TREATMENT OF BROWN SPOTS AND HYPERPIGMENTATION

The phenomenon of hyperpigmentation affects all skin types, from the lightest to the darkest. Whether it is sun spots, age spots, hormonal spots or post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the causes are varied. They are located preferentially on exposed areas: face, neck and décolleté, forearms and hands.

This uneven pigmentation of the skin can be unsightly, making the complexion dull and uneven.  The causes of these pigmentary disorders are multiple but, fortunately, it is possible to treat them effectively using gentle aesthetic medicine techniques and without surgery to regain a luminous skin.

THE DIFFERENT SKIN TYPES (PHOTOTYPES)

There are several types of skin, from the lightest to the darkest, categorized into 6 phototypes. This color is due to the pigmentation of the skin under the effect of the melanocytes, cells of production of the melanin, which gives them its more or less dark tint.

Two types of melanin determine these different phototypes: eumelanin, which allows tanning and is a reaction of the skin to the sun’s rays, and the deeper pheomelanin. The ratio between these two types of melanin will determine the type of skin: fair, matte, black…

Light skins (especially the skins of redheads or very blond people) have very little eumelanin, for example, which makes them extremely reactive to UV rays from which they do not have the ability to protect themselves. But even if we tan, this does not mean that we are protected from the sun’s harmful effects! The darker the skin, the more melanin protects from the sun. But be careful, they are still sensitive to sunburns too.

No matter what type of skin we have, our skin can have spots or marks, more or less visible.

PIGMENTARY DISORDERS: SPOTS, MARKS…

It is a pigmentation disorder: the melanocytes produce too much melanin in this area.

Depending on the type of pigmentary disorder, the causes are different:

• Sun spots or age spots (or lentigos) generally appear on areas exposed to the sun (face, neckline, hands) and tend to develop with age. They look like freckles.

• Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: any inflammation of the skin causes redness that can turn into a brown spot. So beware of pimples, scratches, wounds, mosquito bites and acne. Any inflammation of the skin must be protected from the sun! For people with fair skin, this translates into red or pink marks. For people with dark, mixed or black skin, marks are brown. In both cases, exposure to the sun causes stains. This is why it is important not to touch your pimples! Because it damages the skin, and the mark will be even more pronounced.

• Pregnancy mask is a hyperpigmentation (a brown or brown-gray layer) of the facial skin, often on the forehead, cheekbones and above the lip. It appears under the effect of hormones and during pregnancy; it intensifies if not protected from the sun. Also called melasma (or chloasma), it can develop following the use of the contraceptive pill. Its origin is therefore mainly hormonal. It is dermal-epidermal, which means that it can be lightened but not completely removed.

TREAT PIGMENT SPOTS EFFECTIVELY

Hyperpigmented areas of the skin can be either diminished or permanently treated with a number of cosmetic medicine solutions to help you regain a more even and radiant complexion.

To treat your hyperpigmentation, Dr. HAVET will recommend pigment laser sessions or peels to reduce or even completely erase the irregularities of your skin tone (spots, marks), regardless of your phototype.

PIGMENT LASER AGAINST BROWN SPOTS

As with laser hair removal, which targets the brown pigment of the hair, the light energy of the pigment laser is absorbed by the color of the stain and, under the effect of heat, will be destroyed.

Dr. HAVET has a high-end laser of the latest generation, which can treat pigmentation spots.

The areas treated by the pigment laser are: the face, hands, neckline, forearms, but also any other area where sun or age spots have appeared.

The session. The session is not painful, there is simply a small characteristic noise when the laser is fired, a sign that it is bursting and destroying the pigment. The spot will peel slightly in the days that follow, so do not pull on the skin. It will fall off on its own, giving way to a lighter coloration and therefore a more even complexion. A healing and moisturizing cream should be applied after the session and for a few days.

Depending on the extent of the pigmentation, several sessions may be necessary, on average 2 to 3, but the treatment is always personalized.

The laser does not treat melasma and is recommended for localized pigmentation spots. To treat the mask of pregnancy or more numerous and extensive pigmentation spots, anti-spot peels are preferred.

ANTI-SPOT PEELINGS

Dr. HAVET will perform a soft peel specific to the treatment of melasma (based on phytic and/or tranexamic acid in particular), numerous and scattered pigmentary spots, but also perfectly adapted to the treatment of dark and mixed skins.

The chemical exfoliation of the peel will progressively make the spots disappear, leaving a more even and luminous complexion. As a bonus, peels improve the quality of the skin. The technique is painless, and the aftermath of a peel is simple and does not require any social eviction.

It is advisable to prepare your skin before and between sessions in order to maximize the effects of the peel and protect the skin from any pigmentary rebound.

THE ANTI-STAIN LED LIGHT

All treatment protocols performed by Dr. HAVET in the treatment of hyperpigmentation and brown spots end with a high-powered medical LED session, to potentiate their effects.  A specific wavelength is used, which penetrates gently into the heart of the cells, and whose numerous virtues act on the radiance of the complexion and the spots.

ARE THESE ANTI-STAIN TREATMENTS SUITABLE FOR BLACK SKIN?

Hyperpigmentation marks are a very common problem on black and mixed race skin. They are, as is the case with light skin, due to skin inflammation: acne pimples, but also wounds, irritations, eczema, poor healing, etc.

If these disorders do not disappear spontaneously (cosmetic depigmenting creams can be effective and sufficient), pigment laser sessions can be safely considered.

Depigmenting peels are perfectly suited to black and mixed-race skin and allow you to regain an even complexion and beautiful skin.

As for medical LED, it is suitable for absolutely everyone, without any risk and actively participates in improving the quality of the skin.

COSMETICS

In order to maintain a harmonious complexion, to attenuate the spots if necessary and to limit the appearance of new pigmentary disorders, the use of creams is to be introduced into your beautiful skin routine.

In addition, it is important to protect your skin from the sun with SPF30 or SPF50 because it is often the cause of brown spots and premature aging of the skin.

In consultation, Doctor HAVET will recommend cosmetics adapted to your needs.

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Are you interested in a treatment against pigmentation spots or melasma? Would you like a consultation with Dr. HAVET in the West Indies? Make an appointment now.