Cosmetic Surgery and Beauty Magazine #66

skin
New
treatment
for
Melasma
Melasma patients look no further!
The FDA has just approved revlite
from cynosure for the treATMent of
melasma. Caitlin Bishop rePORTs.
Sometimes dubbed the “mask of pregnancy”, and often seen
in pre-menopausal women or those who take oral or patch
contraceptives, melasma is a type of pigmentation that causes
discolouration across the forehead and face. Those women who’ve
suffered from the persistent pigmentation will understand its fickle
nature and imperviousness to treatment.
But now, with the latest technology from Cynosure, hope can be
rekindled. RevLite is a new-generation Q-Switched laser, recently
approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in America for
the treatment of melasma.
The laser, which is also registered for use in Australia by the TGA, is
designed to shed pigmentation from the skin’s surface and lighten the
melasma lesions. This is achieved without damaging the surrounding
skin’s texture. ‘Treating melasma can be so difficult, I used to want
to hide under my desk when melasma patients walked in because
I didn’t know what to say to them,’ Victorian Associate Professor in
dermatology Greg Goodman explains. ‘With RevLite it is so much
easier, it’s changed the paradigm for treating melasma.’
Originally, RevLite was created as a solution for tattoo removal. It
incorporates a selection of hand pieces, at a variety of wavelengths,
to combat the full spectrum of coloured inks. This same versatility
has been applied to targeting natural skin pigmentation, and the
RevLite is effective in addressing pigmentation that resides deep in
the epidermal layers.
‘RevLite’s 1064 nanometre wavelength is used for facial rejuvenation
and treating melasma,’ Assoc Prof Goodman explains. ‘This penetrates
the skin quite deeply, and is absorbed up to 5 to 6mm into the dermis.
It targets vascularity and deep pigment. ’
This can be combined with the 532 wavelength, which targets more
superficial freckles and pigment.
76 www.cosbeauty.com.au