Mela Skin
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Skincare.

A short shelf, chosen by the people treating your skin, and the routine that makes it work. Both are short on purpose. The routines that get abandoned are the long ones.

The collectionAsk what suits your skin

Opening with the clinic

The shelf is being chosen now and stocked from [December 2026]. Until then this page is the advice without the products, and none of it depends on buying anything from us.

A short shelf rather than a shop. Eight things, in the order a routine uses them, and each one chosen for skin that pigments rather than burns.

  • Cleanse

    [Gentle cleanser]

    Non-stripping, and enough of it to take off a day of sunscreen.

  • Repair

    [Barrier moisturiser]

    The step that makes everything else tolerable. Not optional on oily skin either.

  • Brighten

    [Vitamin C serum]

    Mornings. Works on dullness and on the marks left behind by old spots.

  • Renew

    [Retinoid]

    Evenings, slowly. Start twice a week; the people who go faster stop altogether.

  • Exfoliate

    [Exfoliating acid]

    Once or twice a week at most. Over-exfoliated skin darkens rather than glows.

  • Pigment

    [Pigment corrector]

    For melasma and post-acne marks, and only alongside daily sun protection.

  • Protect

    [Broad-spectrum SPF]

    Every morning. The one that leaves no grey cast is the one you will wear.

  • Aftercare

    [Post-procedure kit]

    What goes on the skin in the week after a peel, a laser or micro-needling.

Four steps, morning and night, with one of them doing most of the work. Anything longer than this gets abandoned by week three, and an abandoned routine is worse than a short one.

  1. 01

    Cleanse

    Once in the evening is enough for most people. The test is how your skin feels ten minutes later: tight and squeaky means the cleanser is too strong.

  2. 02

    Treat

    The one step that changes anything: a retinoid, a vitamin C, an acid or a pigment-directed agent. One at a time, slowly. Stacking three is the fastest route to marks on deeper skin.

  3. 03

    Moisturise

    Not a luxury and not only for dry skin. It is what keeps the barrier intact enough to tolerate the step above, which is why the actives fail without it.

  4. 04

    Sunscreen

    Every morning, indoors near a window included. On melanin-rich skin this is not about burning: it is what stands between you and the pigmentation most people come here about.

One warning

Over-the-counter lightening creams are the most common cause of the damage we treat. They thin the skin and rebound worse the moment you stop. Nothing of the kind is sold here. If you use one, bring it in.

45 min with Dr. Margaret Gachanja, your skin examined, a diagnosis in plain language, and a written plan to leave with.

Request an appointmentinfo@melaskin.ke