Concerns · Pigment
Melasma
A planned course for pigment that keeps coming back — treated gradually, and honestly.
Consultation
£50
Paid online when you book
Priced
At consultation
Agreed in writing up front
Planned as
A course
Length agreed at consultation
Overview
Managed, rather than cured.
Melasma is a stubborn, often hormonally driven pigmentation that sits deeper than sun damage and is prone to returning. Treating it well means managing it over time rather than promising to remove it.
Which treatment is right depends on what is driving your melasma, how deep and widespread it is, and your skin type — so the plan is set after a professional assessment, not chosen from a menu. Gentle, repeated treatment is the norm, because aggressive treatment is the most common way melasma is made worse.
- Pigment that sits deeper and returns
- Plan set by the cause, severity and skin type
- Aggressive treatment can make melasma worse
- Patch test before the first session
- Richer skin tones assessed specifically
- Plan and course length agreed in writing
Treatment options
Options your clinician may consider.
Often combined, always chosen for your skin. None of them cures melasma — the aim is to lighten it and keep it under control.
Laser treatment
- Gentle, low-energy laser toning repeated over a course
- Erbium:YAG laser in selected cases, with settings chosen to keep the risk of pigment flaring low
- Settings chosen for your skin type, after a patch test
- More on laser toning and Erbium:YAG laser
Chemical peels
- Medical-grade peels chosen for strength and skin tone
- Used to lighten surface pigment gradually
- More on power peels
Skin boosters
- Considered only where skin quality is part of the picture
- Not a treatment for pigment on their own
- More on skin boosters
Between sessions
- Daily sun protection and the home care your clinician advises
- As important as the treatment itself, because sun and hormones affect melasma
The treatment
How a course actually runs.
The same three steps every time, for melasma as for everything else we do.
Step 01
Assessed, not sold to
A clinician looks at your skin or scalp, takes your medical history in person and tells you honestly what will — and will not — help. If the answer is “nothing yet”, that is what you will hear.
Step 02
Tested, then treated
Where a treatment needs one, a small area is tested first so the settings are chosen for your skin rather than guessed. Your plan, session count and total cost are agreed in writing before anything starts.
Step 03
Aftercare you can call on
You leave with written aftercare and a number to ring. A review is booked to check progress and adjust the plan if it needs it — that is where a course gets better, not on the first day.
Before & after · our own patients
Real patients, real results.
Unretouched photographs taken at our Finchley Road clinic — same person, same light, same frame, over a planned course. Individual results vary, so what yours could look like is set out honestly at consultation.
Prices
Why melasma is priced at consultation.
Melasma plans vary in the treatments used, how many sessions are needed and how they are spaced, so a clinician assesses your skin first and gives you the total in writing before anything is booked.
- Assessed before anything is priced
- Total agreed in writing before treatment
- £50 consultation, no obligation
- If treatment will not help yet, you will be told
Questions
Good to know.
Short answers to what people ask before booking melasma.
Speak to the clinic
+44 7487 416555Can melasma be cured?
No, and we will not tell you otherwise. It is a condition that is managed rather than cured, and it is prone to returning — particularly with sun exposure and hormonal change.
Why is it treated so gradually?
Because aggressive treatment is the most common way melasma is made worse. Repeated gentle work is both safer and more effective.
Is it safe on darker skin tones?
Melasma is more common on richer skin tones and needs settings chosen specifically for them. We assess this and patch test first, every time.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on your melasma and your skin. A realistic number is agreed in writing at consultation, and progress is reviewed at every visit.
What else affects it?
Sun exposure and hormonal change both do. Your clinician will talk you through what you can do between sessions, because that matters as much as the treatment.
Often paired with
Related treatments.
When you are ready
Find out what’s right for you.
The consultation is £50, paid securely online when you book, and carries no obligation. You meet a clinician, not a salesperson — and if a treatment will not help, you will hear that too.