Understanding pigmentation treatment
Pigmentation is the visible result of melanin being produced in excess or deposited unevenly. What triggers it differs: ultraviolet light, heat, hormones, inflammation from acne or eczema, friction, or the misuse of steroid and skin-lightening creams.
Identifying the type matters because treatment differs. Melasma needs long-term, gentle management and can worsen with aggressive procedures. Sun spots respond well to peels and laser. Post-inflammatory marks usually fade on their own once the cause is controlled and the skin is protected.
Improvement is gradual. Most pigmentation protocols are measured in months rather than weeks, and the most important part of the plan — daily broad-spectrum sun protection — is the part patients most often skip.
This may suit you if
- Brown or grey-brown patches on the cheeks, forehead or upper lip
- Dark spots left behind by acne or injury
- Uneven, blotchy facial tone
- Pigmentation that worsens in summer or with sun exposure
- Skin that has darkened after using unprescribed creams
What happens at the clinic
- 1
Diagnosis
Your pigmentation is examined, the likely type identified, and aggravating factors such as sun exposure, hormones, cosmetics and previous creams are reviewed.
- 2
Topical and sun protection plan
A prescription routine is started along with a sunscreen suited to your skin, because no procedure holds its result without daily photoprotection.
- 3
In-clinic procedures
Medical peels are added once the skin is primed. Low-fluence laser toning is considered for selected types after the skin has proved stable.
- 4
Review and maintenance
You are reviewed every four to six weeks and the routine is adjusted. Once the pigmentation lightens, a maintenance plan keeps it controlled.
Aftercare
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning, reapplied through the day
- Physical shade — cap, scarf, car window film — alongside sunscreen
- No unprescribed lightening or steroid creams at any point
- Avoid scrubs, bleach and aggressive facials during treatment
Possible side effects
- Irritation or dryness from active topicals
- Rebound darkening if treatment is aggressive or sun protection is neglected
- Patchy lightening in some types of pigmentation
- Recurrence, particularly with melasma