Melasma is a skin condition where a person has brown to grey-brown patches on their cheeks, forehead, chin, or above the upper lip.

It can be caused by excessive exposure to sunlight, lack of melanin or vitamin D in the skin, excessive or uneven usage of birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, and also during pregnancy.

The incidence of melasma also increases in patients with thyroid disease. Stress-induced overproduction of melanocyte-stimulating hormones can cause outbreaks of this condition.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, melasma is caused by an imbalance in the tridosha. In Ayurveda, melasma is associated with Vata, Pitta Dosha, and psychological factors such as anger, sorrow, and mental exertion.