Pigmentation, Sun Spots and Sun Damage

Skin pigmentation appears as a darkened region of skin on a specific part of the body, most commonly the face. This contrast between light and dark skin can result in noticeable lines and an asymmetric skin tone.

Skin pigmentation, in effect, is damaged skin and damaged melanin producing cells caused through ageing. These causes are accelerated by certain factors but the main cause is sun damage. UVA and UVB rays both cause sun damage which means that you will damage your skin even through glass if you are not wearing suitable daily protection. To avoid rapid pigmentation through ageing, we advise you to constantly use a minimum of SPF 30 on all exposed areas of the body each day whether it is sunny or not.

Pigmentation can take many many years to appear on your face, hands, legs, chest and back and so you may not be aware of the damage already done to your skin until it’s too late.

Age spots, brown spots, sun spots, and freckles are all caused by a variety of factors but are most commonly caused by natural skin ageing and sun damage.

They usually appear as flat grey, brown, or black spots that appear individually or in clusters across the body. Although they aren’t necessarily harmful, they can be a sign of skin cancer if they become sore, sensitive, or grow rapidly. You would be advised to check your body regularly, particularly as you grow older, for potential irregularities with new marks. If you are unsure please consult your GP or Dermatologist.

The two most widely seen pigmentation disorders are hyper-pigmentation and hypo-pigmentation. Hyper includes natural ageing, as described above, and post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation caused by skin trauma such as acne.

Hypo is where the colour is lacking in the skin. The colour of our skin is determined by the amount of melanin within the skin. When this melanin is eradicated from the skin, often due to over sun exposure, hypo-pigmentation occurs.

We usually use the Cryopen or our advanced IPL laser to remove most age spots as they’re cost effective and work quickly. For those who can’t use theses treatments then our chemical peel might be more suitable, however multiple appointments may be needed for these treatments to work at their best.

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