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Pigmentation & Vascular
Pigmentation & Sun-Damage Treatment
Uses selected laser and light-based wavelengths, guided by assessment, to help address excess pigment, sun damage and uneven skin tone.
Pigmentation & sun-damage treatment in Vancouver
Understanding Pigmentation & Sun-Damage Treatment.
Most pigmentation is a record of sun exposure — years of it, usually accumulated long before anyone thought much about sunscreen.
Laser and light-based treatment can lift a good deal of that. Discrete sun spots, freckling and the general dullness of photodamage often respond well.
But pigmentation is not one condition. A crisp brown spot on the cheekbone and a soft grey-brown patch across the forehead need entirely different handling, and treating the second like the first can make it worse.
So the first job is identifying what kind of pigment you have. We run five different platforms precisely because no single device suits every pigment concern.
Concerns & Goals
Concern guides connected to this treatment.
Acne
Acne is a skin condition that can affect people of all ages and skin types. Our physicians assess what is happening in your skin and help you choose an appropriate medical treatment, maintenance and preventive plan as well as your at-home skincare.
Acne Marks & Post-Inflammatory Pigmentation
Flat red, pink, or brown marks that remain after acne blemishes have healed.
Hyperpigmentation, Sun Spots & Sun Damage
Darkened patches, spots and texture changes caused by excess pigment and cumulative sun exposure.
Melasma and Uneven Pigmentation
Patchy brown or grey-brown facial pigmentation often influenced by hormones, sunlight and heat.
Under-Eye Hollows and Dark Circles
Hollowing or darkness beneath the eyes from shadowing, pigment, visible vessels, thin skin, or volume loss.
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Under-eye darkness that can arise from pigment, visible blood vessels, shadowing, thin skin, or volume loss.
Treatment options and technologies
Light- and laser-based treatment is one of several clinically recognised approaches to pigmentation and sun damage, and it is not always the appropriate one — with melasma and with marks left by past inflammation, sun protection and topical care frequently come first.
The options available here, selected according to clinical findings:
- BBL BroadBand Light — considered for defined sun spots, freckling and diffuse photodamage across the face, chest, shoulders or hands
- Forever Young BBL — considered where repeated sessions over time are planned to address accumulated pigment and visible photodamage
- HALO Hybrid Fractional Laser — considered where pigment is accompanied by sun-related textural change and both are to be addressed together
- PicoWay — considered for pigment requiring ultra-short pulses across several wavelengths, including pigment sitting deeper in the skin
- Clarity II — considered where a dual-wavelength approach is indicated by the pigment type and the skin tone being treated
More than one is frequently indicated across a plan, staged over several months rather than selected against each other.
The selection is a clinical decision, not one you are expected to make. The pigmented areas are examined in person, the type and likely depth of the pigment is identified, and your skin tone, recent sun exposure, hormonal factors, photosensitising medications and previous treatments are reviewed — and any lesion that is new, changing, irregular, itchy or bleeding is medically assessed before any cosmetic treatment is considered.
Have Your Pigment Type Identified Before Any Device Is Chosen →
Concerns this treatment may help
Light- and laser-based pigment treatment may be considered for:
- Sun spots (solar lentigines) on the face, chest, shoulders and hands
- Freckling that has darkened with sun exposure
- General photodamage — the mottled, dull, uneven look of years of sun
- Uneven skin tone across the face, neck or décolletage
- Brown marks left behind by acne, in selected cases
- Melasma, with considerable caution and usually as part of a broader plan
- Sun-related texture change alongside the pigment itself
Which of these applies to you, and whether a device is the right answer at all, comes down to examining the pigment in person.
Who is suitable, and who needs more caution
Best suited: people with well-defined surface pigment on skin that has not been recently tanned, who are willing to protect their skin afterwards. Sun protection is not an optional add-on here; without it, the pigment comes back.
Deeper skin tones need a different conversation. More pigment in the surrounding skin means more of the light energy is absorbed where it is not wanted, which raises the risk of burns and of pigment change in either direction. Some devices are unsuitable; others can be used with lower, more conservative settings. This is assessed, not assumed.
