Melasma Specialist

Helen Hsieh, MD -  - Gynecologist

Advanced Women Health

Helen Hsieh, MD

Gynecologist & Aesthetic Specialist located in Flushing, NY

Melasma is a skin condition in which your facial skin becomes discolored as a result of sun exposure or hormonal changes. Women get it far more often than men, and it’s sometimes called the “mask of pregnancy.” Helen Hsieh, MD, of Advanced Women Health in Flushing, New York, is an experienced gynecologist and expert at providing permanent treatment options for skin pigmentation issues like melasma with the PicoSure® laser by CynoSure®. Learn more about this advanced procedure by calling or scheduling a consultation online.

Melasma Q & A

What is melasma?

Melasma is a fairly common skin condition that causes brownish patches of skin to appear, usually on your face. Many women and men get melasma on their forehead, cheeks, nose, or upper lip.

You can get it on other parts of your body as well — sometimes on the arms and neck — especially if you spend a lot of time in the sun.

What causes melasma?

Your body over-produces melanin as a result of hormones and darker areas of skin appear on your face or other parts of your body.

In addition to sun exposure, women often get melasma as a result of hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause. In fact, melasma is sometimes called the “mask of pregnancy.”

Women who take birth control pills are also at risk of developing melasma and other hyperpigmentations due to hormonal changes.

How is melasma usually treated?

Most people treat melasma with sunscreen to prevent it from forming initially or worsening. If you are outside for long periods of time, wear sunscreen daily and reapply every two hours.

Dr. Hsieh offers the option of PicoSure® laser treatments to permanently diminish areas affected by melasma.

How does PicoSure treat melasma?

The PicoSure laser system is a cutting-edge treatment that delivers incredibly fast pulses of laser energy to areas of your skin affected by melasma. The laser is so fast and focused, it doesn’t damage the surrounding tissue.

While most lasers rely on heat to break up pigment, the PicoSure system improves your skin’s appearance by disrupting the melanin particles with rapid pulses of energy delivered in just trillionths of a second.

PicoSure laser treatments also minimize or eliminate pain, downtime, and risks associated with traditional lasers.

Dr. Hsieh creates an individual treatment plan based on your specific condition and tells you how many laser sessions will achieve the results you desire. She answers all your questions and explains the procedure to you so you know what to expect.

What can I expect after a treatment?

After a PicoSure laser treatment, your skin may appear lighter than the skin surrounding the treated area. This is usually temporary and your normal skin color returns as you heal.

Because the PicoSure technology is so advanced, there shouldn’t be any scarring, and the results after the recommended number of treatments are permanent.

If you have melasma and you’d like to find out about minimizing its appearance, call Advanced Women Health to make an appointment, or schedule one online today.