THE CONCERN: UNEVEN SKIN TONE
One of the main culprits here is UV damage. Over the years, exposure to the sun triggers melanin production, which can result in dark spots. This gives the skin a patchy, irregular appearance (hence the importance of daily SPF). Other causes of an uneven skin tone include hormones (during pregnancy, for example), general skin aging and acne scarring.
$250 AND UNDER PICOWAY LASER
APPROXIMATE COST $250 to treat a single area
NUMBER OF SESSIONS REQUIRED One to four
RESULTS LAST FOR A minimum of six months
DOWNTIME Minimal, typically one to two days
SAFE FOR ALL SKIN TONES? Yes
HOW IT WORKS This laser can treat dark spots, acne scars and wrinkles and can even be used to remove tattoos. It uses picosecond (one-trillionth of a second) pulses of energy to target pigmentation that sits below the surface of the skin while also promoting elastin production. When the laser pulses hit the pigment in the skin, they divide it up into small particles, which the body then breaks down and discards. A PicoWay treatment can be used to address specific areas of the skin or the entire face (for a higher cost).
Additional treatment option: Chemical peel
$500 AND UNDER CLEAR + BRILLIANT LASER
APPROXIMATE COST $350 per treatment
NUMBER OF SESSIONS REQUIRED Three to six
RESULTS LAST FOR A few months; annual or biannual sessions are recommended to maintain results
DOWNTIME One to seven days of dryness and redness
SAFE FOR ALL SKIN TONES? Yes
HOW IT WORKS A gentle laser option, Clear + Brilliant is a resurfacing treatment that uses fractional-light-based technology for general skin rejuvenation, addressing things like discoloration, uneven texture and early signs of aging. It works by creating thousands of micro-injuries in the top layers of the skin, which leads to the damaged cells being replaced with healthy new tissue. The result is a more even, glowing complexion.
INTENSE PULSED LIGHT (IPL)
APPROXIMATE COST $400 to $500 per session
NUMBER OF SESSIONS REQUIRED Three to five
RESULTS LAST FOR Six months to a year
DOWNTIME Minimal; skin may appear red and irritated for a few hours to a few days afterwards
SAFE FOR ALL SKIN TONES? Not recommended for deeper skin tones HOW IT WORKS IPL delivers multiple wavelengths of light energy to the surface of the skin, where it breaks apart damaged cells. The skin then naturally removes these by pushing them to the surface where they slough off a few days after the treatment. IPL is most often used to treat larger areas of the skin for concerns like hyperpigmentation, melasma, sun damage, wrinkles, unwanted hair and more.
$5,000 AND UNDER
For this budget, Wong recommends doing a combination of treatments—PicoWay ($700 for a full face treatment) and Clear + Brilliant ($350)—on the same day to yield the best results. Additional treatment option: CO2 laser resurfacing