What should you know about melasma in hands?

Hands receive frequent light exposure and repeated contact with soaps, sanitisers, detergents, and friction. These factors can stimulate or follow inflammation, leaving darker areas behind. Melasma itself is usually flat and does not cause an open sore, but hand discoloration is not automatically melasma. The pattern, texture, timing, and symptoms help guide the diagnosis.

A clinician may ask whether both hands are involved, whether the colour changes after outdoor time, and whether there has been eczema, a burn, a new product, or medicine use. Take a photo in consistent lighting so changes can be described accurately.

Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen to the backs of the hands and repeat it as directed during outdoor exposure. Wear protective gloves for cleaning and rinse irritants promptly. Use a fragrance-free moisturiser after washing, and avoid abrasive scrubs or unprescribed bleaching mixtures that can inflame the skin.

A dermatologist may recommend a topical plan after confirming the cause. Chemical peel, microneedling, skin brightening treatment, or laser toning may be discussed in selected cases, but hands can be prone to irritation and uneven healing. Treatment should be matched to the diagnosis and followed by careful protection.

Have a new, persistent, or unexplained patch examined, particularly if it is limited to one spot or differs from the surrounding marks. Seek prompt review if it changes quickly, becomes painful or itchy, bleeds, crusts, or develops a raised or firm area. Do not assume a changing hand mark is melasma.

Ask whether the appearance fits melasma, irritation-related pigmentation, sun-damaged skin, or another condition. Discuss which hand products to pause, how to protect the backs of the hands, whether a treatment could irritate your skin, and how progress will be judged before another procedure is considered.