Melasma needs particular caution. Heat and inflammation can drive melasma rather than settle it, so an aggressive approach can leave the pigmentation worse than before treatment. A gentle, patient plan is usually the safer path.
Timing matters. Recent sun exposure, a fresh tan or self-tanner all change how your skin absorbs energy, and treatment is usually deferred until that has faded.
Anything suspicious comes first. A pigmented lesion that is new, changing, asymmetrical, irregularly coloured, itchy or bleeding must be medically assessed before any cosmetic treatment. Lasering a skin cancer does not remove it; it hides it.
Your consultation
The purpose of the consultation is to work out what type of pigment you have, because that decides everything that follows.
We examine the pigmented areas closely, judging the likely depth and pattern, and check that nothing present looks suspicious.
We ask about:
- How long the pigmentation has been there and whether it fluctuates
- Sun exposure, tanning, self-tanner and recent travel
- Pregnancy, hormonal medication or contraception, all relevant to melasma
- Photosensitising medications, including some antibiotics, diuretics and acne treatments
- Your skin tone and how it responds to sun and to injury
- Cold sores, keloid tendency and previous laser or light treatment
- Skincare you are already using, particularly brightening agents and retinoids
You will be told which platform is being recommended and why, how many sessions are realistic, and — where it applies — that maintenance will be part of the picture.
On what this visit costs: the consultation is complimentary, so having your pigment identified properly does not carry a consultation fee. A booking fee is charged to hold the appointment, covering the physician's time and reducing no-shows.
What a session is like
Eye protection first. You will be given shields to wear, and they stay on for the whole treatment. This is not a formality — these wavelengths can cause permanent injury to the eye, and the shields are what prevent it.
The skin is cleansed and a cool gel may be applied, depending on the device being used.
During. Each pulse feels like a hot snap against the skin, often compared to an elastic band flicked sharply. Bony areas and areas of dense pigment are felt more. Most sessions are short.
Straight afterwards. Skin looks pink and feels warm. Treated spots often darken noticeably — sometimes to a coffee-ground appearance — before lifting away over the following days. This is a sign the treatment worked, not that something went wrong.
Who performs it. Treatment is delivered by our experienced laser technicians, working under the medical direction of Dr. Gidon Frame.
Results, timing and honest limits
What it can improve: the darkness and definition of sun spots, freckling that has become uneven, mottled photodamage, and overall clarity and brightness of tone. In many patients, the chest and hands respond as well as the face.
What it cannot do: make your skin permanently immune to pigment. It also will not cure melasma, will not reliably clear pigment that sits deep in the skin, and will not remove a mole or a lesion that needs a medical opinion.
When change appears: after surface treatments, spots darken within a day or two, then flake away over roughly a week to reveal clearer skin. Deeper pigment clears more slowly, over several weeks, as the body carries the fragments away.
Series and maintenance: more than one session is usual, spaced to let the skin settle. Because ongoing UV exposure keeps producing new pigment, most patients who want to keep their result plan periodic maintenance rather than treating once and stopping.
What influences your outcome: the type and depth of the pigment, your skin tone, how much sun you get afterwards, hormonal factors, and how consistently you use sun protection.
Be prepared for recurrence. Pigmentation is driven by exposure, and exposure continues. Some pigment returning over months or years is normal, not evidence that treatment failed. Melasma in particular should be thought of as controlled rather than gone.
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic
Looking for the right next step?
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic can help you understand this treatment, explore related technologies and concerns, and build a plan around your goals.
Recovery and aftercare
Recovery depends heavily on which device is used and how intensively.
- Broadband light: pinkness and warmth for a day or so; treated spots darken, then flake off over roughly the following week.
- Picosecond laser: short-lived redness and a temporary frosted or greyish look over treated pigment, settling quickly.
- Fractional resurfacing: more noticeable redness, swelling and a rough, bronzed texture for several days before peeling.
What helps: daily broad-spectrum sunscreen without exception, a hat, gentle cleansing, and leaving darkened spots to shed on their own.
What to avoid: sun exposure, saunas and hot yoga, scrubs and exfoliants, picking or scratching at flaking pigment, and swimming pools until the skin is intact.
Contact the clinic if you develop blistering, spreading redness, increasing pain, weeping or crusting beyond what you were told to expect.
