Melasma on Feet: What to Know

Melasma usually affects areas exposed to light, while the feet are often covered. Darkening on the top of a foot may relate to sun exposure, but marks on the soles or between the toes can have different explanations. Friction from footwear, healing after inflammation, contact reactions, fungal conditions, and moles can all alter colour. Melasma itself is generally flat and patch-like rather than crusted, tender, or open.

Photograph the area in consistent lighting and note when it began, whether shoes rub it, and whether it changes after outdoor exposure. Wear well-fitting footwear, avoid picking, and use sun protection on exposed feet. Do not apply strong lightening products or undergo a peel, microneedling, skin brightening treatment, or laser toning until the diagnosis is clear; irritated foot skin can become darker and harder to assess.

Book a skin assessment for a new, enlarging, irregular, multicoloured, raised, bleeding, painful, or non-healing mark. Prompt review is especially sensible when a spot sits on the sole or under a nail, or when colour extends into nearby skin. A clinician may inspect the pattern and texture before discussing whether it resembles melasma, sun-damaged skin, or another cause of dark patches.

Ask what diagnoses fit the location, whether footwear or inflammation could be involved, whether a closer inspection is needed, and which treatment would avoid worsening the colour change.