Skin pigmentation treatment in Mumbai. With lasers, other methods and the best skin specialists

Are you seeing patches on your skin that are darker than the surrounding areas?

Did you know that darker skin has higher chances of tanning due to sun exposure?

Melanin is the natural pigment molecule in our body. There are different types of melanin such as eumelanin and pheomelanin. Our natural skin tone is an expression of the type and amount of melanin that we have.

Pigmentation is a problem which occurs when some parts of the body generate more melanin than the surroundings, which makes them appear as dark patches.

Melasma is also a type of hyperpigmentation which has further underlying causes (still under study) such as hormonal issues apart from sun exposure. It appears mostly in the areas of the face which are the cheeks, nose bridge, forehead and chin. Other types include sun spots and age spots. To enumerate them, the basic causes of pigmentation are:

• Sun exposure
• Melasma
• PIH : post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, caused after inflammation or scarring, including acne scars.

However, whatever the underlying cause, the outcome is increased presence of melanin in patches.

Most Indians fall in range of type III to type V on the Fitzpatrick scale of skin tones. This means that we generally have darker skin. The thing with darker skin is that it has a higher ability to fight off damage caused by the sun through darkening and generation more melanin. The pigment provides natural sun protection factor (SPF) which is why it is generated by the body as a defense mechanism. While lighter tones tend to get sunburnt, darker skin tones tend to tan.

Hence, regular use of sunscreen is the best way to avoid pigmentary problems.

The ultraviolet rays from the sun lead to certain changes in existing melanin and may lead to generation of melanin which appears as patches of pigmentation. In the case of melasma, it may also be due to hormonal reasons.

UV A rays generally lead to changes in the color of existing melanin and these changes are immediate and also tend to be more temporary in nature. UV B rays lead to melanogenesis, or the generation of new melanin by the body. These changes appear 2-3 days after the exposure event and tend to be long term in nature. Melanin is accumulated in the epidermis and dermis (deeper) layers of the skin.

So, in case you are suffering from such dark patches on the skin, are in Mumbai and are looking for a solution to reverse them, this page is for you.

As shared, the reason for the issue of pigmentation is the accumulation of excess melanin. The treatment options therefore, are designed around trying to break down and remove that excess pigment. The different treatment options work on different depths of the skin in doing so and are hence used depending on the nature of your hyperpigmentation.

The treatment options include:

Topical creams:

There are multiple ingredients in skin care creams which target the melanin pigment and help in reversing hyperpigmentation. These include the triple combination known as the Kligman formula apart from glycolic acid, vitamin C, hydroquinone, azelaic acid, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, glutathione, mandelic acid etc. Some of these ingredients are available in over the counter creams and some have to prescribed by your dermatologist.

They mostly act on the melanin in superficial layers of the skin and help deal with epidermal pigmentation.

Chemical peels:

These are again concentrated forms of skin care ingredients that are applied in a controlled environment at the clinic, targeting the precise areas. Chemical peels can act on the superficial layers and some of them also act deeper. Glycolic peel (in higher concentrations), TCA peel and phenol peel are used to target the deeper layers of the skin.

Lactic acid peel and mandelic peel work more superficially.

However, the use of chemical peels for has to be done very carefully on Indian skin considering the higher chances of PIH. please read more in the risks and side effects section.

Microdermabrasion:

This therapy gets rid of the dead upper layer of skin and stimulates collagen to give you a brighter and firmer look.

The procedure involves exfoliation of the skin with vacuum and diamond/crystal tip. Certain other topical medications are added to deliver better results for you. These are as decided by your dermatologist. Microdermabrasion helps only with very superficial reasons of hyperpigmentation.

Laser treatment/Q-switch Laser:

This treatment is considered the gold standard treatment which is why we have included this page under our laser treatments section.

The pico laser or Q-switch laser is a revolutionary technology used for hyperpigmentation treatment. The name of the laser comes from the fact that this type of laser machine can produce a pulsed output beam which enables it to produce pulses of very high power.

It has a very high pulse rate and very high energy. It directly effects the excess pigment cells, breaks them down and helps in reversion of natural skin tone. It does not affect the surrounding normal cells. Our dermatologists will guide you properly on pre-care and after-care for this hyperpigmentation laser treatment. It is useful for deeper as well as superficial pigmentation and hence provides quick and visible results.

You may require multiple sessions with any of these treatment options to achieve desired results.

Like all our treatments, your pigmentation treatment starts with meeting one of the top skin specialists in the city. The dermatologist will first evaluate the extent of the problem, try and identify the underlying causes (which may require lab reports) and then suggest a treatment plan which you can go ahead with. This is also adjusted to your budget to ensure that you get the best possible results within your spend limits.

In most cases, a combination of treatment modalities may also be advised.

In case it is decided that topical medications are the way forward, you will receive your prescription which will detail the products and sequence of application for your skin care routine.

For chemical peels, you will be taken to the treatment room and the required chemical peel will be applied for you. You must follow the after care routine prescribed.

In case of microdermabrasion, the procedure is performed with the help of a crystal/diamond tip on a hand-held device that is applied to the target areas for exfoliating the superficial layers. After care is required here too.

For laser treatment of hyperpigmentation, it requires you to wear protective goggles also. This is a must in any procedure where laser machines are used on the face.

The steps in the procedure, after finalizing the treatment plan are:

• Enter the treatment room
• Clean-up of the face or any other targeted area
• Wear protective goggles
• The therapist (for other body areas) or the dermatologist (for face) will deliver energy pulses from the laser machine on the targeted areas.
• Leave the treatment room, take the after-care guidelines and skin care prescription from your dermatologist.
• Follow the after-care instructions very seriously.

The treatment generally lasts for 30-45 minutes.

(A short video describing the treatment and showing the procedure)

After-care:

• After the procedure, avoid using any products not prescribed by the specialist or without checking with them.
• Avoid make-up on the day of the treatment.
• The most important after care requirement for all these procedures is to avoid sun exposure for a defined period of time. Apart from simply using sunscreen, you may be suggested additional measures such as wearing a hat or sun glasses.

We show here and example of change with just one session of the Q-switch laser treatment for hyperpigmentation

Like all cosmetic treatments, you have to be practical with your expectations for improvement with pigmentation. Years of sun damage and tanning may not be completely reversed. With melasma, unless the underlying cause is identified, the problem could be recurrent.

You may expect 50-100% improvement in your dark patches, even with the laser treatment. In case the expected improvement is less than this, our skin specialist is most likely to tell you to not go ahead with the treatment.

With medications, you can expect to see changes starting after a month. Chemical peels will show results immediately but may not be pronounced.

Microdermabrasion will work only in cases of very superficial pigmentation.

For laser treatment of hyperpigmentation, we’ve summarized the expectations and after care below: