What it is
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 behind after a spot has healed.
Melasma is the harder version of the same thing. It tends to be symmetrical, sits across the cheeks, forehead and upper lip, and is driven by hormones as well as by sunlight, which is why it arrives in pregnancy or with a change of contraception and comes back when the sun does.
The difference decides the plan. A sun spot is usually a shorter piece of work. Melasma is managed rather than cured, and it is treated gently, because heat and aggressive treatment can set it off again. Which of the two you have is agreed at your consultation before anything is booked in.
Why it happens
Skin makes extra melanin when something provokes it, and the provocations are ordinary ones.
- Sunlight, which is by far the largest cause and the one that undoes everything else
- Hormones, in pregnancy, with the contraceptive pill and through the perimenopause, which is where melasma comes from
- Inflammation, so the brown mark left behind by a spot, a scratch or a burn
- Years of sun showing up later as dark spots and sun spots
- Heat on its own, including saunas and hot kitchens, which can set melasma off without any sunburn at all
What makes it worse
What makes it worse
Sun is the one to change first, because nothing done in clinic holds without daily protection, and that is as true in January as it is in July. After that it is heat, picking at spots, and starting a course and stopping halfway. Strong home acids used without guidance are the other one, because skin that has been inflamed makes more pigment rather than less.
The Obagi Radiance Peel is £120 for 30 minutes and a single microneedling session is £80. Lumecca IPL on its own is priced at your consultation. Every price we publish is on our treatment pricing page.
When to see someone
- A patch that has not faded across a whole season
- Brown marks left behind after spots have healed
- Symmetrical patches across the cheeks, forehead or upper lip
- Pigmentation that arrived with pregnancy or a change of contraception
- Colour that keeps coming back every summer however careful you are
When something else is the answer
- A mole or any mark that is changing in size, shape or colour, which is for your GP before any aesthetic treatment
- Indents and uneven texture left behind by spots, which is acne scarring rather than pigmentation
- Lines and lost firmness, which are on our fine lines and wrinkles page
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding, when we will usually wait and plan the course for afterwards
If a light or a peel is not the right answer for you, we will say so at consultation and suggest what is.
How it is treated at Skinfolk
It starts with a consultation. We look at where the pigment sits, how long it has been there, what brings it back, what you already use on your skin and your medical history, and only then is anything booked in.
Lumecca IPL is the first treatment we reach for, because it is our gold standard for pigmentation, redness and thread veins. One treatment will give a visible improvement and in winter we recommend a course of three. A patch test is required before the first appointment.
The Obagi Blue Radiance Peel works on the surface, lifting away the dulled layer and evening the tone, and it is £120 for 30 minutes. Microneedling is the one we add where texture needs work alongside the colour, at £80 for a single session, and it is planned as a course.
Whatever is done in clinic holds better alongside daily protection and a routine that suits your skin, and Obagi is one of the ranges we stock. Which treatments you need, and in what order, is agreed at consultation rather than before it.
Pigmentation and melasma questions
What causes pigmentation and melasma?
Skin makes extra melanin when something provokes it. Sunlight is by far the largest cause. Hormones are the next, in pregnancy, with the contraceptive pill and through the perimenopause, which is where melasma comes from. Inflammation after a spot, a scratch or a burn leaves its own brown mark, and heat on its own can set melasma off without any sunburn.
How is pigmentation treated at Skinfolk?
With Lumecca IPL first, which is our gold standard for pigmentation, redness and thread veins. With the Obagi Blue Radiance Peel where the surface is dull as well as uneven. With microneedling where texture sits alongside the colour. Which of them you need is agreed at consultation before anything is booked in.
How much does it cost?
The Obagi Radiance Peel is £120 for 30 minutes and a single microneedling session is £80. Lumecca IPL on its own is priced at your consultation, and the Photofabulous Facial, which includes it, is £540 for 75 minutes. Every price we publish is on our treatment pricing page.
What is the difference between pigmentation and melasma?
Pigmentation is the general word for uneven colour in the skin, including freckles, sun spots and the 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 by 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 do. We will tell you what we think is achievable for your skin at consultation rather than afterwards.
Where is the clinic?
Skinfolk is at The Paddocks, Woodhall Lane, Ombersley, Uphampton, Droitwich WR9 0JR. We welcome clients from Droitwich Spa, Worcester, Bromsgrove and across Worcestershire. Details are on our contact page.
What treats it
Lumecca IPL is the first treatment we reach for, because light is what lifts colour out of the skin, and it is our gold standard for pigmentation, redness and thread veins. The Obagi Blue Radiance Peel is the one we add where the surface is dull as well as uneven. Microneedling is the choice where texture sits alongside the colour, and it is planned as a course.
They sit with our other skin treatments on the facials page, alongside the Obagi skincare in the Skinfolk x Obagi Edit, and they form part of our treatment packages and our signature programmes.
Book your consultation
Twenty minutes with us in Droitwich and you will know what is causing the pigment, which treatment suits it, whether it is one appointment or a course, and what it will cost.
Links to Pabau, our treatment booking platform. Or call 07930 517202.