What most people experience
Common and short-lived effects include:
- Redness, warmth and a mild sunburn sensation
- Slight swelling, particularly around the eyes and on the cheeks
- Temporary darkening of treated spots before they flake away
- Dryness, flaking or a fine crusting over treated pigment
- Increased sensitivity to sunlight for a period afterwards
- Mild itching as the skin sheds
- Small bruises, more likely where vessels are also being treated
Less common but important risks
Light- and laser-based treatments carry real risks. Less often, they can cause:
- Burns. These devices work by depositing heat, and heat that is misjudged, misplaced or absorbed by unexpected pigment can injure the skin.
- Blistering, which can be followed by crusting and a longer, more careful recovery.
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation — new darkening caused by the treatment itself. The risk is clearly higher in deeper skin tones, and it is one of the main reasons settings are kept conservative.
- Loss of pigment in treated areas, leaving pale patches that may be slow to recover or permanent.
- Eye injury. These wavelengths can permanently damage the retina and other structures of the eye. Protective shields must be worn correctly throughout the treatment by both you and the person treating you.
- Worsening of melasma, or a rebound darkening weeks after apparent improvement, when heat or inflammation stimulates rather than settles the pigment.
- Scarring, which is uncommon but possible, particularly after a burn or where crusts are picked.
- Infection, or reactivation of cold sores when the face is treated.
- Uneven clearing, leaving a patchy result that needs further sessions to balance.
- Little or no response, which happens with some pigment types.
Risk is higher on recently tanned skin, in deeper skin tones, with melasma, on photosensitising medication, and where sun protection afterwards is not followed.
When treatment should wait or be avoided
Treatment may need to be postponed or ruled out if you have:
- A recent tan, sunburn or self-tanner still on the skin
- Any pigmented lesion that has not been medically assessed and confirmed benign
- Active infection, cold-sore outbreak or broken skin in the area
- Active eczema, dermatitis or another inflammatory flare where treatment is planned
- Photosensitising medication, including certain antibiotics, diuretics and acne treatments
- Recent isotretinoin use
- A photosensitivity disorder, or a condition made worse by light
- A history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring
- Pregnancy, depending on the device and the area
- Active or unstable melasma, where some devices are best avoided altogether
- Recent chemical peel, resurfacing or another procedure in the same area
- An unwillingness or inability to use daily sun protection afterwards
This is not a complete screening list. Your medical history, medications, skin tone, sun exposure, previous treatments and the specific pigment on your skin are all reviewed before treatment is booked.
Your at-home skincare
With pigmentation, what you do at home matters as much as what happens in the clinic.
Sunscreen is the treatment, not the aftercare. Daily broad-spectrum protection, reapplied when you are outdoors, is what stops new pigment forming and protects what you have already paid to clear. Tinted formulations that block visible light are often preferred for melasma.
Topicals do real work. Recognised brightening ingredients can support results between sessions, and for melasma they are usually a core part of the plan rather than an optional extra.
Timing counts. Some actives need pausing before and after treatment. We will tell you what to stop, and when to restart.
Skincare complements treatment; for established sun spots it rarely replaces it.
Technologies Used
Technologies that may support this treatment.
BBL BroadBand Light
BBL (BroadBand Light) is a filtered intense-light platform used to treat pigmentation, redness, and signs of sun damage in the skin.
Forever Young BBL
Forever Young BBL is a treatment approach that uses regular, repeated BBL sessions over time to address accumulated pigment, redness, and visible photodamage.
HALO Hybrid Fractional Laser
HALO is a hybrid fractional laser that delivers both ablative and non-ablative energy to the skin within the same treatment to address tone and texture.
PicoWay
PicoWay is a picosecond laser platform that delivers ultra-short pulses of light across several wavelengths to target pigment and stimulate skin renewal.
Clarity II
Clarity II is a dual-wavelength laser platform combining a 755 nm alexandrite laser and a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser in a single system.
Book a consultation →
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic
Why patients choose our clinic
- Five pigment platforms, not one. Because we are not limited to a single device, the recommendation can follow your pigment rather than our equipment.
