Sunspots, melasma or a mark left by a breakout? Why the type of pigment decides everything

The brown patch on your cheek and the one on your friend's may look identical - and need entirely different treatment. Pigment is not one condition, and treating it as though it were is the most common way people waste time and money on it.

One word, several different things

Pigment is made by cells in your skin, and different triggers set them off in different ways - each type also tends to leave its own visible signature:

• Sunspots and freckle-like patches build slowly with cumulative UV - years of Sydney sun is the biggest factor we see in eastern Sydney skin. The tell: they cluster as distinct individual spots on the places that catch the most sun, like the face, backs of the hands and chest.
• Melasma is the patchy pigment linked to hormonal changes. It tends to show up as larger, roughly symmetrical patches on both sides of the face - cheeks, forehead or upper lip - rather than single spots.
• Post-breakout marks are left behind after acne or irritation, once the skin has settled. You can usually trace each mark back to a specific breakout you remember.
• General ageing simply leaves tone looking less even overall, without one obvious culprit.

Pigment can also sit at different depths in the skin, and identifying the type and depth is exactly what the consultation is for - which is why the first step at our Woollahra clinic is never a laser. It is a skin consultation where Jade, our founder and senior clinician, looks closely at your skin, identifies the type of pigment and how deep it sits, and talks through your history and sun habits before any plan is made.

One honest note: if a spot is new, changing, itchy or bleeding, have it checked by your GP first. That assessment is outside what we do - we work on the cosmetic side of pigmentation, sunspots and uneven tone.

Where laser comes in

Once the pigment is identified, the tool is matched to it. Pico laser sends extremely short pulses that target areas of pigment precisely while preserving the surrounding tissue - it suits most skin types, including darker tones, sessions are often under 30 minutes, and downtime is minimal. The pigment then breaks down gradually and clears as your skin renews, rather than vanishing on the day. For broader tone and clarity, resurfacing and peels sit alongside it in a considered pigmentation and skin clarity plan.

If uneven tone has been bothering you, remember this: the treatment that works for sunspots is not automatically right for melasma or a post-breakout mark - so the first step is finding out which one you have. Book a skin consultation with Jade in Woollahra and have your pigment properly identified before any plan is made.