Melasma treatment online · Australia-wide
Online melasma treatment that looks beyond the surface
See an Australian doctor about your melasma by private video, wherever you live in Australia. Melasma is more than pigment sitting on the skin, which is why it so often comes back, so Qr8 care is built on the science of why it happens, with your own nurse between appointments.
Quick answer
Can I see a doctor about melasma online?
Yes. Qr8 MediSkin offers private video consultations with Australian registered doctors, wherever you live in Australia, with no referral needed. Your doctor looks at what’s driving your melasma before setting a plan, and your own nurse supports you between appointments.
- Private video consultation with an Australian registered doctor, 7 days a week
- No referral needed, wherever you live in Australia
- Your plan and all costs by email before you decide
- Your own nurse between appointments, with answers within 24 business hours
- One team
Caring for you
Your doctors and nurses work together, each bringing their clinical expertise to your care.
- Your nurse
Care between appointments
Your nurse stays involved between doctor appointments, helping with skincare, tolerability, questions and the day-to-day of your care.
- Continuity
We get to know you and your skin
Your team knows your history and keeps up with how things are going, so you don’t have to start again each time you need us.
- More than an appointment
Your whole routine
Skincare, sunscreen, daily routines and questions about external procedures can all be discussed as part of your care.
Understanding it
What is melasma?
Melasma is a common pigmentation condition that causes patches of brown or grey-brown discolouration, most often on the face.
It commonly appears across the cheeks, forehead, upper lip, nose and chin and is often symmetrical.
Melasma tends to be chronic, often recurring after improvement. This means managing it often requires a longer-term approach that considers both the pigmentation itself and the factors that may be contributing to it.
Who gets melasma?
Most people with melasma are women, and it often first appears between the ages of 20 and 40. It is more common in skin that tans easily, and many people have a family member with it. Men can develop melasma too.
Where it appears
Researchers describe three main facial patterns: centrofacial (forehead, cheeks, nose, upper lip and chin), malar (cheeks and nose) and mandibular (along the jaw). Less often, it appears on sun-exposed areas such as the forearms.
Melasma or another kind of pigmentation?
Not all brown patches are melasma. Sun spots and marks left after acne or irritation can look similar but behave differently, which is why getting the diagnosis right comes first. Read more: melasma vs hyperpigmentation, how to tell the difference.
The causes
What causes melasma?
Many factors at onceMelasma does not have one single cause.
It develops through a complex interaction between genetic susceptibility, light exposure, hormones and changes within the skin itself.
SunlightSunlight is one of the most important triggers.
Ultraviolet radiation (UVA + UVB) stimulates pigment production and can contribute to the changes seen in melasma-affected skin. Visible light can also worsen pigmentation, particularly in darker skin tones.
HormonesHormones can also play a role.
Melasma commonly appears or changes during pregnancy and has been associated with hormonal contraception. Hormonal influences are well established, although they do not affect everyone with melasma in the same way.
GeneticsGenetics matter too.
Melasma often occurs in people with a family history of the condition, suggesting an inherited susceptibility that interacts with environmental and hormonal triggers.
More than surface pigmentImportantly, melasma is more than excess pigment sitting on the surface of the skin.
Research has identified changes involving the epidermis, basement membrane and dermis, including photoageing-related changes, altered blood vessels, inflammatory cells and signalling between different skin cells.
This complexity helps explain why melasma can be persistent, why it often returns after improving, and why simply treating it as ordinary hyperpigmentation may not be enough.
What you see on the surface is only part of the picture.
Long-term care
Tried treatments that didn’t last?
Melasma is chronic and relapsing. It can fade, then return with a summer, a pregnancy, a change in hormones or simply with time. (Read more: why melasma comes back every summer.)
If you’ve already spent money on creams, peels or laser and watched it come back, that isn’t a failure on your part. It’s the nature of the condition. Melasma rarely responds to a one-off course, and the research points to a plan that changes over time, from settling active pigmentation to keeping it under control.
That’s how Qr8 care is built. Your doctor looks at what you’ve tried before and why it may not have held. Your nurse stays with you between appointments, through the seasons, adjusting your skincare and sun protection as your skin and life change. The aim is to help you take back control of your melasma for the long term.
Your skin
Melasma isn’t the same for everyone
Melasma can behave differently from person to person. Your medical history, skin type, pregnancy or hormonal factors, previous treatments, current skincare, sun exposure and tendency towards irritation or pigmentation can all be relevant.
Your doctor considers these factors when assessing your skin and deciding what management options may be appropriate. Your plan can then be reviewed as your skin and circumstances change.
Sun protection
Visible light matters too
For melasma, UV protection is only part of the picture.
Visible light can also stimulate pigmentation, particularly in darker skin types.
This is why tinted sunscreens containing iron oxides can be particularly useful for melasma. A suitable pigmented skin tint worn over sunscreen may also provide additional visible-light protection.
Our nurses will recommend the most suitable sunscreen and/or skin tint for you.
Treatment
How is melasma treated?
More than one approachMelasma normally needs more than one approach.
