Stubborn brown patches

Telling stubborn brown patches apart from sun spots

Your practitioner looks at the shape and spread of the patches: broad areas with soft, undefined edges, often symmetrical across the cheeks or forehead, read differently from a single sun spot. They will ask whether the patches darken in summer or after heat, whether they have faded and come back before, and about hormonal change such as pregnancy. A natural tendency to pigment is noted, and irritation from aggressive treatment can worsen the patches.

Dermamelan is often weighed for hormonal pigmentation and patches that return after other treatments, with a strict home phase that does most of the work. Cosmelan is chosen for blotchy, uneven tone across the cheeks and upper lip, and Chemical Peels may help with sun-related unevenness. Laser is approached cautiously, as heat can provoke melasma, and the aim is to lighten, then hold, with maintenance and sun protection.

What happens when you come in?

Your first visit is a free consultation at the Aldergrove clinic. A practitioner looks at the area in good light, asks how long you have noticed it and what you have already tried, and checks anything that would affect which treatments are suitable: medication, recent sun exposure, previous treatments.

You then hear which of the options above suits your skin, what it realistically achieves, how many sessions it usually takes and what recovery looks like. If the honest answer is that none of them will give you what you want, or that something needs a doctor first, you will hear that instead.

Worth mentioning at your consultation

• When you first noticed it, and whether it has changed since
• Products and treatments you have already tried
• Any medication, supplements or diagnosed skin conditions
• Holidays, events or sun exposure you are planning around