The symptoms of melasma include dark, irregularly shaped patches on sun-exposed areas of the face. Tan to brown patches indicate that the majority of pigment is in the epidermis (the outer-most layer of skin visible to the eye); blue or black patches indicate that the majority of pigment is in the dermis (the middle layer of our skin).
The distribution occurs in one of three patterns:
- centrofacial (across the centre of the face)
- malar (over the cheeks)
- mandibular (over the lower jaw)
