Can photorejuvenation treat melasma?

With the development of science and technology, it has brought a lot of convenience to people's lives. Not only that, the level of medical technology has also solved many difficult and complicated diseases, bringing peace and health to patients. For the vast number of female friends who are deeply troubled by melasma, photorejuvenation has brought a ray of hope and restored their confidence to overcome melasma. But can photorejuvenation really treat melasma? Let's talk about this topic below.

1. What is photonic technology?

First, let's learn about photons. Photons are also known as intense pulsed light (IPL), optical phototherapy (OPT), and what some beauty salons call "E-light", which is also a technology that combines intense pulsed light. Laser beauty treatment was first used in the United States in 1997. It can improve a variety of skin problems, such as freckles, age spots, red blood streaks, enlarged pores and skin rejuvenation. It can be said to be a milestone in skin beauty technology and it is still a classic skin rejuvenation technology.

2. Application of photon technology in the treatment of melasma

Can photons be used to treat melasma, one of the most recognized problems in the medical field?

In fact, this issue is controversial in the industry where many experts gather. At present, most dermatologists hold a cautious attitude. There are great risks in photon treatment of melasma because they have encountered too many failed cases, and the subsequent sequelae often cannot be recovered in the short term.

3. Misunderstandings about the treatment of melasma

Over the years, my experience in treating chloasma caused by various reasons has taught me that naturally developed (untreated) chloasma is not scary. What is troublesome is the chloasma that appears or worsens after improper treatment. The most common of these is caused by photon therapy.

Clinically, there are two main situations, which I would like to share with my fellow patients (I call them patients because I was once a chloasma patient) and colleagues: One is that after one or two photon treatments, the effect is very good within two or three weeks, but then severe flaky brown spots begin to appear (see Figure 1 below);

Another situation is cumulative, with repeated improvement after treatment - relapse - improvement again after treatment - relapse again, but in the end it is not as simple as relapse, but a "painted face" appears (Figure 2 below). That is, the original spots become darker, and are interspersed with spots or patches that are whiter than the normal skin color. It takes a very long period of restorative treatment to correct this situation.

4. How to treat melasma correctly

In fact, as early as 2004, Japan conducted a relatively large-scale study, proposed the concept of latent melasma, and warned physicians that photon treatment would cause the risk of melasma or aggravate melasma, which is consistent with our clinical experience.