Pigmentation is defined as the colour of your skin. It is made up of a component called melanin, which is the tint or pigment that gives your skin’s colour. The body’s cells produce pigments. Sometimes, due to certain factors, it can excessively produce pigments leading to hyperpigmentation.
Hyperpigmentation is a condition that results in the darkening of the skin. This can happen anywhere in your body and may cause your skin colour to look uneven.
Pigmentation on the skin may also be acquired externally. This is the case when you get tattoos inked on your skin.
There are many ways to remove pigmentation from the skin. If you are looking to improve your skin’s hyperpigmentation or would want to remove a tattoo that you no longer like, you are in luck.
This article is dedicated to discussing how you can treat your skin pigmentation problems with the use of lasers.
Types of Skin Pigmentation Disorders
There are many types of skin pigmentation disorders. Dr. David from One Face Skin & Aesthetics Clinic was helpful enough in sharing with us the most common skin pigmentation conditions he and his colleagues in Singapore treat with the help of lasers:
- Age or Sunspots – round spots of dark discolouration that may either an appear as a single spot or groups of spots peppered on the face
- Freckles – small spots that are light brown in colour found on the nose and cheekbones. This usually affects young ones.
- Hori’s naevus – a blue or grey discolouration that usually develops in clusters on the cheekbones, forehead, and nose.
- Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) – commonly found on people with darker skin colour, this condition is characterised by discoloured spots or patches on the face as a result of damage to the skin (e.g. infection, inflammation, injury)
- Melasma – wide brown patches that may be light or dark in shade normally found on the forehead and cheeks and mostly women with dark skin tones
These can affect the different parts of your body, such as the face, neck, chest, and hands. The causes of these conditions can either be ageing, genes, hormonal imbalance, improper sun protection, skin damage, and extensive exposure to UV light or the sun.
Types of Lasers for Pigmentation Treatment
Hyperpigmentation may not necessarily need laser treatments. However, if you have little patience in seeing results from topical skincare products and would like a treatment that has a track record of efficiency, then lasers treatment may be right for you.
Here are the most popular choices of laser for pigmentation treatment:
- Q-switched lasers
- Pico lasers
They are non-invasive laser devices that use high-intensity pulsed light beams. This type of laser uses crystals to emit the powered light beam in different wavelengths. Some examples of a Q-switched laser and the skin conditions they treat best are:
- Alexandrite Laser – freckles, sunspots, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, melasma, and some tattoo tints (black, sky blue, and lime green)
- Q-Switched ND:YAG Laser – freckles, sunspots, Hori’s Nevus, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (1,064 nm), and several tattoo tints
Pico lasers
Pico lasers are second-generation lasers derived from Q-switched lasers. The major difference between the two is the ability to release laser pulses in duration. Q-switched lasers are able to release light beams in a nanosecond (one billionth of a second), while Pico lasers are able to do the same in as quickly as a picosecond (one trillionth of a second). Pico laser samples and the skin disorders they address are:
- Alexandrite Laser – freckles, sunspots, melasma (755 nm), post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, tattoo tints
- ND:YAG Picosecond Laser – black, blue, and purple tattoo inks (1,064 nm); red and yellow tattoo inks (532 nm); post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (1,064nm)
How much do laser treatments for pigmentation removal cost in Singapore?
Laser pigmentation treatments are done with a Q-switched laser range from $100 to $300 for one session, while Picosecond lasers are much expensive at $200 to $600 for a single session. The severity of your skin condition and the number of treatments required will also affect the cost of your laser treatment.
The estimated costs for laser treatments of the following pigmentation conditions are:
- Freckles – $150 to $200
- Hori’s Naevus – starts at $3,000
- Melasma – $1,400 to $3,000
- Sunspots – $700 to $1,800
How many laser treatments are needed to get the best results?
Complete removal of unwanted pigmentation on the skin is done with a series of laser treatments. The number of laser treatment sessions needed for the following conditions are:
- Age or sunspots – 2 to 3 treatments
- Freckles – 1 to 3 laser treatments
- Hori’s Naevus – 5 to 10 treatments
- Melasma – 5 to 10 sessions
Conclusion
The use of lasers for pigmentation treatment has been backed up by several studies and is considered safe. After completing an entire treatment, patients can expect to see improvements on their skin by at least 50%. Remember to only seek for treatments from licensed and trained dermatologists that only use genuine laser machines.
