Melasma Treatment in Mount Gravatt, Brisbane

Melasma can affect anyone, but it is more common in:

• Women, especially between their 20s and 50s
• Asian, olive, Middle Eastern, South Asian, Latin and Mediterranean skin
• Pregnancy (often called the "mask of pregnancy")
• Hormone changes, including the contraceptive pill and hormone therapy
• People with a family history of melasma

Queensland makes it harder. Strong UV is only part of the story. Visible light (everyday daylight, including through windows and car glass) and heat can also darken melasma. Long drives, school pick-ups and a hot Brisbane kitchen can all play a part.

If you're on the pill or hormone therapy and think it's linked, talk to us or your GP. Please don't stop any medicine on your own.

This matters, because sun spots, melasma and other pigment are treated differently. Treating melasma like a sun spot with strong settings can make it darker.

A quick guide:

• Melasma: larger, patchy, blurry edges, often both cheeks or the upper lip. Linked to hormones and light. Comes and goes.
• Sun spots (solar lentigines): smaller, rounder, darker brown spots with clearer edges. Linked to years of sun. Common on the face, hands and arms. See our sun spot removal page.
• Post-inflammatory pigment: brown marks after acne, a rash, a burn or a beauty treatment. See brown acne marks.
• Spots that need checking: a new, changing or unusual spot should be checked for skin cancer first. Lentigo maligna, an early melanoma, can look like a flat brown patch on the face.

Many people have more than one type at once. That's common, and the plan is then tailored to each.

How We Assess Melasma Before Treatment

At your first visit we:

• Look closely at your skin in good light, often with a dermatoscope (a skin microscope)
• Use a Wood's lamp (a special light) if needed, to see how deep the pigment sits
• Ask about pregnancy, hormones, medicines, skincare, sun habits and past treatments
• Take clinical photos so we can track change over time
• Refer any spot that looks unusual to a dermatologist before any laser

If anything doesn't look like melasma, Dr Mitch or one of our dermatologists will see you first. For other types of pigment, see our pigmentation removal page.

Honestly, melasma can't be switched off for good. What we can do is fade it, often a lot, and keep it controlled. The plan works in phases, and skipping the early steps is the most common reason treatment disappoints.

Melasma Phase 1: Protect From UV and Visible Light

This is the foundation, and it starts on day one.

• Tinted mineral sunscreen with iron oxides, every morning, all year
• Reapply every 2 hours outdoors, and before driving or school pick-up
• A broad-brimmed hat and shade where you can
• Keep cool where possible

Why tinted? Standard sunscreens mainly block UV. Iron oxides (the pigments that give tinted sunscreen its colour) also help block visible light, which can darken melasma.

Melasma Phase 2: Prescription Fading Creams and Skincare

• Prescription fading creams slow down the overactive pigment cells. Your dermatologist chooses the cream and the schedule for you.
• Supportive skincare with gentle, non-prescription brightening ingredients, a mild cleanser and a moisturiser.
• Stopping irritants like scrubs and harsh actives that can inflame melasma.

We usually start creams a few weeks before laser. This settles the pigment cells and lowers the risk of darkening after treatment.

Melasma Phase 3: In-Clinic Laser and Peels

Once your skin is prepared, in-clinic treatments help fade stubborn pigment faster:

• PicoSure Pro picosecond laser
• RedTouch PRO 675 nm laser
• Gentle chemical peels
• LaseMD ULTRA for selected cases

Melasma Phase 4: Maintenance

When you're happy with the result, we shift to keeping it there. That means daily tinted sunscreen, a maintenance cream routine, and top-up sessions, often before and after summer.

Most people notice gradual fading over several sessions, not overnight change. Patches often soften at the edges first, and makeup coverage gets easier. Results vary between individuals, and melasma can return without ongoing sun protection and maintenance.

We take standardised photos at each visit, so you can see your own progress clearly.

Here's what a typical course can look like at our clinic:

• Complimentary nurse-led assessment for cosmetic concerns
• Specialist consultation with Dr Mitch: $395 (Medicare rebate applies with a valid GP referral)
• PicoSure Pro, nurse-led: $650 per full-face session, $400 for a small area. A course of 4 full-face sessions is $2,600.
• Chemical peels: from $150 per session
• LaseMD Ultra, nurse-led: $695 face, $990 face and neck, $1,495 face, neck and chest
• RedTouch PRO: $495 for the face, with a peel and LED
• Ongoing costs: tinted sunscreen, prescription creams and skincare, plus maintenance sessions

You'll get a written plan with costs before you start. See our treatment fees page for current pricing. Cosmetic laser treatment for melasma is not covered by Medicare.

Most people find it very manageable. PicoSure Pro feels like warm, quick snaps on the skin. RedTouch PRO feels like warm prickling, with cooling during treatment. We can apply numbing cream beforehand if you'd like. Peels feel tingly or warm for a few minutes.

What recovery usually looks like after PicoSure Pro or RedTouch PRO:

• Day 0: redness, warmth and mild swelling, often settling within hours
• Days 1 to 2: light pinkness. Most people return to work and wear makeup the next day.
• Days 2 to 7: after RedTouch PRO, fine dark specks or light crusting may appear and flake off. Don't pick.
• After 1 week: skin looks normal. Fading continues over the following weeks.

After a peel, expect light flaking for a few days. After LaseMD, skin can feel rough and look slightly bronzed for about a week.

Avoid heat, exercise that makes you very hot, and direct sun for a few days after each session.

Melasma often appears or darkens in pregnancy. The good news is that it may fade a little after your baby arrives. Sometimes it doesn't, and that's when treatment helps.

During pregnancy:

• Tinted mineral sunscreen with iron oxides daily
• Hats, shade and keeping cool
• Gentle skincare, avoiding irritating products
• We hold off on laser, RF treatments and chemical peels until after your baby is born
• Creams and other topical treatments are decided case by case

While breastfeeding: we don't do laser or RF treatments, but lighter chemical peels are fine. Some creams need to be avoided, so we'll go through what suits you at your assessment.

After pregnancy: once you're ready, we can start the full plan.

All treatments carry some risk. Here's what can happen and how we lower the chance:

• Darkening after treatment (rebound or post-inflammatory pigment): we prepare your skin with fading creams first, use conservative settings, do test areas when needed and space sessions apart. If darkening happens, it usually settles with creams and sun protection, and we'll adjust the plan.
• Redness, swelling or warmth: usually settles in hours to a few days. We use cooling and give clear aftercare.
• Irritation from creams: we introduce them slowly and adjust strength or frequency.
• Cold sore flare: if you get cold sores, tell us. We may suggest a preventive tablet before laser or peels near the lips.
• Blistering or crusting: uncommon. Our nurses hold laser licences and work under dermatologist oversight.
• Melasma returning: we build maintenance into your plan from the start.