I had a IPL treatment over a week ago (9/10/08). Prior to this treatment, I had a treatment in April which was fine. I had mentioned to my Dr. that I had recently been in the sun. She said that it looked like I was getting the beginning stages of Melasma and we should be aggressive with the treatment and do IPL on my entire face so I trusted her treatment plan. I went for a follow up to this recent treatment because I now have on both cheeks a pattern which is much like a stripe effect on one cheek and a coffee spill on the other cheeks. I had no sign of discoloration in the areas that are now damaged. She told me to wait two weeks and come back and that she will treat again. I can't really cover this damage with makeup and I look like a scary creature. I am becoming increasingly worried that I will never have an even skin tone again. She assured me that there was no perm skin damage but I am not sure if I am being naive to believe her. Please help me.
I hope you're doing better now. Protecting your skin from the sun continues to be very important for you, especially as we're heading into spring.
Since melasma is a chronic problem, follow-up with a board-certified dermatologist can be critical for obtaining long-term good results. What you use on your skin can make a big difference.
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