Sunspots, Lentigines, and Pigmentation at Pure Dermatology

Medical grade topical treatments are critical to prevent and treat brown discoloration and sunspots in a safe and healthy way. While laser treatment is the optimal treatment for quick treatment, topical skincare is the cornerstone of prevention and maintenance of healthy skin. DAILY SPF is necessary for anyone interested in the treatment and prevention of sunspots or lentigines. We offer and help select medical grade cosmeceuticals specific to your skin needs like skinbetter science, Heliocare, GliSODin, SkinMedica, and Revision Skincare. Nurse Practitioner Cherie excels in helping you to find your best and favorite SPF, the most important step in sunspot treatment, and in designing your customized skincare plan. Sunspots will return within 1 year if you do not have an effective topical skincare plan in place.

At Pure Dermatology, we offer several peels that are safe and effective for sun damage and solar elastosis. As board-certified dermatologists, Dr. Haseltine and Dr. Holcomb have extensive experience choosing peels that are best for each skin type and need and peels are carefully selected for sunspots and sun damage. Superficial peels often cause minimal dryness to a few days of peeling while deeper peels, often used for sunspots often have up to a week of peeling but leave the skin completely refreshed afterwards and give the most rapid outcome. The cost ranges from $150-$500 depending on the degree of complexity.

Excel V is not the #1 treatment for individual sunspots (see Enlighten laser), but can be used in select patients with poikiloderma or sun damage, especially in those with a red background to their discoloration and often seen on the neck and chest. Depending on your skin type, Dr. Haseltine or Dr. Holcomb may recommend this treatment as part of your comprehensive and unique treatment plan. Treatment costs range from $150-$750 per treatment depending on the area treated.

Excel V also treats the following skin concerns:

• Rosacea
• Diffuse redness (red face)
• Bruising seen after fillers, surgery, or injury
• Scars
• Poikiloderma (sun damage)
• Blue veins under or around eyes
• Broken blood vessels (Telangiectasias)
• Acne
• Acne scarring
• Large pores
• Melasma (in specific cases)
• Folliculitis or hair bumps
• Laser hair removal in dark skin types 
• Spider veins
• Stretch marks (early red color)
• Leg Veins
• Cherry angiomas (hemangiomas)

OxyGeneo 3-in-1 Super Facial gently bubbles away damaged skin cells and helps improve cell stimulation. This action can prime the skin for topical treatments. OxyGeneo also oxygenates and infuses nutrients into the skin, revitalizing a dull complexion. This treatment has no downtime and is safe for patients who suffer from sunspots and sun damage.

Radiofrequency microneedling, aka Secret RF, does not completely erase sunspots but it addresses many of the concerns associated with sun damage like wrinkles, skin texture and tone, pore size and neck lines. This type of microneedling has the added benefit of radiofrequency (RF) transmitted as heat into the deep layers of skin resulting in further collagen stimulation and skin tightening. The addition of heat also seals up the blood vessels resulting in no downtime in most patients. Most patients need 3-4 treatments spaced 4-12 weeks apart and 1-2 maintenance treatments per year.

Secret RF also treats the following skin concerns:

• Acne scars
• Dull complexion
• Sun damaged skin or premature aging
• Scars from injury or surgery
• Skin revitalization or adding luminosity to the skin
• Active acne (especially when combined with topicals)
• Overall skin rejuvenation
• Stretch marks also known as striae
• Large pores 
• Neck lines (necklace lines)
• Skin tone and texture
• Fine lines and moderate wrinkles
• Blackheads
• Mild skin laxity
• Crepey skin of the neck, knees, and upper arms
• Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)

This well-established procedure is best for deep pores or ice-pick acne scars. Also known as Chemical Reconstruction of Skin Structures, TCA CROSS is a micro-spot chemical peel using high strength trichloroacetic acid (TCA) which makes acne scars less deep. Dr. Holcomb and Dr. Haseltine each have been performing TCA CROSS for over a decade. Cherie Albro, NP, rounds out our team of providers who use TCA CROSS to treat acne scars. Treatments are performed every 4-6 weeks for 5-8 treatments and have about 1-3 days of downtime. Price ranges from $75-$375 depending on the area and number of scars.

Fillers may be injected into indented or depressed scars to make them less noticeable.  Fillers injected under the scar will make the scar appear smoother. This result is temporary, although can be long-lasting. Generally, lightweight filler is used for an acne scar.

Subcision involves breaking up scar tissue to help soften deep acne scars. Scar subcision involves injecting saline under the skin to stimulate production of new collagen. Dr. Holcomb and Dr. Haseltine each have been performing subcision for over a decade and we recommend 2-4 treatments spaced 6-8 weeks apart. There can be temporary redness and swelling at subcision sites and bruising is likely due to the nature of the depth of scars. If bruising occurs, we offer complimentary treatment with the Excel V laser, which can decrease the duration of the bruise by 66%. Downtime is usually over a weekend and price ranges from $150-$500 depending on the area and number of scars.