Sun Spots And Age Spots
Flat brown spots on the face, chest, shoulders and backs of the hands, built up over years of sun exposure. They sit near the surface and have sharp borders. This is the group that tends to respond fastest.
Skin Care · Downtown Chicago
Pigmentation & Dark Spots
Treatment For Brown Spots, Sun Damage And Post-Acne Discoloration In Chicago
Brown spots, post-inflammatory pigmentation, sun spots, or areas of discoloration? Most people try to cover it before they try to treat it, and after a few years of concealer and brightening serums that never quite land, the spots are still there and they are usually a little darker.
Pigmentation responds well to treatment. What it does not respond to is guessing. A sun spot on a cheekbone, a brown mark left behind by a breakout, and a patch of melasma along the jaw all look similar in the mirror and behave completely differently in the treatment room.
Start With The Diagnosis
We Work Out What It Is Before We Decide How To Treat It
Using the wrong tool on the wrong kind of pigment can leave you worse off than when you started. Some discoloration sits near the surface and clears quickly. Some sits deeper, is driven by hormones, and gets darker if you treat it aggressively.
We treat pigmentation at our Old Town studio at 1315 N Larrabee St with laser, chemical peels and microneedling, and we start every plan by working out what we are actually looking at.
Know What You Are Looking At
Not All Pigmentation Is The Same
Before we pick a treatment, we want to know where the discoloration came from and how deep it sits. These are the ones we see most.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
The brown or grey mark left behind after the skin has been irritated. Acne is the usual cause, but so are ingrown hairs, waxing, cuts, eczema and picking. The original problem is already gone. What is left is the stain.
Post-Acne Discoloration
Old breakouts often leave both a mark and a dent. If the surface is smooth and only the color is off, that is pigment. If you can feel texture when you run a finger over it, there is scarring involved too, and the plan changes.
Melasma
Larger, blotchier patches, often symmetrical across the cheeks, forehead or upper lip, and frequently linked to hormones, pregnancy or the pill. Melasma is the most stubborn of the group and the least forgiving. Heat and aggressive treatment can make it darker rather than lighter.
Uneven Overall Tone
No single spot to point at, just skin that reads dull and blotchy in photographs no matter what you do with makeup. This usually answers better to a course of treatment than to any one appointment.
Three Treatments, One Clinic
Our Pigmentation And Dark Spot Treatments
We use three treatments for discoloration. Some skin needs just one. A lot of skin does better with two, done one after the other.
01
Candela GentleMax Pro Plus
Targeted laser treatment for certain appropriate benign pigmented lesions and concentrated areas of brown pigmentation.
This is the most direct option when the problem is a defined spot rather than a general haze. The laser sends energy into the pigment itself, the pigment absorbs it and breaks apart, and your body clears the debris over the following couple of weeks. The GentleMax Pro Plus is a Candela platform with built in DCD cooling that protects the surface of the skin while the energy goes where it needs to go. It is the same system we use for laser hair removal, and it is safe across every skin type.
- What It Suits
- Discrete sun spots, age spots and well defined brown patches on skin that is otherwise in decent condition.
- What It Does Not Suit
- Melasma, and any pigmentation with an unclear cause. Not every brown spot should be lasered, and some should be looked at by a dermatologist before anyone points a device at them. We will tell you at consultation if laser is the wrong call.
- Before Anything Larger
- Everyone gets a test patch. It costs nothing and it tells us more than any amount of conversation.
02
Chemical Peels
Help improve superficial pigmentation, post-inflammatory dark marks, post-acne discoloration, and uneven-looking skin.
A peel works on the top layers. We apply a solution that loosens the bonds holding dead, pigmented cells in place so the skin sheds them faster than it would on its own and brings up fresher tissue underneath. Superficial peels use acids such as glycolic, lactic, salicylic or mandelic, and we choose the type and the strength at your appointment based on your skin and what it has tolerated before.
Peels are the workhorse for post-acne marks and general dullness. They are also the option most people underestimate, because one peel rarely impresses anyone and a course of them usually does. Expect a series rather than a single visit.
The first two or three days after a peel your skin looks slightly darker and tight, then it flakes. That flaking is the treatment working. Picking at it is how post-inflammatory pigmentation starts all over again.
