Melasma, dark patches, tanning and uneven tone — planned around what's actually causing it, and treated gradually on purpose. With pigmentation, going gently is what works.
Mon – Sat · 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM · Near Bangur Nagar Metro (B1 Exit), Goregaon West, Mumbai
Pigmentation care at Dr. Faraah's Clinic, Goregaon West
They look alike in the mirror and are treated completely differently. Getting the label right is most of the battle.
Symmetrical, blotchy brown-grey patches — typically across the cheeks, forehead, upper lip and jawline. It has a strong hormonal and genetic element and is triggered by light and heat.
It's a long-term condition that's controlled rather than removed, and it can flare again years later.
Brown marks that sit exactly where there was inflammation — an acne breakout, an injury, a rash, a burn, or skin that was scrubbed too hard.
Unlike melasma, these usually have a clear cause, fade with time, and respond comparatively well to treatment.
Diffuse darkening from recent sun exposure usually fades with sun avoidance. Freckles come and go with the seasons. Sun spots (solar lentigines) are discrete, persistent patches from years of UV.
These respond to pigment-directed laser and peels — a different approach from melasma.
Dark circles (periorbital pigmentation) are a separate problem again — a mix of pigment, visible vessels, shadowing from the eye socket and allergy-driven changes. They're assessed differently and aren't treated as melasma.
Most pigmentation is a surface problem that fades if you stop the cause and treat it. Melasma is closer to a chronic condition: the pigment cells in affected skin are primed and over-reactive, and they stay that way. It's driven by things that don't go away — ultraviolet light, visible light and heat, hormonal changes, thyroid function and genetics. In Mumbai, with this much sun and heat, that combination is constant.
That changes what treatment looks like:
Where there's a hormonal picture — pregnancy, hormonal contraception, or symptoms that suggest a thyroid issue — that gets looked at too, because treating the skin while the trigger continues means fighting the same battle repeatedly.
If you're pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy, or if you take regular medication, tell Dr. Faraah before treatment starts. Products and treatments are reviewed individually for safety, and where prescription or oral treatment is being considered, referral to an appropriately qualified doctor may be recommended.
Almost nobody needs all of this. Sun protection and home care carry more of the result than any single procedure.
| Approach | What it does | Typical course |
|---|---|---|
| Sun protection | The foundation of everything else. Tinted sunscreen with iron oxides blocks the visible light that plain SPF doesn't | Daily, indefinitely — not a course, a habit |
| Home pigmentation routine | Depigmenting agents chosen for your skin — such as tranexamic acid, azelaic acid, kojic acid, arbutin or niacinamide — aimed at slowing new pigment | Used daily; first change often seen at 8–12 weeks |
| Chemical peels | Superficial peels — mandelic, low-concentration glycolic or salicylic — to lift pigmented surface layers. Skin is usually pre-conditioned first to lower the risk of marking | Often 4–6 sessions, spaced 3–4 weeks apart |
| Low-fluence laser toning | Gentle Q-switch laser used as an add-on for stubborn or mixed melasma — low energy, deliberately. See laser treatments | Sometimes 6–10 light sessions, spaced 2–3 weeks apart |
| Treating the trigger | Where hormones, thyroid function or a medication are part of the picture, that gets addressed — otherwise the pigment keeps returning | As advised, sometimes in another specialist's hands |
| Maintenance | Ongoing home care and periodic reviews to hold the result through summer, travel and hormonal changes | Ongoing, reviewed at intervals |
Ranges are typical in practice and vary by skin and diagnosis. Any prescription or oral medication for pigmentation requires its own medical assessment and is not added on as a cosmetic extra.
Sun protection and a home routine take effect. Little change is visible yet, and this is the stage most people give up on — too early.
Lightening usually starts to show in the epidermal component of melasma. Peels or toning are typically underway around here.
With consistency, tone is visibly more even. Progress photos from the first visit are the only fair way to judge it.
Home care, sunscreen and periodic reviews. Miss the protection and the pigment returns — that's the condition, not the treatment.
Melasma can often be lightened considerably and controlled well. It cannot be permanently removed, and it commonly returns with sun, heat or hormonal shifts — including in pregnancy and after it. Anyone offering a permanent cure for melasma is not being straight with you.
Treatment can also go wrong in a predictable way: aggressive laser or too-frequent peels can trigger rebound darkening, and repeated harsh treatment can cause patchy loss of pigment that's harder to fix than the melasma was. Long-term unsupervised use of hydroquinone-based bleaching creams brings its own problems — skin thinning, dependence and a stubborn blue-black discolouration. Short, supervised courses are a different matter; indefinite use is where damage happens. That's why the plan here is gradual and reviewed.
For melasma, this matters more than anything done in the clinic.
If a product stings, or a patch darkens after treatment, stop it and tell the clinic rather than persisting with it.
No — and it's better to say that plainly than have you find out after paying for a course. Melasma is a recurring condition influenced by light, heat, hormones and genetics. It can usually be lightened considerably and kept well controlled with treatment, home care and consistent sun protection, but it returns when the triggers aren't managed. Control, not cure, is the realistic aim.
Expect months rather than weeks. Home care usually shows its first effect around eight to twelve weeks, peels typically run as a course of four to six sessions spaced three to four weeks apart, and meaningful overall improvement is usually judged at four to six months. Melasma responds slowly by nature — pushing harder doesn't speed it up, it risks making it worse.
Melasma often does, especially after sun exposure, summer, or a hormonal change such as pregnancy or starting hormonal contraception. That's why maintenance — sunscreen daily, home care, and reviews — is part of the plan rather than an optional extra. Post-inflammatory marks and sun spots behave differently: they fade and stay away if the cause isn't repeated.
It can be, used gently and as an add-on rather than the main treatment. Low-energy Q-switch toning is sometimes used for stubborn or mixed melasma. What isn't safe is aggressive laser treatment: on Indian skin it frequently triggers rebound darkening and, with repeated over-treatment, patchy loss of pigment that's harder to correct than the melasma. If you've been offered strong laser sessions as a quick fix for melasma, that's a reason for caution rather than optimism.
Pregnancy-related pigmentation is treated conservatively. Sun protection is the mainstay, some gentle topical options are considered safe, and procedures are usually postponed until after pregnancy and breastfeeding. It often improves after delivery, though it doesn't always clear completely. Tell Dr. Faraah if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy before any treatment, so the options are reviewed for safety.
It depends on what's actually driving the pigmentation and what your plan includes — home care alone is very different from a course of peels or laser toning, and the area involved matters. You'll get a clear price for the plan after examination, before committing to anything. Current offers are on the offers page.
Book a consultation with Dr. Faraah — an honest assessment of what it is, how much it can realistically improve, and how long it will take.
Mon – Sat · 11:00 AM – 7:30 PM · Goregaon West, Mumbai
Melasma is a chronic, recurring condition that can be controlled and lightened but not permanently cured. Results vary between individuals and cannot be guaranteed; pigmentation can recur with sun, heat or hormonal change. Treatment suitability, including during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any prescription medication, can only be decided after an in-person consultation and, where appropriate, referral to an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. This page is general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.