Age spots
treated
Age spots and sun spots are harmless and respond well to treatment. We remove them with IPL or laser, and one or two sessions is usually enough.
The therapist assesses each spot first. If anything about the shape or the colour is changing, it goes to your GP first.
What we look at
The therapist assesses shape, edge and colour, and records the spot in an image. That way it can be seen later whether anything has changed.
Shape, edge and colour
The therapist looks at whether the colour is even and whether the edge runs sharply. That separates a sun spot from something else.
Under UV light
Under that, how much pigment sits deeper in the skin becomes visible. That decides how many sessions to count on.
Recorded in images
We photograph the spot under fixed lighting. At a following appointment we put the images side by side and you see what has changed.
Then a doctor looks at it first, and we treat it after that.
A ragged edge, uneven colour, growth or itching are reasons to have it assessed first. If it is benign, we remove the spot here afterwards.
Four kinds of
brown spots
Four kinds of brown spot that look alike. If anything about a spot is changing, it goes to your GP first.
A flat brown spot
lentigo solaris, sun spot or age spot- How you recognise it yourself
- Does it feel completely smooth, is it even in colour with a sharp edge, and does it sit on a place that has had a lot of sun?
- What it is
- Pigment that has gathered in one place after years of sun exposure. Harmless, and the most common picture on this page.
- What we do
- This responds well to light. We first measure how much there is, including what you cannot see yet, and then treat it in a series.
An even, flat spot on a place that has had a lot of sun. This is the picture where light gives the most.
What helps and what we advise against
With pigmentation, sun protection is not advice afterwards but part of the treatment. Without it, it comes back and the money is gone.
This works
- Assessing first whether a spot is harmless, and referring rather than treating when in doubt
- A skin analysis under UV light, because that shows pigment that is already there and not yet visible
- Sun protection, every day and all year. Without it the spots come back and the rest does not work
- Light on flat, even spots, in a series with time in between
- Saying honestly that new ones can appear as long as you are in the sun
We advise against this
- Burning off everything brown. A spot that is changing should be assessed first
- Treating melasma as though it were a sun spot. That makes it worse rather than better
- Hydroquinone creams on your own. That belongs under supervision
- Treating in summer without agreements about the sun. That is money thrown away
- Starting on tanned skin
Under UV you see what is still to come.
Pigment starts deeper in the skin than where you see it. Under UV light, what is already there and has not yet come through at the surface becomes visible, and that is often more than people expect.
Confronting, and useful: it explains why new spots seem to keep appearing without sun protection. They were not new; they were already there.
More about the skin analysisWhat we measure here
- Visible pigmentation
- The spots as you see them in the mirror now
- Underlying pigmentation
- What lies deeper and comes through later
- Sun damage
- How much the skin has had to take over the years
Every axis is measured again at each check-up, under the same lighting. That way a difference later is something you see rather than something you have to take on faith.
What we use for this
Medical peels
€ 140From light to strong. The strength decides how deep it goes and how much you flake.
Nordlys IPL for pigmentation
€ 75Light on pigmentation and sun damage. The pigment first comes to the surface and then fades.
Cosmelan
€ 720A six-month programme against hyperpigmentation, with a mask at the clinic and products at home.
Frequently asked questions
Are age spots dangerous?
An ordinary sun spot is harmless. Other spots look like one at first, and those are not always harmless. So the first question here is not how to get rid of it but whether it is what you think it is.
Do they come back after the treatment?
The treated spot does not come back, but new ones can appear as long as your skin keeps catching sun. That is why sun protection here is not advice afterwards but part of the treatment.
Why do I see more spots after the measurement than in the mirror?
Because pigment starts deeper in the skin than where you see it. The measurement shows what is already there, and that is sometimes confronting. It is also useful: it explains why new ones seem to keep appearing without protection.
Can this be done on my hands too?
Yes, and that is often the place people find it bothersome first. The skin there is thinner and heals more slowly, so we work more carefully than on the face.
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.
Book a consultation at Diba Clinics
At the skin consultation we assess the spots and measure, under UV light, the pigment you cannot see yet. After that you know what is possible and what belongs somewhere else first.
Book a consultationNot sure yet? Ask your question