Dear Dr. Seckel, Hello, I had a dermabrasion 7 months ago. Being that I’m Asian, I suffer now from color variation between my face (new lighter) and my neck (old darker). Is there any form of lasers or treatments out there that could help diminish this line? I know it will likely not ever go away fully, but just anything to help minimize the difference Thank you! Donna, New York, NY.
Dear Donna,
Hypo pigmentation following dermabrasion of Asian skin is a common problem.
Some pigment may return after 2 years, at that point you will know the final result.
Newer less intense laser skin peeling or laser skin rejuvenation techniques can be used judiciously on the neck to try to lessen the difference-but laser peel treatments on the neck are very tricky and you need to find an experienced laser expert.
ActiveFX laser skin peel with the CO2 lyte laser made by Lumenis® may be used at a low setting on the neck and would require 3-4 treatments spaced 6-8 weeks apart. I would start with a small test area to make sure you heal after the treatment and to see if the result is worthwhile.
There is also a new light treatment called Relume® that is supposed to be able to restore pigment to the face but I have no experience with this technique. Go to www.Lumenis.com and search Relume® for information.
I strongly recommend that you do not allow anyone to do a deep laser resurfacing, a deep laser skin peel, or dermabrasion on your neck.
IPL or photo facial skin rejuvenation treatments are safe on the neck and can accomplish pigment removal but again I would do a test area first on Asian skin.
Thank you.
For more information on hypo-pigmentation and non-surgical facial rejuvenation read Save Your Face or contact me.
Boston, Massachusetts