Professionally removing dark spots on face
For people who have removed dark spots on their face professionally, what kind of procedure did you do and who did you see? Did you like your results? I'm looking for myself and am a little overwhelmed by the different options. I've already tried at-home skincare products over time with no success, so looking to get it professionally removed. And given it's on my face and very visible, I want to be careful with who I see and what technology/etc is used. Thanks in advance!
Apr 29, 2025
Parent Replies
Recommend that you see a cosmetic dermatologist, MD. There are independents and also cosmetic dermatologists at UCSF, Stanford, and most other major hospitals/networks.
Before treatment, they will likely want you to first see a regular dermatologist to rule out any cancer concerns so it might make sense to get your annual skin check first.
There are many reasons people have dark spots and many different types of dark spots but (assuming no medical concerns...) the likely treatment will be a series of lasers and/or cryotherapy (freezing) and/or electrocautery.
Absent a medical concern (e.g., cancer) this will not be covered by insurance but if you are bothered by their appearance, it will be worth it.
The best treatment I received was a Halo Laser treatment. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any good Halo providers close by to Berkeley. There is one but it is disreputable. The best I can find is in Alamo, and that is a distance. Others are in Walnut Creek and Dublin. Other than that, an inexpensive option for overall skin appearance including spots is tretinoin cream. It is a much denser form of retin-a. Also I use the Skinceuticals C 10 AOX. Skinceuticals sells more expensive C serums but I've found the 10 AOX works as well.
I've done microneedling for age/sun spots and would highly recommend! It took a few sessions to see a noticeable difference, but this in combo with Vitamin C by Marie Veronique has been a game changer for me. And very little downtime post-procedure, like a day. I see Dr. Jules at Raven & Wren Wellness on 7th St. in Berkeley. I remember doing a complimentary consultation before I got started. Good Luck and hope this helps!
I had great success with IPL treatment (IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light), done by Dr. Jeannie Tsai in San Francisco on Lombard Street. Her business is called SF Aesthetics and Laser. Not cheaper, but totally worth it. She's also a very nice person. I did it for brown sun damage and age spots. The first time was the most dramatic -- the spots darken and flake off. I've had a couple touch ups over the years.