Brown Spots

What are Brown Spots?

Brown spots or areas of hyperpigmentation can accumulate on sun-exposed areas. After the age of 30 they may become more prominent and we often feel they make us look older. After years in the sun we are bound to have brown spots on our face, neck chest and hands. Age spots which are also called “Liver Spots” are known officially as “solar lentigines” or “solar keratosis”. These flat grayish, brown or even black spots will often appear on the areas often exposed to the sun. These growths can be very small – the size of the head of a pin to up to 3 cm across.

Careful examination needs to be done on these areas of pigmented skin to ensure that there is no concern of a cancerous growth being present. This is done with care at our offices and if needed biopsies can be performed to ensure safety.

Meleanocytes in the skin produce the pigment known as melanin and this melanin can get “stuck” in layers of the skin and remain there until we provide treatment. As we say.. we can help get the browns out, but you must prevent them from recurring. This is because we can help remove the pigment but not the melanocytes themselves and careful adherence to sun avoidance and use of sunscreen must be done.

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What are Brown Spots?

Brown spots or areas of hyperpigmentation can accumulate on sun-exposed areas. After the age of 40 they may become more prominent and we often feel they make us look older. After years in the sun we are bound to have brown spots on our face, neck chest and hands. Age spots which are also called “Liver Spots” are known officially as “solar lentigines” or “solar keratosis”. These flat grayish, brown or even black spots will often appear on the areas often exposed to the sun. These growths can be very small – the size of the head of a pin to up to 3 cm across.

Careful examination needs to be done on these areas of pigmented skin to ensure that there is no concern of a cancerous growth being present. This is done with care at our offices and if needed biopsies can be performed to ensure safety.

Meleanocytes in the skin produce the pigment known as melanin and this melanin can get “stuck” in layers of the skin and remain there until we provide treatment. As we say.. we can help get the browns out. but you must prevent them from recurring. This is because we remove the pigment but not the melanocytes themselves and careful adherence to sun avoidance and use of sunscreen must be done.

Contact Us

Drop us a line and we’ll get back to you!

Sign up for our newsletter

Treatment Options

  • Sunscreen

    You hear this often because it is true – seriously….sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen!   The best solution is a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or more.  This should be applied daily.  DAILY! And every 3-4 hours when in the sun you need to reapply. Sunscreen can prevent the stimulation of the sun on the melanocytes to produce the melanin that makes the brown spots.

  • BBL

    BBL BroadBand Light technology treats sun-damaged and aging skin effectively. The light energy delivered by the BBL will gently be absorbed by the unwanted melanin responsible for pigmented lesions in the upper layers of the skin. Over the next few days the pigmented lesions will darken and fall off. Pigmented lesions can be removed by full-face or spot-treat superficial resurfacing.


    BBL is comfortable and effective.  Repeat treatments from the BBL also improve overall skin texture, tone, and turgor.  This has been seen in the scientific results in the “Forever Young” study, released in October of 2012.


    The BBL can be used on the face, neck, chest and hands.

  • Skin Care

    At our clinic, our qualified staff will customize a skin care treatment for your skin. We have a variety of skin care programs specifically targeted to brown spots.  We start always with prevention and work into skin care regimes that will not only help to prevent browns but also help lift them to the surface.  We have Elta MD, Alumier, Vivier and Pro-Derm Sunscreens that are completely affordable and effective and only available at doctor’s offices.  We also will use Vivier Skin Lightening Program…a skin care program to target brown spots. We can customize your treatments for you specifically.

  • CO2 Laser

    C02 lasers offer the advantage of being able to target a specific area. In addition to areas of the face, this laser can also be used to treat the neck, chest, and even the hands. CO2 lasers penetrate into the layers of the skin and erase pigmentation. The lasers create small wounds that the body then heals naturally by increasing production of collagen and elastin and in essence generates a “new skin.”


    Fractionated lasers allow us to tailor the treatment depending on the dark spots or skin damage in the area.  This laser is also useful for a variety of other skin conditions, from moles to skin tags.

  • Clear + Brilliant

    Clear + Brilliant is a non-ablative fractional laser that addresses the early signs of aging and is safe for all skin types. It maintains healthy, glowing skin and is a preventative treatment. Various products are applied after the treatment to enhance their penetration into the skin. It increases the benefit of skin care products to produce visibly illuminated skin. It enhances tone and radiance and maintains fresh, healthy skin. It can be used as a treatment on its own, or in combination with our BBL  and Thermage skin tightening.

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