I went through a very similar journey. I got rid of my melasma and it has not come back. There are a lot of laser treatments out there but I did A LOT of research and found one that is more advanced. Treatment was painless and there was no down time. There is a website and a facebook page with more info both called 'life without melasma' and there is a separate twitter page called 'be melasma free' where you can ask questions directly and download a free guide. I hope this helps.