Dark spots occur when some areas of the skin produce more melanin than usual, they are a major concern for our patients, especially during this season when the summer has gone and left some brown marks on the skin.
6 Dark Spot Treatments
3 main characteristics of Dark spots:
- Dark spots vary in size and can develop on any part of the body but are most common in areas often exposed to the sun such as the face, shoulders, and back of the hands.
- Dark spots on the skin can range from light brown to dark brown. The color of dark spots may depend on the tone of a person’s skin.
- The spots are the same texture as the skin and are not painful.
We will show you 6 Dark Spot Treatments…
Now, what causes dark spots in first place? There are several different reasons why the extra melanin can be triggered on the skin:
- Sun damage, also called sunspots, solar lentigines or liver spots. Sun exposure can increase the level of melanin, this is why we have more dark spots after the summer. So, the areas of the body that receive the most sun exposure are most likely to develop sun spots.
- Hormones, both estrogen and progesterone, can increase the level of melanin, leading to small patches of skin discoloration, this is why pregnant women see dark spots that often lighten following birth.
- Skin irritation, cosmetic skin or hair products can irritate the skin, causing dark patches to form, they can also be caused as a result of acne, waxing, and harsh scrubs.
- Medication side effects, there´s also known that certain medications can increase skin pigmentation and lead to dark spots.
Inflammation or wound healing, dark spots can be developed after an inflammation on the skin or after an insect bite, burn, or cut heals. however, these may fade with time.
Dark Spot Treatments tested by our Skincare Specialists that effectively work
When it comes to dark spot treatments, there are so many options out there that it can be hard to know where to start. Our skincare Experts offer procedures and products to lighten dark spots, or remove them according to the cause, type, colour, area or large of the spot.
First thing you need to know is that there’s not a perfect formula to treat dark spots
Remember that every skin is different so the way we treat your skin needs won’t necessarily will work the same way on someone else, this is why we focus on providing personalized services only. To determine the best solution for your dark spot condition is to do a skin analysis prior to perform any procedure, this is the best way for us to guaranteed effective results to our patients.
Now, by understanding this, here you can see a list of treatments that have work effectively treating dark spots on our patients, according to our Skincare Experts:
1. Vitamin C
Vitamin C can be used as a potent antioxidant that helps to block free radicals from causing oxidative damage to the skin, this interferes with the production of pigment in the skin, fading dark spots. Once you add vitamin C to your skincare regimen, you may start seeing noticeable improvements in three weeks. It can help significantly fade hyperpigmentation in about two months. Another added benefit is that vitamin C lightens only targets problem pigmentation areas, not the rest of your skin.
2. Lasers
Laser is the most effective treatment to reduce dark spots. It works by using a focused beam of light that has a specific target to break up and eliminate the pigment particles in the skin.
The laser treatment for hyperpigmentation takes approximately from 5 to 7 sessions to achieve desired results. Depending on the type of machine and laser technician you choose, there won’t be any inflammatory response, burns, or collateral damage.
3. Chemical Peels
Exfoliating treatments like chemical peels remove the upper layers of dead skin, helping to stimulate collagen production, enhance cellular turnover, reduce the dull appearance in order to reflect a light better skin appearance and achieve dark spots reduction. At-home peels are available, but since chemical peels are powerful exfoliating products there is a risk of burning the skin, we recommend you to receive professional help from a skincare expert that can help you to determine the best active ingredient for your dark spot treatment. Common active ingredients in pro-grade peels include glycolic, mandelic, salicylic, and lactic acids, along with trichloroacetic acid.
There are typically needed three to six treatments spaced out by two to three weeks to see results.
4. Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is another exfoliating treatment used to rejuvenate the ksin and treat pigmentation, it is a nonchemical procedure that’s noninvasive, which means it does not destroy skin tissue, that uses tiny particles to remove dead skin, downtime is not required. Microdermabrasion is best for milder dark spots conditions, since the results are moderate in terms of improving skin discoloration.
There are recommended three to six treatments (possibly more) spaced out by two to four weeks.
5. Medical Microneedling
The medical microneedling, also known as Dermapen and Rejuvapen, is actually minimally-invasive working as a collagen induction therapy to promote rejuvenation and a host of skin-boosting benefits. The pen uses 11 super-tiny needles in the tip which can be adjusted by the professional according to the patient´s needs, to create small punctures on the top layer of the skin which would cause the body to create new collagen and elastin
For best results, medical microneedling is often combined with chemical peel or topical treatments. Once the skin barrier is opened, the skincare specialist can infuse ingredients known to lighten the skin like vitamin C. they can also use a wound-healing serum, or a compound of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C to help reduce dark spots, especially in darker skin tones. After the treatment the patient may feel the skin sensitive or more pigmented, this is totally normal, it will see better the following week with a brighter complexion. There are needed three sessions (possibly more) every four weeks.
6. Prevention with sunscreen, is the best treatment available.
Preventing dark spots, or almost any other type of skin condition, is often as simple as wearing sunscreen, it is very simple and not very expensive.
Dark spots get darker with sun exposure, Sunscreens can block out most of the rays that will produce dark spots in the first place. So, make sure to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen (at least SPF 30) to protect against UVA and UVB rays and reapply it every two hours. Also, avoid sun exposure in general, especially for sensitive areas, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. In case you need to be out when the sun is highest, seek cool, shaded areas or wear UPF clothing, which helps protect the skin.
At Renew Esthetics Medical SPA, we have the treatments that include any of the procedures above, however, in order to provide a personalized package, we invite you to an initial consultation so our skincare experts can evaluate and determine the best course of the treatment that suits your needs. We have amazing discounts on acne treatments this season!
