Due to pregnancy many women develop a condition called melasma, a skin problem that causes dark pigmentation of the skin. For many of them the change is drastic.
These women could be eligible to participate in a research study UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas that has already shown great results.
Francisca Ramirez has been dealing with feelings of shame for the last 17 years. Her distress is caused by the brown patches that started appearing on her nose and then took over her face.
She suffers from a severe melasma case.
"I felt like the ugliest of them all, because even when I wanted to wear makeup I knew that the darkness was there," Ramirez said, in Spanish.
Dr. Amit Pandya is a dermatology specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
"Melasma is a pigmentation that affects many Latin women. It is a disease that causes a skin pigmentation on the cheeks, the forehead, the chin and the upper lip," Pandya said, in Spanish.
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According to Pandya, melasma can be caused by hormonal changes in women, especially due to pregnancy.
"After the baby is born most notice that melasma goes away. However, the women that come to my clinic are those that develop melasma after the last baby – many years later, for example – at 30 or 32 years old, and it lasts until menopause. It is a chronic problem," Pandya said.
To be able to go on with her life Ramirez had to get used to the patches. She wanted to see her face clean, she said, but instead her condition worsened to the point that she felt like she was wearing a face mask.
"Melasma affects the quality of life of many women in several different areas. For example, their relationship with their husband, their ability to look for a job, their self-esteem, their emotional life, many different areas," Pandya said.
Traditionally melasma has been treated with facial creams and sunscreens. However, UT Southwestern is working on the first study among Hispanic patients to examine the effects of a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with severe menstrual periods.
Ramirez decided to participate in the study. She has to take a daily dose of the medicine and once a month she has to visit with the doctor.
Photos taken before and after starting the treatment reveal the change in her complexion.
"I feel more self-confident, confident that my face is going to clean up," she said.
Most of the dark patches have gone away, her self-esteem has improved and finally her life has started to get back to normal.
The treatment offered at UT Southwestern is free. To find out if you are eligible to participate, call 214-645-8968 and be sure to leave your name and phone number.
For more information on the study, visit the UT Southwestern website.