Photoprotection (sun protection) is fundamental. This includes protection from UV AND visible light. Skincare also matters, because irritation and inflammation make pigmentation harder to fade and manage.
Medical treatment may be appropriate for some people. In-clinic treatments such as chemical peels and some laser or energy-based procedures may also have a role in selected cases, although they aren’t suitable for everyone, some can worsen melasma, and they aren’t starting treatments.
Because melasma returns, treatment changes over time. What is appropriate initially may be different from what is needed for longer-term maintenance.
At Qr8, your doctor assesses your individual circumstances and discusses appropriate options, while your nursing team helps you manage the skincare, sun protection and day-to-day practical use of your treatment plan.
Pregnancy and melasmaMelasma commonly appears or worsens during pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean nothing can be done until afterwards.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and plans to conceive change which treatment options are appropriate, but there are still treatment options.
Your skincare and sun protection can also still be optimised during this time, with other options reconsidered when your circumstances change.
Irritation can work against youTrying to treat melasma more aggressively isn’t always better.
Irritation and inflammation can themselves contribute to pigmentation, particularly in skin that is prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
That makes tolerability a vital part of a melasma plan, not simply how many active ingredients you can use. This is also why skincare, application techniques, and ongoing support are an important part of managing melasma.
Heat is more complicated than you may realiseMany people with melasma are told to avoid heat completely.
The evidence is much less straightforward. Sun exposure and radiation are established contributors to melasma, but everyday heat exposure is not the same thing as UV or visible light exposure.
Rather than treating every hot shower, workout or warm day as dangerous, we focus on the exposures that are actually relevant to your skin.
Lasers aren’t automatically the first stepLaser and energy-based treatments can have a role in selected patients, but melasma is not simply pigment that can be ‘lasered off.’
Some procedures can cause inflammation, rebound pigmentation or worsening melasma, particularly when the treatment or patient selection isn’t appropriate.
If you’re considering an in-clinic procedure, it should form part of a broader melasma strategy rather than being treated as a guaranteed fix. Our nurses provide independent advice about in-clinic procedures as a standard part of your care.
Improvement isn’t the same as cureMelasma often improves substantially with treatment, but it also has a tendency to return.
That means maintenance matters. Once pigmentation improves, the goal shifts from intensive treatment towards controlling the factors that encourage it to return and using an appropriate longer-term strategy.
The science
How strong is the evidence?
Not every melasma claim stands up to scrutiny. Here’s what the research actually shows about the most common approaches.
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Daily broad-spectrum sun protection
StrongSun exposure is the most consistent trigger identified in melasma research, and protection from UVA and UVB is the foundation of every published management approach.2,5
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Visible-light protection
StrongIn randomised trials, tinted sunscreens containing iron oxides, which also block visible light, led to fewer melasma relapses over summer than UV-only sunscreens, and better results during treatment.6,7,8,10
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Medical treatment after assessment
Well studiedMedical treatment has the longest track record in melasma research, supported by many randomised trials and reviews.1,3 Because melasma varies between people and tends to return, the research supports a longer-term plan that is assessed and adjusted over time, alongside daily protection from UV and visible light.
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Chemical peels and lasers
MixedResults vary widely between studies. Improvement is often temporary, and some procedures can trigger rebound pigmentation, particularly in darker skin.3
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Microneedling on its own
LimitedMost melasma studies use microneedling to help deliver other topical agents into the skin, rather than as a treatment by itself. A 2022 systematic review found only seven small randomised trials, most at high risk of bias, and few that tested microneedling alone.11 As with any procedure that injures the skin, there’s also a potential risk of inflammation-related pigmentation. More on microneedling →
This summary is general scientific information, not personal advice. Numbers refer to the references at the end of this page.
Want to know what applies to your skin? A Qr8 doctor can assess it and talk you through your options.
Book a doctor consultationHow it works
Your melasma care in three simple steps
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Step one
Detailed questionnaire & photos
Complete a detailed health questionnaire and send us photographs of your skin. This gives your clinical team important information before you meet.
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Step two
Meet your doctor
See an Australian registered doctor by private video consultation, 7 days a week, 7am to 9pm. They’ll review your history and photographs, assess your concerns and talk with you about what may be appropriate.
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Step three
Care between appointments
Your nurses help with your skincare routine, answer questions and keep up with how things are going. Email us. Call us. Book a video call.
FAQs
Melasma FAQs
What causes melasma?
Melasma has no single cause. Research points to an interaction between genetic susceptibility, sunlight (both UV and visible light), hormones and changes deeper in the skin, including blood vessels, inflammation and signalling between skin cells.
That’s why melasma behaves differently from ordinary pigmentation, and why it often returns after improving.
What makes melasma worse?
The best-established triggers are sun exposure, including visible light, and hormonal changes such as pregnancy or hormonal contraception. Skin irritation and inflammation can also make pigmentation harder to settle.
The evidence for other commonly blamed triggers, such as everyday heat, is much less clear.
Is melasma the same as hyperpigmentation?
No. Hyperpigmentation is a broad term for areas of skin that become darker, while melasma is a specific pigmentation disorder with characteristic patterns and triggers.
