Sun Spots

What are sun spots?

Freckles, sun spots, liver spots – these brown (or hyperpigmented) areas are a sign that the skin has been damaged, usually by sun exposure. Many conditions present with darker spots on the skin – sun spots (medically referred to as solar lentigines) are one of the most common forms of sun damage. During your consultation, we pay close attention to make the correct diagnosis, as other similar conditions, such as melasma or pigment persisting after acne, may have different treatment options.

What treatments are available for this condition?

While skin care and sun avoidance are helpful with sun spots, we often lean on devices and lasers to obtain transformative results.

Intense pulsed light (or IPL) is a broadband light that can treat both sun spots and dilated blood vessels. It is best suited for patients with very fair skin, since it requires high contrast to be safe and effective. 

Our picosecond laser is a high-energy infrared laser that gets absorbed by melanin, leaving other components of the skin untouched. It makes it very precise to target areas of hyperpigmentation, and so spot-treatment with this device is possible for focal areas. 

Often sun spots are accompanied by other features of sun damage (textural changes, fine wrinkling) that we may also want to target – that is when we may want to do a more global rejuvenation treatment using laser resurfacing. 

Your consultation is the first step to determining your diagnosis and to discussing the many treatment options for sun spots.