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Skin concern

Pigmentation & melasma

Why do these brown patches keep coming back?

Sun damage, melasma and post-inflammatory marks. What can be improved, and what has to be managed.

Pigmentation isn’t one condition. Freckling from sun exposure, melasma driven by hormones, and the brown marks left behind by spots are three different problems that happen to be the same colour.

Treating them identically is why so many people spend years and a great deal of money getting nowhere.

A green mask being brushed across the face of a woman lying with her eyes closed.

What causes pigmentation & melasma?

Sun, cumulatively

Most of what appears in your forties was acquired in your twenties. UV exposure is the single largest factor in every category of pigmentation.

Hormones

Melasma tends to arrive with pregnancy, the pill, or perimenopause, and sits symmetrically across the cheeks and forehead. It’s the most stubborn form, and the one most likely to return.

Inflammation

Any spot, scratch or reaction can leave a brown mark behind, particularly in deeper skin tones. This kind fades. Slowly, and faster with help.

What I would do about it

Daily SPF matters here more than anything I do in the room. Without it, the rest is money spent twice. I’d rather say so before you spend it.

A course of MelanoPro peels for stubborn pigmentation, or microneedling where texture is involved too. Results are measured over months.

For melasma I’m honest that we’re managing it rather than curing it. It can improve a great deal, and it can come back.

Treatments for this concern

Which of these suits you is decided in the room, with your skin in front of me, rather than from this page.

What people have said

Nobody has written about this concern by name. These two are about the room and the hour instead, which is the part every appointment has in common.

  1. Sally Carson

    a year ago

    “I honestly can't recommend Hanaa enough! She has completely transformed my skin, and for the first time in my life, I feel confident going makeup-free. Her attention to detail is second to none.”

  2. Ella Pusey

    2 years ago

    “Having tried so many skincare products and facials I was nearly giving up. I tried Hanaa's free consultation and it was the best decision I ever made. She has completely turned my skin around.”

Left on Google and quoted as written. The rating and the stars stay on the Google profile, where they were given.

What will a facial not fix?

I’m a skincare specialist, not a doctor. What I do can improve the condition of the skin and how it behaves. It isn’t a medical treatment for pigmentation & melasma. I’d rather be straight with you about that from the start.

Anything that bleeds, changes shape or colour, or won’t heal should be seen by a GP first. So should anything painful, spreading, or arriving alongside symptoms elsewhere in the body. Prescription medication and skin cancer screening sit outside what I do.

If I think you need referring, I’ll say so at the first appointment, and we’ll work out what’s worth doing here in the meantime.

Other concerns

The treatment bed turned down, crisp cotton and a folded blanket, in low evening light.

Where to start

Appointments are with me, in one room at 29 Haven Road. If you’re not sure which of the treatments above fits, book The Bespoke Intention. When you are unsure what your skin needs, leave it in expert hands.

Tell me about your skinI already know what I want (opens in a new tab)

Six questions, about two minutes. I read every one myself and reply, usually within a couple of days.

See the treatments I use for this

29 Haven Road · Canford Cliffs · Poole · BH13 7LE · 07525 438309