If your skin has dark spots and other signs of sun damage, you might be wondering if the situation can be reversed. “The answer is yes,” said Kathe Malinowski, lead esthetician and marketing manager for Eterna MedSpa & Laser Vein Center. She recommends a few effective treatments to rid the skin of hyperpigmentation, those patches or spots which are noticeably darker in color than the surrounding skin. The darkening is a result of excess melanin production, which can be caused by excessive sun and ultraviolet lights. Two noninvasive skin treatments Eterna offers to treat skin discolorations include the TCA chemical peel, known as trichloroethanoic acid, and BroadBand Light Photorejuvenation, a light-based technology which targets sun damage. BBL therapy is often used as a spot treatment. “We hit the brown spots and they will get a little darker, like the color of coffee grounds, and then start to fleck off,” Malinowski said. “Depending on how long you have had the brown spots, it may take several treatments.” Eterna’s TCA chemical peels range in depth: the TCA Light peel can help treat lighter hyperpigmentation, while the TCA Strong peel targets severe hyperpigmentation. The treatments are recommended to be done in a series. Eterna also carries a number of products, including the Obagi Blender and Obagi Retin-A, to help lift the hyperpigmentation. “It takes time — usually around four to six months for the brown spots on the skin to even out,” Malinowski said. She also recommends the daily use of an SPF, especially while undergoing anti-aging skin care treatments. “If you are going to go out in the sun unprotected you are most likely going to get more hyperpigmentation,” Malinowski said.
