Sun Spot & Age Spot Removal in Mount Gravatt, Brisbane

The short answer: sun spots are flat, brown marks caused by years of UV exposure. Doctors call them solar lentigines. They are harmless in themselves, but they are a sign of sun damage, and they need to be told apart from skin cancer before anything is done.

You may know them as age spots, liver spots or "pigment". They usually show up on the parts of you that get the most sun:

• Cheeks, forehead, nose and temples
• Backs of the hands
• Chest and décolletage
• Forearms and shoulders

Sun spots form when UV light pushes pigment cells to make more melanin in one patch. Unlike freckles, they don't fade in winter. They tend to get bigger, darker and more numerous over time.

In Brisbane we see them in people in their 30s, not just in older patients. A childhood of school sport, beach weekends and driving with an arm out the window adds up. That is why they are one of the most common reasons people visit our clinic in Mount Gravatt.

Sometimes, yes. Lentigo maligna is a type of melanoma that grows slowly on sun-damaged skin, usually the face. Early on, it can look almost the same as an ordinary sun spot. If it is lasered, the brown colour can fade from the surface while the abnormal cells remain underneath. This can delay the diagnosis.

Dr Mitch Robinson is the first author of the Australian evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for lentigo maligna, developed through Cancer Council Australia. That is why our clinic has a simple rule: every brown spot is looked at before it is treated.

At your first visit we:

• Look at each spot with a dermoscope (a skin microscope)
• Ask whether it is new, growing, or changing in colour or shape
• Refer any spot that is irregular, multi-coloured, or changing to a dermatologist before any laser

If a spot looks suspicious, the next step is a skin check or biopsy, not laser. Read more on our lentigo maligna page and skin cancer checks page.

Signs that a "sun spot" needs a dermatologist:

• It is new and you are over 40
• It is growing, or one part is darker
• It has an uneven edge or more than one colour (brown, black, grey, pink)
• It looks different from your other spots
• It itches, bleeds or won't heal

It depends on how many spots you have, where they are, your skin type and how much downtime you can manage. Here is how we usually match the treatment to the person.

• A handful of clear sun spots: PicoSure Pro. This is our main option and is usually nurse-led.
• Sun spots with redness or broken capillaries: DermaV, which treats brown and red together.
• Lots of spots and overall sun damage: LaseMD ULTRA, which treats the whole area, not just each spot.
• Sun spots with uneven tone and fine lines: RedTouch PRO, a 675 nm laser that also treats pigment.
• Mild, even sun damage and dullness: chemical peels, often as a course.
• A single isolated spot: freezing may sometimes suit (please ask us whether this suits your spot).
• Heavy sun damage with wrinkles and rough texture: fractional CO2 or erbium resurfacing with Dr Mitch.

Who it isn't for: if your brown patches are melasma, aggressive laser on sun spots can stir it up. In that case we use a dedicated melasma plan instead, often with PicoSure Pro and RedTouch PRO. See our melasma treatment page.

Yes. The backs of the hands, the chest and the forearms are some of the most common places we treat.

• Hands: sun spots on the hands often make them look older than the face. PicoSure Pro or LaseMD works well here. Skin on the hands heals a little more slowly, so expect crusting to last a few days longer than on the face.
• Chest and décolletage: often a mix of brown spots, redness and fine crepey lines. DermaV or LaseMD often suits this pattern better than spot treatment.
• Arms and shoulders: usually many spots over a large area, so LaseMD or a combination is common.

Body skin heals more slowly than facial skin. We use gentler settings and may space sessions further apart.

Most sun spots need 3 to 4 PicoSure Pro sessions, spaced about 4 to 6 weeks apart. Darker, well-defined spots often fade fastest. Lighter or older spots may need more.

As a guide:

• PicoSure Pro: usually 3 to 4 sessions
• LaseMD ULTRA: usually 1 to 2 sessions
• RedTouch PRO: usually 3 to 4 sessions
• Chemical peels: usually a course of several sessions
• CO2 or erbium resurfacing: often a single treatment

Freckles and spots on the hands or body can need an extra session. We'll give you a realistic estimate at your assessment.

• Our Registered Nurses do most PicoSure Pro, LaseMD and peel treatments. Brooke and Hatsu hold laser licences. TingTing speaks Mandarin.
• Dr Mitch Robinson, specialist dermatologist, leads the laser suite. He sets treatment protocols, sees patients with complex pigment or suspicious spots, and performs CO2 and erbium resurfacing. He also teaches laser to dermatology registrars.
• Our dermatologists, Dr Emily Shao and Dr Benny Yau, see patients for skin checks and any spot that needs a closer look.

Nurses work to Dr Mitch's protocols. If anything looks unusual at your assessment, you'll be booked to see a dermatologist before any treatment.

This is the usual pattern after PicoSure Pro:

• Straight after: each spot turns greyish-white for a few minutes, then pink and slightly puffy.
• Day 1 to 2: spots look darker than before. This is expected and means the pigment has been hit.
• Day 3 to 5: spots form a thin, dark crust, a bit like coffee grounds on the skin.
• Day 7 to 10: the crusts flake off on their own (14 days on hands and body).
• Weeks 2 to 6: the skin underneath may be pink, then settles. Lighter skin is revealed.

Most people go back to work the next day. Makeup can usually go on after 24 hours, as long as the skin isn't broken.

After LaseMD: skin feels sandpapery and looks bronzed for 3 to 5 days, then flakes.

After resurfacing: expect about 1 to 2 weeks of downtime and redness that fades over several weeks.

Look after your skin by:

• Not picking or scrubbing the crusts
• Using a gentle cleanser and moisturiser
• Wearing SPF 50+ every day and a broad-brimmed hat

Sun spots are very common in Asian and olive skin, often with melasma mixed in. These skin types can be treated, but they are more prone to post-inflammatory pigmentation (PIH): temporary darkening after any skin injury, including laser.

How we adjust:

• A careful check for melasma first, because it changes the plan
• Lower energy settings and smaller test areas where needed
• Longer gaps between sessions
• Picosecond laser in preference to heat-heavy options for many patients
• Strict sun protection before and after
• Prescription fading creams before or after laser when suitable

TingTing speaks Mandarin, which many patients find helpful.

All procedures carry risks. Here are the main ones, and what we do about each.

• Missing a skin cancer. We check every brown spot with dermoscopy first and send anything unusual to a dermatologist.
• Post-inflammatory pigmentation (darkening). We adjust settings for your skin type, test where needed and insist on sun protection.
• Lighter patches (hypopigmentation). We use conservative settings, particularly on body skin.
• Blistering, scabbing or scarring. We avoid treating tanned skin and give clear aftercare.
• Melasma flaring. We diagnose melasma first and use a melasma plan instead.
• Cold sores (for facial resurfacing). We may give preventive medicine if you're prone.
• Incomplete fading. Some spots need more sessions. We set realistic expectations at the start.