Sometimes a new medicated cream will make a condition look worse while it is healing the face. My husband has had this happen, trusted his dermatologist, and the condition was healed by the cream.

Shouldn't this be in the "Health" or "Beauty" topic rather than Home Decorating?

Yes it should sorry!

No apology needed. : )

Just figured you’d get more response there.

The above is what I was prescribed - $80. Do you think I should keep on with this stuff at night?

@janelle van That is a retinol. Its a pretty common one and the lowest level (unless you buy lower levels that don't require a prescription) so it should be relatively gentle. Lots of times (most actually) your skin gets a little worse before it gets better when you start a skincare routine. It's a purge process. Unless the cream is burning or causing excessive irritation I would keep using it and wait for improvements after a few weeks.

The murad gel is one of the few exceptions. I saw results within days for fading an age spot. (age spot is a different type of hyperpigmentation than melasma). However, with hydroquinone, once you quit using it spots can return.

Melasma is also an indication of hormonal imbalance. It's temporary during pregnancy, but should have cleared up. If you have other hormonal issues you are concerned about you could check with your doctor or OBGYN.

You need to take matters into your hands and learn about all the substances in products, It's going to take a while, but it's worth it in the end, trust me. You need to learn about how they all interact with each other, which ones you can combine what each of them is good for, etc. Took me a while as well, but once you find the perfect cream for you and establish a great routine everything is going to be worth it.