Spots that are darker than your normal skin tone are known as hyperpigmentation. They are caused on a cellular level by an overproduction of melanin, a pigment responsible for determining one’s skin and hair color. Reasons that melanin might overproduce (resulting in hyperpigmentation) include:
- Age spots which appear on skin that get frequent sun exposure, such as the backs of the arms, hands, shoulders, chest and face.
- Injury-related hyperpigmentation (or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) occurs where skin is healing from a lesion (such as acne) and leaves a darkened patch
- Melasma causes dark, discolored patches on the face and arms and often develops during pregnancy.
- Freckles
At Kessel Dermatology, we use the excel V+ laser’s clinically-proven wavelengths of light to treat hyperpigmentation. The targeted cells absorb the light, dry up and flake away revealing unpigmented skin. We are able to adjust this treatment to treat different skin tones, which makes this a very versatile and effective treatment for our patients. At your initial consultation, our providers will determine the number of treatment sessions necessary to clear the hyperpigmentation, depending on the size, location and color of the spots.