Press Room

Unhappy with your Skin Tone?

Even though we are all born with a unique, predetermined skin color; our skin tone, color and texture can change as we age due to sun exposure, pollution, and lifestyle.

The causes:
Pollutants, the sun, UVA and UVB rays, tanning – indoors and out, all take their toll on your skin and can bring on that aged appearance. Discoloration, also known as hyperpigmentation, can arise from a variety of different aggressors. It doesn’t matter if your hyperpigmentation is brown, pink or red in color, the discolored portion of your skin is basically signaling that it’s been damaged in some way. This can be caused by acne, the sun, or even burns or cuts.
Red Spots: (Post-Inflammatory hyperpigmentation)

Red pigmentation from acne, with is the result of inflammation or vascular damage, is quite common. Some people have acne scars that are deep indentations that can only be repaired with laser treatments, collagen-stimulating fillers or excision, others experience red or brown discoloration that can last from a few months to a year or more.

Brown Spots: (Age and Liver Spots)
Age and Liver spots are more commonly found in mature skin. These spots can occur on the hands, arms, back, chest, décolleté and face. Age spots are essentially a build up of pigment caused by years of sun exposure. They can range in color, from light brown to dark brown, they can be flat or raised, and are normally limited to the surface of the skin. In some extreme cases the damage can go deeper.

Always have a doctor look at any spots that are raised, misshapen, or sore to the touch before getting any type of laser treatment. Melanoma can occur with any skin type so it’s always a good idea to see a doctor or dermatologist before seeking treatment for your hyperpigmentation.


The solution:
There are quite a few options you can choose from based on the intensity and downtime.  Even though you utilize these treatment processes, hyper pigmentation can come back, so it’s always a good idea for you to use a sunscreen and topical treatment every day.

Gentle:
Chemical Peels & Microdermabrasion

Light chemical peels and microdermabrasion treatments can be a great way to treat your hyperpigmentation. Both of these treatments are an exfoliating type, gently removing dead skin cells. With a chemical peel you will unplug pores, and blackheads and whiteheads shrink in size. Unlike microdermabrasion, chemical peels can be a little more intense, depending on the percentage of acid used.  

Medium:
Advanced Fluorescence Technologies (AFT)
AFT is the next generation of multi-application pulsed light technology. It converts unused UV light into the optimal spectrum used by each application. Uses include elimination or reduction of age spots, sun damage, vascular and pigmented lesions, rosacea, redness, telangiectasias, and the treatment of active acne.

AFT’s work by using pulsed light technology that selectively heats and closes off blood vessels, reducing lesions while sparing nearby tissue from injury. With pigmented lesions, the light energy heats the melanin fragments and then causes it to fragment. The melanin fragments then are absorbed by the body and eliminated. By providing smooth, consistent light pulses, the energy delivered to the skin is gentle and effective.
AFT treat Sun Damage by honing in on color-producing melanin cells within pigments, in effect "bleaching" the cells or removing the sun damage. The blue light penetrates just deep enough into the tissue to reach the target without adversely affecting the surrounding skin.

Strong:
Laser Skin Resurfacing – Pixel
Laser skin resurfacing is the term used for a general list of non-surgical services using Pixel 2940 Er:YAG Laser technology. If your skin has fine lines, wrinkles, or just dinginess that age and too much sun can create then laser resurfacing with Pixel is the magic wand for you.
Years of sunlight and even the aging process itself breaks down collagen and elastin fibers responsible for keeping skin youthful and firm. This breakdown also allows sun spots, age spots, liver spots, skin pigmentation or skin discoloration to occur. The overall effect is that you look tired, your skin looks saggy and discolored and you don’t look your very best.

Laser skin resurfacing is the solution to this aging problem. Facial laser surgery or face lifts no longer are your only answer. Through facial skin resurfacing, you will be able to virtually remove sun damage, fine lines, wrinkles and uneven pigmentation while boosting the skin’s natural collagen production to renew its firmness and tone. The Pixel also is utilized to reduce pore size and correcting acne scarring. In addition the Pixel is used to treat melasma (hyper-pigmentation often related to hormonal issues.)

What is Pixel?
Pixel 2940 Er:YAG is used to resurface your skin through a technique called fractional ablative skin resurfacing. The Pixel actually is a hand piece to our Harmony laser that provides a safe and effective treatment for aged and photo-damaged skin with no patient downtime, and no gel or consumables are required. The Pixel 2940 represents the best of both worlds for facial laser skin resurfacing: it combines the proven effectiveness of an ablative approach with the patient comfort level and convenience of a non-ablative approach.