So I have done a lot of research on Melasma. To begin, I had cystic acne for 20+ years. Had my daughter and it subsided during pregrancy. Went on an IUD (Mirena) for 3 years then started getting the cysts again. Came off the IUD and then, while trying several different BC pills over the course of a few months, I ended up with Melasma on forehead, cheeks and upper lip. Continued on Gianvi (Yasmin) as my skin cleared up beautifully! However I was stuck with the melasma and even though it got a little lighter in winter, my lip just never seemed to fade. Now, in desperation, I came off the pill last month. My entire face has faded, other than my lip and I'm getting cycts back on face, head, back - it's horrible and seems like a "lose/lose" situation. Off the pill melasma results are better but have cysts, on the pill acne free skin with dark melasma..ugh. (Oh, and I used Tri-Luma all summer which I didn't see any results) My question... if I go back on the Gianvi to clear my "acne", and I choose to add something like Dr. Zein Obagi's melasma lighting treatment...will it be in vain? Will trying to do "anything" while on the pill just be a waste of time and money or is there a change it can counteract and work?