As we age, particularly we Australians, dark spots seem to appear overnight on our skin. Not just faces, but on the body, too. They are caused by UVA sun exposure. Even if we don’t get much sun these days, pigmentation rears its ugly head from early sun exposure when we were young.
It can appear as an age spot, brown marks, uneven colour, freckles on face, decolletage, hands, legs.
Age spots are described by doctors as wart-like material or sebaceous keratoses. They are generally raised, rough dark spots which collect the melanin on the surface of the skin. The good news is that they are relatively easy to treat. Other brown marks can be a variety of things, some of which are cancerous. That is why it is IMPERATIVE that you must have a skin check from an experienced skin cancer doctor before trying to get rid of any pigment. You do not want to remove something that superficially that could be dangerous to you.
At our clinic, you see Doctors Nigel, Amin or Jack, our skin cancer specialists. You can book for a partial or a full skin check. Once they have given you clearance, you can then move ahead with a consultation with Desley, Tracy or Kirralee to decide the best treatment option and maybe even some pre-treatment regimen. If the spots are age spots, it is often best to remove these ‘barnacles’ with our radiofrequency Clinical skin clear machine. These require a series of pre-questions and then numbing and then the RF (radiofrequency) is applied to the spot in a tapping or circular manner. Often they just peel off, but sometimes they need to scab up and come off on their own in a week or two. This machine is life changing for many people who suffer with these spots, does not require surgery or stitches and heals fast with good care. Results are often seen immediately. Treatments are $150 for 15 minutes, more if you require injectable numbing.
With other pigmentation, often the best treatment is laser or IPL. I prefer to use a Qswitch laser that I apply in several layers in what is called ‘Green toning’ (for lighter skins), or Angel Whitening (for darker skin types. It is a relatively comfortable procedure, but important pre-treatment questions and often special care must be given as a lead up. It is extremely important that before any laser procedure that your skin has no sun exposure- that means hats, sunscreen or cover up. As with many skin treatments, where we are trying to encourage the skin to turn over and improve itself, the main thing to remember is that patience is important as optimal results take up to 3 months to reveal themselves. Sometimes, your spots can look darker before they look better. The good news is that there is no real downtime with this treatment. Your skin may be red and a bit puffy for a day or so, but otherwise normal. Good post care is essential to follow. Green toning or Angel Whitening treatment for face is $350, face and neck $550 and for hands $150. Always remember that we are looking for improvement in our skin, not perfection.
Call for your consultation. 38015824
Below are some examples of spots that can be removed with Clinical Skin Clear
