I am 1/2 East Indian and 1/2 Hispanic. I have Melasma. I would like a treatment of clear and brilliant. Would that be advisable?

I would recommend Melarase Brightening creams including Melarase AM, Melarase PM, Melapads, and Replenish creams followed by a series of 3 to 5 Clear and Brilliant lasers. Best, Dr. KaramanoukianLos Angeles

Clear and brilliant permea is a great treatment for individuals of all skin type with melasma. Permea utilizes laser technology to increase the skins permeability, enhancing the effect of topical products after treatment. It is important to couple the permea treatment with a skin lightening agent. I highly recommend pre treating your skin 4 weeks prior to Permea treatment with a skin lightening agent such as hydroquinone. Following treatment, it is important to resume the skin lightening product. Please consult your clinician about discontinuing the skin lightening agent prior to the laser treatment and when it is safe to resume use again to minimize risk of adverse reaction. 4-6 treatments scheduled 2-4 weeks apart is recommended for optimal results. Please note using permea without a topical skin lightening agent will yield subpar results.

It is difficult to assess your potential for adverse reactions as each individual’s sensitivity to laser varies. To err on the side of caution, it may not be ideal to schedule a laser treatment close to special events.Hope this helps!

I see a TON of melasma in my practice. Clear and brilliant is NOT a good treatment for melasma. In fact, anything based on generating heat is not a good treatment for melasma. Melasma responds better to creams and peels. Heat based treatments such as laser can make melasma worse. 

Hi sitadeo, thanks for the great question. This subject happens to be a passion of mine as I've devoted most of my career trying to understand the way light, laser and energy based systems react with darker skin types.

Melasma can indeed be treated with Clear and Brilliant  (Permea 1927 nm hand piece), however I recommend preconditioning the skin with bleaching/blending creams (containing skin lightening agents such as hydroquinone or Kojic acid) for at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to starting therapy. The reason for this regimen is that Melasma can be very reactive when combined with a laser, especially in Darker Skin phenotypes, thus combining laser with a topical melanocyte (pigment cell) suppression regimen will keep the skin calm in the healing phase.



I agree with other experts that I wouldn't obtain an aesthetic laser treatment so close to an event as one may not know how the skin will react.



I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck on your aesthetic journey!



Best Wishes



Dr K

The Clear + Brilliant works well for patients with melasma, particularly the 1927 nm Permea handpiece. However, multiple treatments (4-6) are required. You likely will not see a big difference in your melasma after just 1 treatment, which is all you have time for prior to your event. Actually, I probably wouldn't recommend a laser treatment so close to your event even if it is something as gentle as the Clear + Brilliant.

All good, 6-8 passes using the 1927 at 5 mj...which is at its maximum. Laser itself will not be effective, you must combine this with a lightening agent - such as HQ, Lytera, and or antioxidants such as Vitamin C. You must sun protect, and you will need 4-6 C and B treatments, 2-4 weeks apart. Expect a 50-80% improvement. All the best, Dr Davin S. Lim. Brisbane. Australia.