About this condition
Pigmentation, or hyper-pigmentation, is when the body produces too much melanin, causing discolouration in certain parts of the skin. This can be localised or diffuse (e.g., all over).
The causes can be varied and include UVA damage from the sun, hormonal changes (as a result of pregnancy) or from other skin conditions such as acne or rosacea. Individuals in hotter climes and with darker skin tend to have more hyper-pigmentation than here in the UK.
Examples of hyper-pigmentation include age spots, sun spots and freckles.
Before and After
What treatments are available?
There are various methods available to help reduce pigmentation.
Our main focus would be to offer Environ facials and treatments from their range first.
These include skin peels and laser treatments. With a chemical peel the skin’s outer layers are removed. This can encourage new cell and collagen growth in a more ‘organised’ fashion.
Ablative laser resurfacing uses heat to stimulate collagen production.
Short pulses of light can shatter the melanin in dark patches, making them less obvious. Micro-needling, can also be effective for getting rid of unwanted areas of hyper-pigmentation.
The heat from needles, stimulates collagen and elastin production. On-going review and careful management are important elements of any pigmentation treatment programme with results showing from 6 weeks.
