Pigmentation Treatment for Melasma, Freckles and Dark Spots (10 sessions) in Korea
This post was written in accordance with the Medical Service Act and was created by a medical institution operated by a board-certified dermatologist at Hev Clinic, with the consent of the patient who received treatment.
It is not intended to emphasize treatment effects or personal treatment experiences, but rather to provide general information about dermatology and aesthetic procedures.
The photos used in this post meet the following conditions:
- The same individual appears in both the before and after photos.
- The dates when the photos were taken before and after treatment are specified.
- The photos were taken under the same conditions.
This post provides various medical information, including possible side effects that may occur from the procedure. In accordance with Article 56, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph 7 of the Medical Service Act, diagnoses and treatment results may vary depending on the individual, and both effects and side effects may differ from person to person.
※ This article was written directly by the director of Hev Clinic for the purpose of providing information about dermatologic and aesthetic procedures.
Before: October 16, 2023 | After: January 29, 2024
These photos are shared with consent. They show the same person, taken in the same location, with no retouching or edits.
Results vary by individual. A thorough consultation is essential, including a discussion of possible side effects such as temporary pigmentation changes, bruising, or swelling.
You may have noticed that I write every post myself and personally document and upload my cases.
Between clinical work, running the clinic, academic activities, overseas lectures, and media appearances, I tend to write whenever I find a small window of time. Sometimes posts are scheduled ahead—other times I publish something that caught my attention that week.
Today’s topic definitely fell into the “caught my attention” category.
The reason? A comment I received recently.
The other night, right before bed, I saw a blog notification pop up. Someone had been carefully reading through my posts and mentioned they were a bit disappointed that there haven’t been many recent updates about pigmentation.
So—let’s talk about pigmentation again.
I’ve already shared several cases with very dark, dense pigmentation and dramatic before-and-after changes. This time, I’m sharing a case that many people can relate to: lighter but more widespread, diffuse pigmentation.
Case: Female patient in her mid-30s.
This patient first visited in January 2023.
She had previously received treatments such as Ulthera and Violet hair removal. In September 2023, she had an important event coming up. After about a month of significant sun exposure, she developed light pigmentation across much of the face and came in for evaluation and treatment.
I also treat dark spots, and the basic principle of pigment laser treatment for concerns like melasma, freckles, and sun spots is fairly simple:
- Because the target spots are darker than the surrounding skin, the laser can identify them more easily and concentrate energy where it’s needed.
In general, the stronger the contrast, the more straightforward the treatment can be (with important exceptions, of course—such as certain birthmarks or melasma patterns).
But what if someone has fair skin with very light, scattered, tiny pigmentation—and on top of that, there are also hypopigmented (lighter) areas present?
You can also see pigmentation beginning around the cheekbone area.
This is the kind of case that requires a careful, conservative approach. The goal is to improve the pigmentation without damaging the surrounding skin—and to avoid treating the hypopigmented areas altogether, focusing only on the pigmented lesions.
After 10 sessions of pigmentation-focused treatment combined with 3 sessions of dermal-rejuvenating skin boosters, here are the results.
Before vs. After
Before: October 16, 2023 | After: January 29, 2024
These photos are shared with consent. They show the same person, taken in the same location, with no retouching or edits.
Results vary by individual. A thorough consultation is essential, including a discussion of possible side effects such as temporary pigmentation changes, bruising, or swelling.
To be completely honest, I wouldn’t call this a “showcase” case with an extremely dramatic transformation.
But when a patient tells me something like, “I read all your posts and found someone whose skin looks like mine,” it reminds me why posts like this matter.
I don’t want to focus only on the most dramatic results. I also want to show that even subtle, diffuse pigmentation on fair skin can improve—with the right plan and careful technique.
That’s the perspective I’ve been trying to share more of lately.
Thank you for reading.