Other pigmentation conditions can look similar (read melasma vs hyperpigmentation: how to tell the difference). You don’t need to work out what you have before coming to Qr8. Your doctor assesses your history, photographs and skin as part of your consultation before discussing what may be appropriate for you.
Why does melasma keep coming back?
Melasma can be influenced by UV exposure, visible light, hormonal factors and pregnancy, and the combination of factors differs between people. Irritation can also complicate pigmentation.
This is why Qr8 looks beyond pigmentation alone. Skincare, sunscreen, treatment tolerability and personalisation, lifestyle and relevant hormonal or medical factors can all form part of your care.
How long does it take to see results from melasma treatment?
Melasma takes time to change, and response varies from person to person. Your initial clinical response is assessed after the first 12 weeks, although improvement may continue well beyond this.
At Qr8, you’re not left to work out how things are going on your own. Your nurse remains available between doctor appointments to help with tolerability, skincare and questions, and your management can be reviewed as your skin changes.
Can I receive care during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Yes, but pregnancy, breastfeeding and pre-conception planning can change which management options are appropriate. Your doctor can take this into account when assessing your skin and discuss suitable options for your circumstances.
Your Qr8 team can also help you adapt your skincare and ongoing melasma management as your circumstances change.
Does melasma go away permanently?
Melasma is generally considered a chronic, relapsing condition rather than something that can be permanently cured. It can improve significantly, but pigmentation may return, particularly when contributing factors remain.
For this reason, good melasma care isn’t only about achieving improvement. Longer-term management, maintenance and the right sun protection are important parts of helping to manage recurrence.
Can melasma really be treated online?
Melasma can often be assessed and managed through telehealth. At Qr8, your doctor reviews your medical history and photographs before meeting you by secure video consultation.
Being online also means you can speak with your clinical team privately from home, without travelling to a clinic, finding parking or spending additional time getting to and from appointments. For something that requires care over time, that can make regular reviews and support easier to fit into everyday life.
If your doctor or nurse believes something needs to be examined or managed in person, they’ll let you know and guide you on the next step.
How much does it cost?
Your initial video consultation with one of our registered doctors is $55 AUD.
Following your consultation, your doctor will email a personalised care plan where clinically appropriate, with all relevant costs clearly outlined before you choose to proceed. Fees vary according to your care and include clinical support throughout. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Afterpay and direct debit.
We are a private billing service and Medicare rebates are not available. Depending on your cover, you may be able to claim some costs through your private health insurer. Receipts are available on request.
Resources
All articles
+ Read more
Melasma
Why does melasma come back every summer?
+ Read more
Pigmentation
Melasma vs hyperpigmentation: how to tell the difference
+ Read more
Sun protection
The best sunscreen if you have melasma
+ Read more
Pigmentation
Pigmentation 101: a complete guide
+ Read more
Sun protection
Why mixing products with your sunscreen is a no-go
+ Read more
Procedures
What is microneedling (and do I need it)?
References
- Spierings NMK. Melasma: A critical analysis of clinical trials investigating treatment modalities published in the past 10 years. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020. PMID: 31603285.
- Kwon SH, Na JI, Choi JY, Park KC. Melasma: Updates and perspectives. Exp Dermatol. 2019. PMID: 30422338.
- McKesey J, Tovar-Garza A, Pandya AG. Melasma Treatment: An Evidence-Based Review. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2020. PMID: 31802394.
- Handel AC, Miot LDB, Miot HA. Cosmetic Approach for Melasma. In: Issa M, Tamura B (eds) Daily Routine in Cosmetic Dermatology. Clinical Approaches and Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology, vol 1. 2017. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12589-3_25
- Sheth VM, Pandya AG. Melasma: a comprehensive update. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011;65(4):689-697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2010.12.046
- Boukari F, Fontas E, Montaudié H, et al. Prevention of melasma relapses with sunscreen combining protection against UV and short wavelengths of visible light: a prospective randomized comparative trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2015;72(1):189-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2014.08.023
- Castanedo-Cázares JP, Hernández-Blanco D, Carlos-Ortega B, et al. Near-visible light and UV photoprotection in the treatment of melasma: a double-blind randomized trial. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2014;30(1):35-42. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpp.12086
- Polena H, Queille-Roussel C, Graizeau C, et al. Comparison of visible light-protective tinted sunscreen to untinted sunscreen to protect melasma patients during summer: a prospective randomized investigator-blinded study. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025;24(10). https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70450
- Krupashankar DS, Somani VK, Kohli M, et al. A cross-sectional, multicentric clinico-epidemiological study of melasma in India. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2014;4(1):71-81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13555-014-0046-1
- Zhou C, Salas J, Luke JD. Guide to tinted sunscreens in skin of color. Int J Dermatol. 2024;63(3):272-276. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.16954
- Brasil dos Santos J, Nagem Lopes LP, Gomes de Lima G, et al. Microneedling with cutaneous delivery of topical agents for the treatment of melasma: a systematic review. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022;21(11):5680-5695. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.15287
Ready to understand your melasma?
Start with a medical assessment and a conversation about what’s happening with your skin.