Laser for pigmentation on black skin

[Mumsanetta]

Anyone have experience of this and can share how it went? I’m worried about making it worse.

I already use retinol, vit c, lactic acid and niaciamide and while the texture and brightness of my skin is the best ever, the pigmentation isn’t budging.

If it’s a resounding no to laser on darker skin I’ll go with hydroquinone at Skin + Me or Dermatica, I just prefer quick results!

I dot it all over the face (I use 2 pumps) then gently rub in. There isn’t much product so it’s a thin layer. They recommend you rub in all over rather than just your troublesome areas.

Thank you, I’m looking forward to giving it a go!

I’ve been using the Dermatica hydroquinone and tretinoin cream every other day for a week now and I’m in the midst of the retinol uglies! I’d forgotten that it gets worse before getting better - stinging skin and what looks like dermatitis all over my face. Eurgh hope it disappears after a month or so.

Did you go in a bit hard and fast? I do all the time I’ll stop doing it one day.

The evidence suggests I did. This is what it was like when I first tried off the shelf retinol and then one morning I woke up with glowing skin. May the good skin times roll.

Please don't use laser, I'm mixed-race (olive skin) and I've been left with worse pigmentation after laser to remove freckles etc.

I use skin&me and rose oil on rotation at night (when I remember!) and Vit C in the morning (again when I remember!) but definitely SPF every day without fail.

The pigmentation is fading slowly but the rest of my face is thanking me for it so I feel more confident to be make-up much more than before.

With laser the darker your skin tone the riskier it becomes. I sort of arm twisted my the (Dr) dermatologist to laser my face - she didn't want to risk it, she was right! (I did have a patch test which was ok the week before) but my face could take a larger area being zapped.
I doubt a credible person doing facial laser would want to treat you (plus I think your skin is lovely and you could afford to treat it in more gentle way than laser which is brutal)

Update - I applied the cream around my eyes (I know) and after a few applications it gave me dark circles around the eyes. I have been using eight hour cream around the eyes as a barrier but two weeks later and they are still there 😩. Has anyone experienced this reaction before?

Inflammation in dark skin can often lead to hyperpigmentation -- ie darker areas still.

Retinol irritates and causes an inflammatory reaction.

Lasers can do the same.

You're obviously free to ignore me and do what you like with your own skin, but if I were you I'd be ultra-careful about using anything that might make the problem worse. I'd only trust a proper dermatologist (not a nurse or beauty technician who's done some minimal, probably online, training) and preferably one with a specific interest in disorders of pigmentation (I am not saying that your skin is in any way disordered but it might end up that way if you're not careful!)

DOI. I have a postgrad university dermatology diploma - I'm less well qualified than a career dermatologist but much more qualified than a beautician!!

Just posting an update. I spoke to Dermatica and they said that it was a normal
reaction and sometimes tretinoin and hydroquinone would make dark circles worse first due to inflammation. They said to keep using it and it would get better - I did and the dark circles are starting to disappear.

There was another thread about how eyelash serums cause dark circles and I started using revitalash at the same time as the cream and wondered if that was what caused the dark circles. Can’t be sure but I also stopped using it after 3 weeks!

Good news about the dark circles @Mumsanetta