- Diagnosis before treatment. Distinguishing sun spots from melasma from post-inflammatory marks changes the entire plan, and we take the time to do it.
- A Vancouver clinic since 2001, with long experience of sun damage in local skin.
- Delivered by experienced laser technicians under the medical direction of Dr. Gidon Frame.
- Conservative with melasma and deeper skin tones, because the cost of getting pigment treatment wrong falls on you, not on us.
- Realistic about maintenance. We would rather tell you upfront that pigment recurs than have you feel misled a year later.
FAQ
Questions about Pigmentation & Sun-Damage Treatment.
With broadband light and similar surface treatments, that is exactly what should happen. Treated pigment rises toward the surface, darkens to something like coffee grounds, and flakes away over roughly the following week. Leave it alone and let it shed on its own. If darkening appears in untreated areas, or weeks after treatment rather than days, tell us, because that is a different phenomenon.
Some of it, yes. UV exposure keeps producing new pigment, and hormones keep influencing melasma, so treatment clears what is there rather than making your skin immune. Patients who use daily sun protection and return for periodic maintenance hold their results far longer than those who treat once and go back to unprotected sun.
Possibly, but cautiously, and rarely as the first step. Melasma is provoked by heat and inflammation as well as light, so an aggressive treatment can leave the pigmentation darker than it started. The usual approach is strict sun protection and topical care first, with gentle device treatment added only where it genuinely helps.
Because these wavelengths can cause permanent damage to the retina, and the eye cannot repair that kind of injury. The shields are worn for the entire treatment, including when we are working near the eyes. If they slip or feel wrong at any point, say so immediately and we stop.
Often yes, but the choice of device and settings changes substantially. Deeper skin absorbs more of the light energy in the surrounding skin, which raises the risk of burns and of the treatment causing new pigmentation. Some platforms are inappropriate; others can be used conservatively. This is a decision made after examining your skin, not from a form.
It is possible, but it is not ideal. Treating recently sun-exposed skin raises the risk of burns and pigment change, and the sun protection required afterwards is harder to maintain in July than in November. Many patients plan pigment treatment for the darker months for exactly this reason.
Sun damage rarely stops at the jawline, and the chest, shoulders, forearms and backs of the hands are commonly treated. These areas do tend to heal more slowly than the face and can be more prone to pigment change, so settings are usually more conservative there.
That possibility is taken seriously. Anything new, changing, irregular in shape or colour, itchy or bleeding is assessed before treatment rather than lasered. If a lesion needs a medical opinion, you will be told, and we will not treat it cosmetically until it has been cleared.
Not for the consultation — that part is complimentary, including the assessment that tells you which type of pigment you are dealing with and whether a device is appropriate. What you pay at the point of booking is a fee to hold the appointment, which accounts for the physician's time and helps keep no-shows down.
Reviews
What patients say about the clinic experience.
Reviews help show the human side of care, from the first consultation to comfort, communication, treatment planning, and follow-up.
Visit Our Clinic
Visit our clinic in Vancouver, BC.
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic combines medical assessment, individualized planning, physician oversight, and a broad range of treatment options in its Vancouver clinic.
Plan your consultation.
Bring your questions, treatment history, and goals. Your provider can help you understand appropriate options, expected recovery, and realistic outcomes.
Make an Appointment
Step into your next plan with confidence.
Use our consultation form below and the clinic can guide you toward the appropriate starting point.
HoursOpen 7 Days / Week from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Closures Announced on Google Business
Phone(604) 261-9121
Emailinfo@aamvan.com
Why Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic?
- A medical clinic with physicians and experienced medical-aesthetic providers on the team.
- Science-informed assessment, treatment planning, and realistic expectations.
- Laser, injectables, skin, body, hair, wellness, and medical services available in one clinic.
- Complimentary aesthetic consultations are available for appropriate cosmetic and laser services.
- Personalized skincare and product consultations based on your goals and routine.
- Home-care guidance to support your skin between in-clinic appointments.
- Professional skincare products available through the Anti-Aging Vancouver shop.
- Clear guidance on treatment options, preparation, downtime, aftercare, and next steps.
- Ongoing follow-up so your plan can evolve as your needs and goals change.
