Reducing and Removing

Hyperpigmentation - Melasma - Freckles - Dark Spots

Hyperpigmentation is a common and usually a harmless condition where patches of our skin become darker in color than the normal surrounding skin. This darkening can occur when an excess of melanin, the brown pigment that produces normal skin color, forms deposits in the skin. Hyperpigmentation can affect the skin color of people of any age or race. Here in Scottsdale and in Arizona we have year round heat and sun that affects our skin in a variety of ways.

Age Spots - Liver Spots

Age or "liver" spots are a very common form of hyperpigmentation. They occur due to sun damage and are also called solar lentigines. These small, dark patches are usually found on the hands and face or other areas frequently exposed to the sun. Most people develop some liver spots by the age of 40, but some people develop them earlier in life and develop a lot more of them. They are commonly known as liver spots because they're associated with poor liver health or a congested liver. People with a liver condition or fatty liver are more prone to developing these spots on their skin.

Melasma

Melasma is a skin condition that causes darker patches to appear, typically on the face and cheeks, that are darker than a person’s natural skin tone. Melasma can be found primarily in individuals with light brown skin and darker skin tones, especially in areas with higher sun exposure. Women are particularly susceptible to melasma, and it can appear as brown patches on the face, cheeks, nose, and forehead. Pregnancy can also trigger overproduction of melanin that causes the "mask of pregnancy" on the face, as well as darkened skin on the abdomen and other areas of the body. Women that take birth control pills may also develop hyperpigmentation because their bodies undergo a similar kind of hormonal change that occurs during pregnancy.

Freckles

A freckle is a smaller, pale to dark brown flat area of skin with poorly defined borders. They are caused by an overproduction of melanin by the melanocytes, which is in direct response to sun exposure. Visually, people with this variant have red hair and pale skin, and can burn more easily, and far quicker in the sun. Freckles are most prominent on sun exposed areas of the skin during the summer and then tend to fade during the winter. Freckles have small in size and they do not have sharp edges. They often appear as a result of tanning because the skin produces melanin more than normal when exposed to the sun for a long time. The people with specific genes may have them.

Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation or PIH is another form of hyperpigmentation. Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation happens when our skin makes extra melanin after it's been irritated or injured. Melanin is a natural pigment that is responsible for the color in our hair, skin, and eyes. Typically, darker skin is more prone to PIH than lighter more sun-sensitive skin. Injury to the skin causes a surplus of melanin or pigmentation to form to heal the wound and protect the skin. PIH can affect either your epidermis, which is your skin’s surface level, or your dermis — a deep layer of your skin. The most common causes are acne, eczema, and impetigo, but any type of trauma or irritation to the skin has the potential to cause PIH.

Treatments

We offer different treatments for hyperpigmentation, with a variety of aggression. We will generally start off gently and increase intensity as we move through a series of treatments. Treatment plans are customized to fit your specific goals and budget. Treatments may include enzyme therapy, laser treatments, and/or chemical peels in our Scottsdale office.

Home Prescriptives

These products, if used in conjunction with our in office treatments, rapidly reduce inflammation and suppress melanin production over time. Home products contain melanin in 3 levels:

Stops melanin formation
Inhibits tyrosine and tyrosinase
Regulates melanogenesis at the keratinocytes