Age Spots Removal

Pigment lasers are the treatment of choice for age spots, pigmentation & sunspots. They offer precise removal of spots with minimal downtime & side effects. 

For lighter skin types we use Spectra, Fraxel, CO2, Hero BBL, & pico lasers. 

For darker skin types we employ Picoway & Picosure Pro lasers. 

At Cutis Dermatology we select particular devices for specific spots & skin types. This ensures your pigmentation will be safely treated in the minimum number of treatments. 

Lasers can treat existing spots, it does not prevent new ones from appearing. 

To reduce recurrence we combine 2 or more types of lasers, if indicated. Combinations include BBL Hero with Fraxel laser, or pigment lasers with CO2 fractional resurfacing.

View our before & after gallery here!

Age spots in darker skin patients are treated with either the Picoway or Picosure Pro laser. Pico lasers give the highest clearance & minimises side effects such as post treatment pigmentation. 

Treating pigmentation in darker skin types is more complex- you must use specific lasers or side effects will occur. Post treatment skin care is paramount.

Peels can at the very least fade, & at the most completely remove age spots & pigmentation. The peel type will depend on your skin type & diagnosis.

If you have ethnic skin, pico lasers are a better choice. 

Superficial peels including glycolic, lactic & retinoic acids

Medium depth peels include: Jessner TCA peels. 

Hybrid peels include: Cosmelan/ Dermamelan

Prescription creams can give marginal improvement of up to 20% after 10-12 weeks of continued use. Ingredients include retinol, retinoic acid, ascorbic acid, arbutin & low concentrations of alpha & beta hydroxy acids. 

The optimal mix will depend on your skin type, clinical diagnosis & your skin’s sensitivities. 

Age spots, as the name suggests, increase with age. The average age is 35, however they can appear earlier or later depending on your skin type, level of sun protection & genetics.

Microdermabrasion can reduce pigmentation by removing the outer layer of dead skin cells. This improves light transmission & lightens skin. This effect can last up to 3 weeks. 

The effects of microdermabrasion are temporary; however, it is a useful treatment to increase the potency of pigment correction creams. 

Melasma is a unique form of pigmentation that requires gentle treatments over time. It can respond to specific lasers, but it is best treated with medical therapy. 

The best treatments for melasma include plasminogen modulators & tyrosinase inhibitors. 

If you hit melasma pigmentation with high powered lasers or devices such as BBL Hero, or pico lasers, it will come back darker & worse. This is called rebound melasma. Thus, it is essential that this common form of pigment is diagnosed PRIOR to any laser treatment. 

The biggest traction you will get out of natural remedies is with a hat & sunscreen. If would like to ‘give it a go’ you can try –

• Azelaic acid 10-20%
• Bearberry creams
• Niacinamide, vitamin B3
• Beta-arbutin from wheat & grains
• Liquorice root extracts
• Citric acid 
• Green tea extract

Burns are frequently seen with apple cider, so think twice about using this to treat pigment & age spots. This commonly occurs with multilayering, especially in patients with a compromised skin barrier.

Citric acids & AHAs are derived from lemon, glycolic acid from sugarcane, so there is some merit that fruit acids can assist in skin exfoliation. The problem is that lemon contains light sensitive compounds known as furocoumarins. 

Furocoumarins react with UV light, causing a phototoxic reaction. This makes pigmentation worse. Don’t treat skin pigmentation with lemon juice. 

Pigment is complex as there are nearly 200 times of pigmentation. Even under the colloquial umbrella of age spots there are many types of pigmentation disorders. For example, a lentigo is an age spot, so are macular seborrheic keratosis. Same classification, vastly different treatments. 

Lentigo age spots can resolve with BBL Hero, IPL, high pass Fraxel, or simple Pico/nano lasers. Thicker macular seborrheic keratosis often requires special lasers & techniques. 

Add to this, other types of pigmentation, – melasma, Hori, mixed dermal, moles, ephelides, pigmented solar keratosis, & you get the picture. Each diagnosis requires a specific  treatment. 

Queensland has the highest rate of melanoma worldwide, hence it is important to give a diagnosis to a pigmented age spot prior to laser. If in doubt, see a dermatologist for a skin check. 

Finally, the skin type. How we manage fair skin is totally different compared to darker skin. WIth the latter we use pre & post treatment creams. The choice of laser is pico.