Illuminase
Melasma is a very common skin disorder that produces patches of brown discoloration on the face and can affect anyone. An estimated 50% to 70% of pregnant women in the US develop melasma. Board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Arielle Kauvar, has developed Illuminase, a new procedure that has been shown to effectively combat melasma and hyperpigmentation with excellent results, far outperforming any current treatments available. Illuminase combines microdermabrasion (a light skin sanding) with low energy YAG laser treatment and a pigment-reducing skin care regimen. Two to three laser treatments, performed one month apart, are usually enough to clear greater than 75% of the abnormal skin pigmentation, and the results are maintained with the skin care regimen for as long as twelve months.
Illuminase is a three-pronged approach to treating melasma: The microdermabrasion removes the dead cell layer, enabling enhanced laser light penetration, while increasing skin cell turnover. The laser breaks up the extraneous skin pigment to smaller particles which are then cleared by the body’s normal healing mechanisms and the skin care regimen is designed to prevent excessive pigment production from recurring.
Pregnancy, birth control pills, hormones and other medication as well as skin irritation and sun exposure can trigger melasma. The common treatments for melasma include skin lightening creams containing hydroquinone, kojic acid or tretinoin, along with UVA blocking sunscreens, chemical peels and laser treatment. The success rate of all these treatments in clearing melasma is low, and the pigmentation periodically worsens.
“Illuminase is one of the most exciting new treatments in dermatology because the results are consistently good in almost every patient treated, even in those who have tried aggressive laser treatments with long recovery times,” says Dr. Kauvar. The procedure and treatment protocol are available at Dr. Kauvar’s private Manhattan-based practice, New York Laser & Skin Care.
Results
In Dr. Kauvar’s study of Illuminase, she treated twenty-seven subjects, including light and darker skin types, with moderate to severe melasma that had been resistant to previous therapies. The average number of treatment sessions was 2.6, with a range of 1 to 4. Twenty-three subjects (85%) had greater than 75% clearance of their melasma and, of those, twelve (44%) had nearly 100% clearance of their brown patches.
Most of Dr. Kauvar’s patients had undergone years of unsuccessful treatments. Patients are amazed that their pigment begins to clear within 2 to 3 weeks after the first procedure after suffering for years with this condition. What’s more, there is absolutely no pain and no down time. In fact, says Kauvar, that is the innovation in this procedure; melasma worsens in response to skin irritation and inflammation but this procedure is so gentle that it does not stimulate pigment production, the factor responsible for poor results seen in other, more aggressive laser treatments.
Dr. Kauvar is also obtaining successful results using Illuminase for the treatment of other skin pigmentation disorders, such as hyperpigmentation and brown discoloration due to aging and sun exposure. Dr. Kauvar presented the results at the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery annual conference, which took place March 30-April 3, 2011, in Texas. For more information visit: illuminase.com.
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Does it work on really light melasma and if I don’t want ton use hydroquinone or retin a renovate would it work as well???I am using mama lotion mandolin and malic acid my skin is loving it but the melasma is still their .
I also wonder about the price or the procedure???
Thanks in advance Annie.