Hyperpigmentation

Symptoms

Hyperpigmentation is the production of excess melanin (melanocytes) causing dark spots on the skin. Age spots, liver spots, freckles, sun spots and melasma are all types of hyperpigmentation. There are several treatments available to reduce or remove the darker skin while improving overall skin tone to mitigate this issue.

Causes

Hyperpigmentation can be the result of an injury or trauma to the skin. For example a cut will heal, but in its place pigment has darkened. This is called post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In some instances, the injury can result in hypopigmentation, the absence of melanin in the given area. As we age, the uneven appearance of our skin can be a combination of both hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation.

How we treat it

There is not a one size fits all plan to address hyperpigmentation. Variables may include the natural melanin content of skin or skin type, the darkness of the pigmented lesions themselves, level of sun exposure and if the pigmentation is hormonally driven. Fortunately, Mad Peaches addresses all these factors through BBL, profractional laser and microlaser skin peels.

In darker skin types, as well as melasma, hydroquinone is often temporarily prescribed. Hydroquinone could be described as a sleeping pill for the melanocytes. The solution keeps the melanocytes dormant during the treatment process to avoid exacerbating the hyperpigmentation. Keeping the riled up melanocytes calm using hydroquinone allows successful results.

BroadBand Light

BroadBand Light (BBL) works by removing the melanin from the vessel itself, essentially removing the root cause of what is creating the hyperpigmentation. After the BBL treatment, the pigmentation will darken immediately within 24 to 48 hours afterwards. Depending on the treatment area, in approximately a week, this pigmentation will slough off to reveal a more balanced appearing skin. For deeper pigmented lesions, it can take more than one treatment to remove. For skin that is a combination of both hyper and hypo pigmentation, BBL will even the disparities of pigment in skin. The end result is an even skin tone and more youthful skin.

ProFractional Laser

This laser puts small holes into the skin to break up pigmentation. It can be thought of as aerating your skin, which allows the melanin to escape from the vessel. ProFractional is typically used in conjunction with hydroquinone for the span of the treatments. This is an ideal option for patients with melasma or scars.

MicroLaser Peel

Unlike chemical peels that can have a great variability for depth, the MicroLaser Peel has an exact and controlled depth. This depth is determined by the patient’s skin, the area of the body and also downtime desired. The laser works by introducing a controlled burn to the skin, causing hyperpigmentation resulting in dead surface skin cells to slough off. This creates a lightening effect, resulting in more even skin tone and literally a new skin surface. As we age, layer upon layer of dead skin causes us to lose that glow. The MicroLaser peels away to reveal youthful skin.

“Cannot say enough about this place! I’ve searched Denver over in the last year trying to find a med spa that reaches my unusually high standards. I’ve found my home. My skin is NIGHT and DAY different since my first visit. The BBL laser has taken my skin from sun spots and large pores to smooth and bright. I don’t even wear foundation as a result.”

Dana G. on Yelp

Schedule a free consultation.

Meet in person with our incredible staff and receive a complementary consultation.