Reviewed by Dr Chloë Butler, founder of Skinfolk, October 2026.
The short answer. Pigmentation is uneven colour: sun spots, freckles and marks left after spots. Melasma is a harder form, symmetrical across the cheeks, forehead or upper lip and driven by hormones as well as sun. At Skinfolk Ombersley both are treated with Lumecca IPL, the Obagi Blue Radiance Peel and microneedling. At Barnt Green, IPL is £300 a session. Melasma is managed rather than cured, and daily sun protection matters as much as anything done in clinic.
Brown patches are one of the most common reasons people book a skin consultation, and one of the most misunderstood. The same treatment that clears a sun spot can set melasma off, so the first job is working out which one you have.
Pigmentation: the general picture
Pigmentation is uneven colour in the skin. The cells that make melanin make more of it in one place than another, and what you see is a freckle, a sun spot, a brown patch, or the mark left after a spot has healed. A sun spot is usually a shorter piece of work.
Melasma: the stubborn version
Melasma tends to be symmetrical. It sits across the cheeks, forehead and upper lip, and it is driven by hormones as well as sunlight. That is why it arrives in pregnancy or with a change of contraception, and why it comes back when the sun does. It is treated gently, because heat and aggressive treatment can set it off again.
What sets pigment off
- Sunlight, by far the largest cause and the one that undoes everything else
- Hormones, in pregnancy, with the contraceptive pill and through the perimenopause
- Inflammation, which leaves the brown mark after a spot, a scratch or a burn
- Years of sun showing up later as dark spots
- Heat on its own, including saunas and hot kitchens, which can set melasma off without any sunburn
How it is treated at Skinfolk Ombersley
Lumecca IPL is the first treatment we reach for, our gold standard for pigmentation, redness and thread veins. Short bursts of intense pulsed light are taken up by the pigment in a dark spot and cleared by the skin over the following days. One treatment gives a visible improvement, and in winter we recommend a course of three. A patch test is required before the first appointment, and thread veins can be treated at the same time at no additional cost. On its own it is priced at consultation, and it is the light stage of the Photofabulous Facial at £540.
The Obagi Blue Radiance Peel works on the surface, lifting away the dulled layer and evening the tone, at £120 for 30 minutes.
Microneedling is added where texture needs work alongside the colour, at £80 for a single session, planned as a course.
At Skinfolk Barnt Green
Our Barnt Green clinic offers IPL for suitable pigmentation and visible redness at £300 a session, microneedling from £150, and medical grade skincare to hold the result at home.
What makes it worse
Sun is the one to change first, because nothing done in clinic holds without daily protection, in January as much as in July. After that it is heat, picking at spots, and starting a course then stopping halfway. Strong home acids used without guidance are the other, because skin that has been inflamed makes more pigment, not less. Results hold better alongside a routine that suits your skin, and Obagi is one of the ranges we stock in the Skinfolk x Obagi Edit.
When something else is the answer
A mole or any mark that is changing in size, shape or colour is for your GP before any aesthetic treatment. Indents and uneven texture left by spots are acne scarring rather than pigmentation. And in pregnancy and while breastfeeding we will usually wait and plan the course for afterwards.
More detail is on our pigmentation and melasma page.
Where to have it
Skinfolk Ombersley, The Paddocks, Woodhall Lane, Ombersley, Uphampton, Droitwich WR9 0JR. Monday and Tuesday 9am to 5pm, Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 7pm, Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm. Book online or call 07930 517202.
Skinfolk Barnt Green, 42 Hewell Lane, Barnt Green, Worcestershire B45 8NF, opening Monday 26 October 2026. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am to 5pm, closed Thursday. IPL at £300 a session, microneedling and medical grade skincare. Book by WhatsApp on 07932 936569.
Questions we are asked
What is the difference between pigmentation and melasma?
Pigmentation is the general word for uneven colour, including freckles, sun spots and marks left after spots. Melasma is one kind of it: symmetrical patches across the cheeks, forehead and upper lip, driven by hormones as well as sun, which makes it more stubborn and more likely to return.
Can melasma be cured?
Melasma is managed rather than cured. It can be lightened and held there, but it returns when the sun or the hormones that drive it return, which is why daily protection matters as much as the appointments.
How is pigmentation treated at Skinfolk?
At Ombersley, Lumecca IPL first, with the Obagi Blue Radiance Peel where the surface is dull and microneedling where texture sits alongside the colour. At Barnt Green, IPL at £300 a session, microneedling and medical grade skincare.
Do I need a patch test for IPL?
Yes. A patch test is required before your first Lumecca IPL treatment.
When should I see my GP instead?
Any mole or mark that is changing in size, shape or colour is for your GP before any aesthetic treatment.
Prices as published by Skinfolk in October 2026. All treatments are subject to consultation and suitability.