03
Microneedling
May help when pigmentation occurs together with uneven texture, pores, or post-acne changes.
We use SkinPen, a medical grade device with sterile single use cartridges and a depth setting that holds steady across the whole pass. Very fine needles open thousands of microscopic channels in the skin. Your body reads those as injuries worth repairing and floods the area with collagen and elastin, rebuilding the tissue more evenly over the following weeks.
For pigmentation it works in two ways. Cell turnover speeds up, so the pigmented surface layer sheds faster, and the collagen response rebuilds what is underneath. That second part is why it is also where we usually start when a breakout has left a dent as well as a mark. We often pair it with a brightening topical between sessions, because the channels stay open for several hours afterwards and product absorbs far better in that window.
SkinPen uses no heat and no chemicals, which is why it is usable on all Fitzpatrick skin types and year round, including through a Chicago summer. You can read the full detail on our microneedling in Chicago page.
A Rough Guide
Which Treatment Is Right For Your Skin?
Your consultation is where this gets specific. Here is how we think about it before we have seen you.
| If Your Main Concern Is | We Usually Start With |
|---|---|
| Defined sun spots or age spots | GentleMax Pro Plus laser |
| Post-acne marks with smooth skin | A course of chemical peels |
| Pigmentation plus rough texture, visible pores or acne scarring | SkinPen microneedling |
| Melasma | A conservative peel and topical plan, no laser |
| Dull, uneven overall tone | Peels, microneedling, or both in rotation |
Combinations are common. Someone with scattered sun spots on the cheeks and general dullness across the face might have the spots treated with laser and the rest handled with peels. We sequence them so the skin is never working on two recoveries at once.
Your Appointment, Step By Step
What Your First Appointment Looks Like
You leave the consultation with a recommended treatment, a realistic number of sessions and a price, not a vague quote.
1
The Consultation
We look at your skin in good light, ask how long the discoloration has been there and what started it, and go through what you have already tried. We need to know about recent sun exposure, active skin conditions, any history of cold sores, and any medication that affects photosensitivity or healing, including retinoids and isotretinoin. If you are pregnant or nursing, say so at this point.
2
Test Patch
If laser is part of the plan, we treat a small area and have you come back before doing anything larger. It costs nothing and it settles questions that talking cannot.
3
The Treatment
Peels take about thirty minutes. Microneedling runs closer to an hour including numbing time. Laser for a small number of spots can be over in minutes.
4
Afterwards
Lasered spots darken, crust and flake off over roughly one to two weeks. Peels flake for a few days. Microneedling leaves you pink for a day or two, similar to mild sunburn. None of it requires you to hide, but plan around big events rather than booking three days before one.
The Part Everyone Skips
Aftercare, And Why Sunscreen Is Not Optional
Sun protection is not aftercare advice we give because we have to. It is the difference between a result that holds and one that undoes itself by August.
Broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher, every day, reapplied when you are outdoors. Chicago winters trick people into skipping it, and the pigment does not care what the weather is doing. Skip the sunscreen and the same spots come back in the same places, usually darker, and we will be having this conversation again in two years.
The Rest Is Straightforward
- No picking or pulling at flaking skin
- Pause retinoids and exfoliating acids for the window we give you
- Keep the skin moisturized
- No heavy sweating, hot yoga or saunas for forty eight hours
- No swimming pools for forty eight hours after microneedling or a peel
- Broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher, daily, reapplied outdoors
We send you home with specific instructions for whichever treatment you had, and we would rather you call the clinic than guess.
Realistic Expectations
How Long Results Take
Nothing here works in one visit, with the occasional exception of a single well chosen sun spot treated with laser.
Peels are a course. Most people book a series spaced a few weeks apart and start seeing tone even out around the third. Microneedling builds collagen over months rather than days, and the standard plan is four sessions across roughly four months, with results continuing to develop for several months after the last one.
Laser spots clear as they flake, so you see the change within a couple of weeks, though a second pass is sometimes needed on stubborn ones.
Pigmentation is also something you maintain rather than finish. Many of our clients come back once or twice a year to stay ahead of it. That is normal, and it is far less work than starting over.
