lips, jaw line, or neck.

Moreover, melasma can be diagnosed through skin examination by using wood lamps and skin biopsy tests. The treatments for melasma may include medications (hydroquinone, tretinoin, and a mild corticosteroid, triple combination cream, other medications such as vitamin C), sunscreen (containing zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and iron oxide), chemical peel, micro-needling, laser, and platelet-rich plasma.

What is Chloasma?

Chloasma is a common skin condition that causes dark, brownish patches of skin in pregnant women. The cause of chloasma may include hormones, sun exposure, and heredity. Chloasma normally presents as dark brownish patches of skin, mostly on the forehead, nose, upper lip, and cheeks. It impacts a majority of pregnant women, affecting between 45 % to 75 % of them.

Chloasma is diagnosed through the observation of the skin lesions (through a wood lamp), which will generally include a history of predisposing risk factors, skin biopsy, and hormone testing. Furthermore, chloasma can be treated with a combination of skin lightening agents, chemical peels, laser or light-based therapies, maintaining strict sun protection (broad spectrum sunscreens), and wearing wide-brimmed hats to protect the face from the sun.

What are the Similarities Between Melasma and Chloasma?

• Melasma and chloasma are two skin conditions that are highly related.
• Women suffer majorly from both conditions.
• Both skin conditions can be diagnosed through skin examination and biopsy.
• Both skin conditions can be treated through topical medicines.
• They are not life-threatening conditions.

What is the Difference Between Melasma and Chloasma?

Melasma is a common skin condition that causes brown or blue-gray patches or freckle-like spots containing skin in both women and men, while chloasma is a common skin condition that causes dark, brownish patches of skin only in pregnant women. Thus, this is the key difference between melasma and chloasma. Furthermore, melasma can be caused due to radiation, ultraviolet light, visible light or infrared light, antiseizure medications, contraceptive therapy, estrogen, hypothyroidism, LED screens, genetics, and hormones. On the other hand, chloasma can be caused due to hormones, sun exposure, and heredity.

The below infographic presents the differences between melasma and chloasma in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Melasma vs Chloasma

Melasma and chloasma are two skin conditions that are highly correlated and not life-threatening. Melasma causes brown or blue-gray patches or freckle-like spots on the skin of both women and men. Chloasma causes dark, brownish patches on the skin of pregnant women. So, this summarizes the difference between melasma and chloasma.

Reference:

1. “Melasma: Treatment, Causes & Prevention.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. Jaime R. Herndon, MS. “What Is Chloasma?” Verywell Family, Verywell Family.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Melasma blemish” By User:Elord from Wikidocs – (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Chloasma” By J. Paul Getty Museum (CC0) via Picryl