Skin discolorations and so-called "age spots" can be troubling, especially if you haven't had them before – making you wish you had a magic skin "eraser" to just wipe them away. The skin goes through many changes as it ages, due to both genetics and external factors such as sun exposure, and various patches, spots, scars or discolorations can appear and deepen over time. Like wrinkles, they are simply a fact of life as we grow older.
Melasma, literally meaning dark skin, is most commonly known as the “mask of pregnancy,” an area of hyperpigmentation that shows up across the face of more than half of all pregnant women. But you don’t even have to be pregnant (or female) to develop this skin condition. Increased estrogen (from pregnancy, birth control pills, estrogen supplements or other hormone sensitivities) trigger pigment producing cells called melanocytes to produce too much melanin, resulting in patchy skin discolorations.