Avoid the sun for 4 weeks before and after treatment, and during any treatment courses. You may develop hypopigmentation (white spots) after treatment if skin is tanned. The use of self tanning products must be discontinued one week before treatment.
 |
Age spots and Sun discolouration
Age/sun spots, also known as lentigines are harmless, flat, brown discolorations of the skin which usually occur on the back of the hands, neck and face of people over the age of 40. These spots give away a person's age and are caused by the skin being exposed to too much sun over many years without adequate sunscreen protection. Such spots are usually harmless and do not require treatment unless they change colour, size or become raised and crusty.
There are various ways (Laser, IPL, acid skin peels, prescription bleaching creams) to remove unwanted facial and body pigmentation, but the method chosen depends on the nature and depth of the pigments. There is no single individual method of removing all different pigments; in fact, in many cases, combination treatments are necessary.
Laser treatment for pigmented lesions.
Laser treatment of age spots offers the most effective means for the removal of such discolourations. The treatment is quick and painless. There is no nee for any needles or anaesthesia. These spots rarely return and the risk of scarring is very minimal.
The laser works by targeting the brown pigment, or "melanin," present in the skin of these spots. This pigment absorbs the laser's energy and becomes scattered within the skin's tissues. The rest is done by the body's own immune system as the skin's cleansing cells, called "macro-phages," digest the excess pigment and clear it from the area.
Usually age spots require only one or two treatments for removal, although larger, darker spots may require more. Once treated the age spots will not return. However laser treatment cannot stop the ageing of the skin and other age spots will appear in time. In order to minimise this patients should use sunscreen and avoid direct exposure to the sun.
>> How to prepare?
>> What happens during treatment?
A treatment can take as little as a few minutes to as long as an hour, depending on the size of the area being treated. Often the strength of the laser pulse is changed depending on the reaction on skin and patient comfort.
Each pulse of light feels like the flick of an elastic band. Most patients do not find the treatment too painful. Cold air spray and local anaesthetic cream could be used to reduce this discomfort.
>> After the treatment:
Immediately after the treatment, there will be redness and swelling on the treatment site which may last up to 2-3 hours or longer. The treated lesion will appear darker in colour and may look shrivelled. This is normal. The area can be cooled using cold compresses or ice pack. Post-operative care consists of applying Aloe Vera gel or Liposome complex 3-4 times a day and avoidance of sun exposure in an effort to reduce the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Avoid exercise for 24 hours after treatment.
The most important thing about pigmentation is that the patient follows all instructions and takes a long-term view to the process of skin lightening. There are very few quick fixes and people usually come to us having been disappointed elsewhere. Improving your pigmentation as much as possible (varies from person to person as we are all individuals) depends on a team-work approach between us and you.
