What is melasma?
Melasma is a complicated skin condition that shows up as brown tinted patches of skin on the forehead, cheeks, jawline, upper lip and/or neck. Melasma is different from sun damage in that the pigment is usually “triggered” by hormones and/or the sun. It is not uncommon to have it appear with pregnancy, oral contraceptives, or hormone replacement therapy. In simple terms, some of the cells in your body have gone rogue and are producing excess pigment. Once these rogue cells start to produce pigment, it is hard to turn them off.
How does Flawless Med Spa treat melasma?
Melasma is an ongoing condition that needs to be managed for the rest of your life. Wearing a medical grade sunscreen, like Elta MD and using a brightening product by Jan Marini or SkinCeuticals is critical. The sun is a trigger for your body to create melanin and melanin is what causes those darker patches.
Flawless is the first Med Spa in New Mexico to offer Pico Laser treatments for Melasma. Think of the Pico Laser as the “Fast Track” to breaking up that pigment and building new collagen. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery has studied this laser and research has concluded that it is an optimal laser for treating melasma. - Dermatology Times
What is the Pico Laser?
The Cynosure Pico Laser has been used by dermatologists to repair the skin since 2014 and is one of the very few lasers that has been FDA-approved for Melasma. It is a groundbreaking technology that uses pressure waves – not thermal energy (heat) to revitalize the skin. This makes the Pico Laser ideal for treating Melasma as heat can be a trigger to Melasma.
The Pico Laser spares the top layer of skin which means the downtime people have with each treatment is minimal. It is not uncommon to deliver 4,000 pressure waves in one 30 minute treatment. These pressure waves break up the pigment as well as signal the body to create more collagen and repair the tissue.
Patients are usually red for 2-4 hours after their treatment and need six treatments scheduled every 6-8 weeks. The lightening, remodeling, and healing happen gradually. Patients can expect to see improvements as fast as eight weeks.
How do I prepare for a Pico laser treatment?
Prior to you Melasma Pico Laser Facial, it is important that you discontinue topical prescription medications (like Retin-A, Differing, Trilumen) seven days before your treatment. It is also important that you stop all tanning (spray or sun) and keep the area being treated out of the sun at all times. If you are taking any oral medications, please advise the nurse.
What should I expect during treatment?
Prior to every appointment, we will ask you to list all your medications—even if you have been taking them for years. This is very important. We want you to tell us everything when it comes to vitamins, supplements, hormones, etc. because some can make you sensitive to light.
On the day of your appointment, we will ask you to remove your makeup and the nurse will clean the area. You will be asked to wear protective eyewear and the nurse will start the treatment by cooling the skin, working across the area and making several passes with the laser. Some areas of the body are more sensitive so it is important that you inform the nurse if you need to take a rest.
After the treatment, we will clean the skin, apply Neocutis Hyalis, and Elta MD Sunscreen. We recommend that patients give their skin a rest and refrain from exercising for 24 hours. The area that was treated will be red and slightly puffy. This reaction is normal and will go down in 2-4 hours. Within 24-36 hours, your skin should be back to normal.
What is post-care like?
It is important that you keep the area being treated out of the sun. We recommend that you wear a sunscreen like Elta MD every day – your sunscreen much block UVA and UVB rays. We also encourage our clients to invest in SkinCeuticals or Jan Marini Pigment Correctors. If you have any questions, please call the spa. You can request another copy of post care instructions at any time.
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