Age: 61-65
Gender: Female
Q-Switched Yag lasers (Nd:Yag) are a great choice for clearing dark spots, especially for patients of Asian descent. Asian skin carries some genetic differences that make it more likely to negatively react to certain lasers, but the Yag is a safe choice, even for stubborn dark spots.
This patient had a series of Yag laser treatments and is shown after her 3rd session.
Melasma is not curable, but with proper treatment and precautions, we can nearly eliminate the problem for most women. The first step is to use medications to help limit the creation of new dark patches. Lasers are then used to clear current dark patches. We use several different lasers for Melasma in our practice, Yag is just one of them. You can learn more about laser treatment for melasma here. Finally, patients need to prevent sun exposure and try to balance hormones that aggravate melasma. Sunscreen and medications are helpful for this part.
What we find is that most patients seek care from a dermatologist who can help them with the medication steps – stopping the forming of new pigment – but who lack the equipment and expertise to get rid of the current dark spots the patient is experiencing. Wherever you are in your journey, we’re ready to help!
If you want to discuss your melasma treatment options, we warmly welcome you to our offices for a complimentary one-on-one consultation with one of our cosmetic physicians.
