Clear & Brilliant made my face go darker, from white to brownish skin, why? 2 weeks post treatment.

Question

I had my First C&B Treatment two weeks ago and i can see that; the redness from the treatment truned into permanent brown and it won’t go away! I thought C&B suppose to lighten the skin! Is there chance that it didn't work for my skin because am sensitive? And it caused me like sun burn or pigmentation? Does that mean the treatment is NOT working for me and I shouldn’t do it further?

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question and I'm sorry you're feeling concerned. Your healthcare professional should have thoroughly explained what is expected. This is a normal result, and will flake off and lighten within another 2 weeks. You'll need to do at least 3 treatments spaced 4 weeks apart to achieve  best results. Your skin cells take 28-40 days to turn over, so just be patient. I hope this helps

Anna Sylwestrowicz, MD, FRCP(C) · Answer

Even though Clear & Brilliant is  a very gentle laser using only 10 mJ of energy (versus a Fraxel at 40 mJ) it can still cause hyperpigmentation in clients with darker skin types. There is no need to worry, but next time, you could try pretreating with 15% Vitamin C serum or a hydroquinone cream.
Dr. Anna Sylwestrowicz MD, FRCP(C)
Victoria, BC

Clear & Brilliant made my face go darker, from white to brownish skin, why? 2 weeks post treatment.

Answers (2)