A 33-year-old member asked:
How can you lighten spots on your face?
6 doctor answers • 15 doctors weighed in
Dr. Morris Westfriedanswered
Dermatology 47 years experience
Bleaching cream: Bleaching creams can lighten dark areas. Ingredients include hydroquinone, kojic acid, and coffeberry. Kojic acid can cause an irritation in some people. The coffeberry products available from stiefel are not irritaing.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Jeffrey Pollardanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 22 years experience
Skin Lightener & IPL: Hydroquinone is an fda approved skin lightener. You can find it at concentrations of 1-2% over the counter. Prescription strength is usually 4-6%. May work faster/better when combined with retin-a. Ipl laser treatments and speed up the process as well. Hope this helps!
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Lornell Hansen commented
Phlebology 28 years experience
Other options include Q-switched lasers, laser resurfacing and chemical peels.
Dec 29, 2011
Dr. Frederick Covilleanswered
Plastic Surgery 40 years experience
Creams and peels: Many ways to lighten spots. First you must find out what sort of spots they are. Suspicious moles may be cancerous and should be examined by a plastic surgeon or dermatologist. Superficial spots are easy to treat, deep pigment is most difficult and requires combination therapy. Spread the spot with your fingers, if it lightens, it's not deep, if it doesn't it will need combination treatments.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Ronald Sheltonanswered
Dermatology 38 years experience
Skin lightening: Sunscreen is very important. Chemical peels, lightening agents such as hydroquinone, retin-a, glycolic acid, illume, and now a new immediately acting chemical found in nature, is in elure a moisturizing lightener dispensed in doctors' offices. Fraxel clear and brilliant, restore, fraxel dual and repair, v-beam, alexandrite, neodynium-yag lasers & portrait plasma all can help lighten pigment.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Timothy Rodgersanswered
Dermatology 20 years experience
Creams and lasers: There are many options available to treat brown spots or discoloration. A dermatologist can determine what the spots are and how best to treat them. Common methods include "bleaching" creams, chemical peels, and lasers.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Seema Patelanswered
Holistic Medicine 28 years experience
Hyperpigmentation: Hyperpigmentation can come from sun damage, melasma, post inflammatory reactions, acne, as well as medical conditions. The best way to decrease this is using hydroquinone 4% with Retin-A or a prescription of triluma. If they are mild, peels and microderm can help. If they are deeper & have been there for awhile, you will need lasers and or deeper peels.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Last updated Nov 28, 2017
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