Hello Doctor. I'm 16 years old. Over the past few months, my face has become much darker than the rest of my body, especially compared to my hands. The uneven skin tone is really affecting my confidence, and I feel like I don't look like myself anymore.
My neck has only mild darkening in the skin creases, but it's not very noticeable. My main concern is my face.
I recently had blood tests. My
thyroid tests (
TSH, T3, T4) were normal. My
vitamin D is low, my folate is low,
ferritin is on the lower side, and my glucose tests were normal. ANA and ANCA were negative.
I wanted to know whether this looks like sun tanning, hyperpigmentation, melasma, or something else. Would you recommend any treatment such as tretinoin, azelaic acid, or another cream? Is hydroquinone appropriate in my case, or would you advise against it?
I'm also attaching photos of my face and the difference between my face and my hand for your assessment. Thank you.