Who We Ask To Wait
None of these are permanent, and all of them are worth mentioning when you book.
- Active breakouts, open wounds, cold sores or infected skin in the area
- A recent sunburn or a fresh tan, which we let settle for a few weeks
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding, where we postpone rather than adjust
- Isotretinoin use, where the usual guidance is several months after finishing
- A history of keloid scarring, which we discuss before anything is decided
When To See A Dermatologist First
If a pigmented spot has changed shape, changed color, become raised, or started to bleed or itch, do not book a cosmetic treatment for it. Get it looked at by a dermatologist before anything else happens.
We will say the same thing at consultation if we see one. Sending you elsewhere costs us an appointment and is still the right call every time.
What It Costs
Pigmentation Treatment Cost In Chicago
Pricing depends on which treatment you need and how much area we are covering, so we quote it at consultation rather than publishing a number that would be wrong for most people.
What we can tell you is that the number we give you is the number you pay. Numbing cream, sterile single use cartridges and post-treatment product are included in the session price and never appear as separate line items.
We book through Vagaro, which offers Buy Now, Pay Later through Affirm. If you are spreading a course of treatments over several months, you can spread the cost the same way. Applying takes a couple of minutes and does not affect your credit score, and the rates and terms come from Affirm rather than from us.
For Reference
SkinPen Microneedling
Four full face sessions over roughly four months
$1,200Full Face
Four face and neck sessions over roughly four months
$2,000Face & Neck
Laser and chemical peels are priced individually, and we quote them once we have seen your skin.
Answers
Pigmentation & Dark Spots, Answered
Anything we have not covered here, ask at your consultation, or call the clinic and we will talk it through.
Can Pigmentation Come Back After Treatment?
Yes, if the cause is still active. Sun exposure will put new spots in the same places. Hormonal melasma can return with a pregnancy or a change in medication. New breakouts leave new marks. Treatment clears what is there, and daily sunscreen plus the occasional maintenance session keeps it clear.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
Usually three to six for peels, four for a standard microneedling course, and one or two for defined spots treated with laser. We give you a number at consultation rather than an open ended plan.
Is Laser Safe For My Skin Tone?
The GentleMax Pro Plus is safe across every skin type, and we test patch before any full treatment. Whether laser is right for your pigmentation is a separate question from whether it is safe for your skin tone, and we answer both at consultation.
Will Treating Dark Spots Hurt?
Laser on a small pigmented spot feels like a quick snap and is over in seconds. Peels tingle or sting for a few minutes. Microneedling is done after numbing cream and most clients describe it as a vibration with some pressure along bonier areas like the forehead and jawline.
Can I Treat Pigmentation In The Summer?
Microneedling, yes, since it uses no heat and no chemicals. Peels and laser need more care, because recently sun exposed skin reacts differently and the result is harder to protect. We often schedule those for autumn and winter and keep you on microneedling through the summer.
Do You Treat Melasma?
We treat it carefully and we set expectations honestly. Melasma is managed rather than cured, it can darken in response to heat, and we do not use laser on it. A conservative approach built around gentle peels, consistent sun protection and topical support gives the better long term outcome.
Can I Combine This With Hair Removal?
Yes, and plenty of our clients do, since many are already here for electrolysis or laser hair removal. We schedule them so the same area is not recovering from two things at once. Ingrown hairs and shaving irritation are themselves a common cause of post-inflammatory pigmentation, so dealing with the hair often stops new marks appearing.
How Do I Know Which Treatment I Need?
You do not have to. That is what the consultation is for. We will evaluate your skin and recommend the most appropriate treatment or combination.
Booking
Book A Pigmentation Consultation In Chicago
Not all pigmentation is the same. We will evaluate your skin and recommend the most appropriate treatment or combination, and we will tell you plainly if the answer is something we do not offer.
Electrolysis 100% Permanent Hair Removal & Skin Care sits on N Larrabee St in Old Town, minutes from the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park and the Loop.
- Address
- 1315 N Larrabee St
Chicago, IL 60610 - Phone
- (252) 722-5006
- [email protected]
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. By appointment only, no walk-ins.
- Languages
- English, Romanian and Russian