Correct Sun Damage & Pigmentation

Sun spots are discrete patches of accumulated pigment from ultraviolet exposure, and they respond well and fairly predictably to treatment. Melasma is a hormonally influenced pattern that tends to be blotchier, sits deeper, and flares with heat, sun, pregnancy, and some medications. Treating melasma like sun damage is how patients end up darker than they started, so the distinction is not academic.

Existing pigment can be cleared, but the tendency that produced it doesn't go away, so maintenance is part of the deal rather than a failure. Daily sun protection and the right topical routine are what hold the result. Melasma in particular is managed rather than cured, and any plan that doesn't say so out loud is setting you up for disappointment.

With the right device settings and the right provider, yes, and with the wrong ones, no. Deeper skin carries more risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation, meaning treatment itself can cause discoloration if it's too aggressive. That's a reason for careful selection, conservative settings, and sometimes priming the skin beforehand. It isn't a reason to be turned away, and you should ask directly about experience.

Less a wrong season than a wrong week. Pigment treatments work best when you can genuinely avoid sun for the recovery period, which is difficult here in any month and especially difficult if you have a beach weekend booked. Patients who schedule around travel and outdoor plans get better results than patients who schedule around convenience.

Depth is the deciding factor, along with your skin type and how much recovery you can take. Peels work chemically across the whole surface and suit widespread, more superficial pigment. Lasers target pigment selectively and reach deeper, which suits defined spots and stubborn cases. In deeper skin tones the safer route is often a peel or a gentler laser rather than the most powerful option.

Fotona resurfacing is done as a package of four treatments, spaced about a month apart. Your skin improves gradually across the series rather than changing after any single session, so the fourth appointment usually looks very different from the first.

Possibly, and it's the right question to ask. Any spot that has changed shape, color, or size, or that has an irregular border or bleeds, needs a dermatologist's opinion before anyone treats it cosmetically. We'll say so and help you get seen. Clearing a lesion cosmetically without knowing what it is removes the evidence, which is the real danger.

No, and telling a Miami patient that would be pointless. What matters is daily protection, sensible timing, and covering up when the sun is strongest, all of which are compatible with living here. Patients who are honest with themselves about this get lasting results. Patients who treat and then bake tend to be back with the same problem within a year.

The cost of pigmentation treatment depends on the type and severity of the discoloration, the areas being treated, and the number of sessions recommended. A consultation is required so our provider can evaluate your skin and prescribe the treatment plan best suited to your needs. When a series is recommended, reduced package pricing may be available. Some patients may also benefit from periodic maintenance treatments or a professional home-care routine to help preserve their results