Will my poikilodermia of civatte fade?

Question

I am a male aged 37 with skin type 1. I have had progressive poikilodermia of Civatte for the last two and a half years on sides of my neck. It got worsed over night during a summer holiday. I did use sun protection. I have both redness and brown patches. I have started with IPL treatment and I am currently on my 4 th session. Machine used is the Ellipse Nordlyse. Can not see much emprovement, but am told by my doctor to be patient. How many treatments is required for the pigmentation to fade?

Morris Westfried, MD · Answer

You need to gradually increase settings .Another option would be laser for both brown and red color. The q switched yag in the 1064 wavelength targets the brown color and the 532 targets the red coor.

Steven M. Gitt, MD, FACS (in memoriam) · Answer

Unfortunately, Poikiloderma can be a stubborn condition to treat and may require continual maintenance.  IPL is an ideal in office treatment because it targets both pigmentation and vascular activity.  It is not uncommon to start with a series of 6-8 treatments spaced about 3-4 weeks apart, but it can take more.  Having patience can be challenging, so try to remember sun damage develops over time and there just isn't a quick fix.  You can also discuss with your doctor skin care or topical treatments that you can do between treatments that may help accelerate the process.  I hope this helps!

Will my poikilodermia of civatte fade?

Answers (2)