ND:YAG Laser for Pigmentation
- Time in clinic
- About 45 minutes
- Sessions
- 1 to 3 for some, more for deeper spots
- Downtime
- Redness for hours, light crusting for days
At our Legian clinic only.
Key takeaway
Do a few brown spots bother you? Your doctor aims the laser at each freckle, sun spot or age spot, not at your whole face.
Before your visit
It suits
- Spots you can point to, one by one
- Time out of the sun, before and after
- Patience for a gradual fade
Tell your doctor about any mark that is new, changing, irregular, bleeding or unexplained before you book.
To prepare
- No tanning or fake tan beforehand, or the appointment is postponed.
- Tell your doctor about medication and anything that makes your skin sensitive to light.
- Arrive with clean skin and nothing on the area, not even lotion.
- Mention past laser or pigment treatments and any pigment changes.
- Sunburnt, infected or irritated skin means a new date.
- Pause retinoids, acids and scrubs, and avoid swimming, as your doctor advises.
Not every mark suits a laser
Time in clinicAbout 45 minutes
Your doctor reads the colour, pattern and depth of each mark first, because brown marks have different causes.
In a bright Legian room with white leather chairs, our Q-switched Nd:YAG laser uses two wavelengths, 532 nm and 1064 nm, to reach pigment at different depths. Its pulses are so short that excess melanin absorbs them and shatters, while nearby skin is mostly spared. Your body clears the pieces.
It is non-ablative, so the surface of the skin stays whole while the laser works.
On the day
Numbing cream can go on 20 to 30 minutes before if you need it, and the whole procedure takes about 45 minutes. You wear protective eyewear. Each pulse feels like brief warmth or a light snap, and sunscreen goes on before you leave.
Where it can be used
- Face
- Forehead
- Cheeks
- Nose
- Jawline
- Neck
The Legian clinic
The laser room at Cocoon Legian. 
The stone path between the treatment rooms at Legian. 
The salt wall at Cocoon Legian, lit from behind. 
The consultation comes first, with your doctor, before anything is booked. 
Tea on arrival, and a quiet place to sit. 
Cocoon Legian at dusk.
After your treatment
DowntimeRedness for hours, light crusting for days
Until it settles
- For 24 to 48 hours, no hot baths, saunas, steam rooms or hard exercise.
- Use lukewarm water and gentle products until the skin settles.
- Do not pick at any crusting or dry skin.
- Keep out of direct sun and wear sunscreen every day.
- Contact us if anything unexpected develops afterwards.
Results
Straight after, treated spots look white, grey or darker. Over the next few days they crust lightly or flake, then fade over several weeks. Any redness or colour change usually settles.
Results vary from spot to spot. Treated spots can stay lighter, but the laser does not stop new ones, so wear SPF 30 or higher every day.
Questions people ask
As it clears, the broken pigment rises towards the surface and shows more, often for one to two weeks. That is expected with many shallow spots.
Some shallow spots fade after one. Others need a series, and no one can promise that every spot will go.
Not always, as heat or inflammation can bring melasma back or darken it. Marks left by old inflammation are similar, so your doctor may suggest another treatment.
Pigment differs in type and depth, and your skin tone, hormones and the sun change how each spot responds.
Most people can. Redness usually settles within a few hours, and swelling is uncommon.
