Discolouration
on your skin
Discolouration is a catch-all word. Brown, red and white each have a different cause, sit in a different layer and ask for a different treatment.
Below you find, per colour, which treatment belongs to it, with a link to the page about it.
Four colours
You do not need to know the medical term. Look in daylight with your forearm next to it for comparison, and pick the colour that fits.
More pigment than the skin around it. The question that counts is not how dark but why it is there, because that decides what is possible.
Did it come gradually over the years, or did it appear in patches at once?
Why the colour and not the place: the colour says something about the layer it sits in. Pigment lies differently from blood vessels, and that decides whether something responds to treatment. So a therapist looks at this first, and you can too.
Everything in a row
Above you see one colour at a time. Here they stand side by side, so that you can scan rather than click.
Brown or beige
Did it come gradually over the years, or did it appear in patches at once?
Red or pink
Does it come up and fade again, or is it always there?
- RosaceaLasting redness on cheeks and nose, with flare-ups after heat, alcohol or exercise.
- AcneRed patches with bumps or spots in them, that come and go.
- Skin rashAppeared suddenly, spread out, or alongside feeling ill. Then call your GP first.
- ScarsOne red line or patch in the place of an old wound or of stretch marks.
White or lighter
Is it on one old spot, or are new patches appearing here and there?
Blue or purple
Is it under your eyes, or somewhere else?
What the colour
does not say.
The colour is the first question and not the last. It points the direction; what is possible in that direction depends on things you cannot see from the outside.
How bad it is
A light discolouration can be more stubborn than a dark one. What can be done depends on the layer it sits in, and you cannot tell that from the intensity.
Whether it goes away
Two people with the same colour in the same place can have a different course. Predicting an outcome on colour alone is guessing, and we do not do that.
How long it has been there
Fresh and old often look the same, while that difference is exactly what decides how much still moves. So we ask about it rather than only looking at it.
One thing counts for more than the colour
Does a spot change shape, colour or size, does it itch or bleed, or has it appeared in a short time? Then the colour does not matter and it belongs with your GP. That holds for brown, red, white and blue alike.
What we use for this
Nordlys IPL for pigmentation
€ 75Light on pigmentation and sun damage. The pigment first comes to the surface and then fades.
Dermamelan Intimate
€ 550Pigment treatment for the intimate area, set up the same way as the facial programme.
Happy Intim
€ 175Peels that make pigment in the intimate area and underarms lighter and more even.
Frequently asked questions
What if I have several colours at once?
That is common and it usually means more than one thing is going on. Start with the colour that bothers you most; the rest comes up in the conversation by itself.
I am not sure which colour it is.
Look in daylight rather than under a lamp, and hold your forearm next to it for comparison. If you are torn between brown and red, press on it: red goes pale under pressure, brown does not.
Is discolouration dangerous?
Usually not, and there are exceptions that do matter. A spot that changes shape, colour or size belongs with your GP, and that holds for every colour.
Why is there no price on this page?
Because nothing is for sale here. This is a signpost; the prices are with the treatment it eventually points to.
What does this cost?
That depends on the treatment that suits your skin, and we work that out at the consultation. The consultation costs 50 euros; if you have a treatment in the same appointment, that amount comes off again. You then hear straight away how many sessions it takes and what the total will be. Every price per treatment is published on the price page.
Just come by.
We will look with you.
If you are torn between two colours or several changes are going on at once, have the spot assessed.