Melasma is a complex skin hyperpigmentation disorder. Which is best treated with multiple modalities that address several potential causes. These can be: (1) medications that can be either taken by mouth and/or applied to the skin; (2) lifestyle changes and supplements that decrease inflammation; (3) measures that decrease and balance hormones; (4) minimized sun exposure and the use of wide spectrum sun block products; (5) skin resurfacing, such as microneedling and laser treatments.
Using the right laser is important. Lasers without enough power or extremely short pulses, can generate tissue heat that can aggravate melasma or worse, can induce other hyperpigmentation problems in some patients. Which is why many lasers are a poor choice for treating Malasma.
At MLA, we have the StarWalker PQX laser, which is the most powerful picosecond laser available today with the shortest pulse duration of 300 billionth of a second. As of this writing, MLA has the only PQX in the West Coast. Our laser is like a sniper. It targets the melasma pigment and vaporizes it into tiny remnants, that are naturally removed from the skin. Due to sniper like accuracy, we spare adjacent tissue from damage, and therefore, treatments cause very little or no down-time.
Do you have facial spots, freckles or abnormal skin coloring?
These are frequently due to increased melanin production associated with inflammation.
Freckles are usually related to sun exposure and genetic predisposition. Age and sun spots are the result of sun exposure and skin changes related to ageing and genetics.
Our StarWalker PQX laser is exceptionally effective in removing age and sun spots. In most cases it may take 1-3 treatments, depending on how dark and how many spots you have. Right after treatment, the spots turn a bit darker, may build a thin scab and finally fade away in 3-4 weeks. The treatment is similar for freckles.
Treatment takes 20 minutes and there is minimal downtime.
