Hyperpigmentation and Pigmentation Correction

Multi-modality hyperpigmentation correction at Lemmon Avenue Plastic Surgery addressing sun spots, melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), and uneven skin tone. Treatment options include BBL HERO broadband light, Halo hybrid fractional laser, chemical peels, and physician-prescribed topical regimens. A personalized protocol is developed based on pigmentation type, depth, skin tone, and Fitzpatrick classification.

Hyperpigmentation treatment at Lemmon Avenue Plastic Surgery takes a diagnostic approach before selecting modality, recognizing that the three primary categories of unwanted pigmentation — epidermal (solar lentigines, freckles, PIH), dermal (Nevus of Ota, some melasma components), and mixed (most clinical melasma) — respond to different treatment mechanisms and require different risk management based on the patient's skin tone and Fitzpatrick classification. The clinic's treatment portfolio for pigmentation spans energy-based devices and topical protocols. BBL HERO's 560 nm and 590 nm cut-off filters target epidermal melanin in a broad-field application, delivering effective photothermolysis of solar lentigines, freckles, and homogeneous epidermal pigmentation across the face, chest, or arms in a single session; the expected treatment response is a darkening of targeted lesions followed by natural exfoliation over one to two weeks. Sciton Halo's combination of ablative and non-ablative fractional wavelengths addresses both epidermal pigmentation removal (through the 2940 nm ablative component that carries pigmented keratinocytes to the surface in MENDS) and dermal collagen remodeling (through the 1470 nm component) in a single treatment, making it particularly effective for diffuse photodamage with mixed texture and pigmentation concerns. Chemical peels — particularly TCA medium-depth peels and Modified Jessner's formulations — reduce epidermal pigmentation load by accelerating keratinocyte turnover and expelling pigmented cells from the epidermis. Melasma, as a chronic condition with a significant hormonal and UV-triggering component, is managed with particular care given its tendency toward PIH after aggressive treatment; a conservative BBL low-energy approach or superficial acid peel combined with a physician-prescribed topical maintenance regimen (typically involving topical retinoids, hydroquinone alternatives such as kojic acid or tranexamic acid, and consistent broad-spectrum SPF) is the preferred management strategy to avoid triggering additional melanocyte stimulation.