Just to be sure, ask her if she'd been using any skin bleaching creams. If she'd been and then subjected her skin to long hours in the sun then it might be a common hydroquinone side effect. Lots of Philippines-made creams have hydroquinone in them.
Otherwise good luck helping her deal with it if it's not related to bleaching.
Sounds like she could have a fungal infection like [i'>tinea versicolour[/i'> a common affliction to many in hot climates. A consultation with a GP should confirm this or even a trip to the pharmacy. It's caused by a yeast which lives on the skin [everyone has it, but only some people develop the pigmentation issues'>.
Depending on one's skin colour, the patches of skin which discolour can be pink, red, reddish-brown or even white in very dark-skinned individuals. It is not contagious, rarely itchy or uncomfortable; it's merely unsightly and yes, it does spread.
A course of anti-fungal pills should clear it up and/or a cream.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002436/
PS. I could be wrong though, so make sure she sees someone about this. :)
She needs to see a dermatologist. Don't think that effects of air/water are nationality specific and I've not heard of this being a common thing in Dubai.
My lovely Filipino House maid has just come to me and said she needs to do something about her skin as it has started to get brown blotches on it ( change in skin pigmentation) and its spreading.
She has been speaking to friends and apparently its quite common but she does not know what creme to use. Has anyone had the same situation with their Filipino housemaid and what remedy have they had? It must be do to the water and air here.
Need some help please.