Hi,
Thank you for your question and photo. It appears that you have a solar lentigo a.k.a sun spot on your left cheek. It is a pigmented spot that is due to sun damage.
There are mainly 2 ways of removing/lightening the spot:
1) Topical creams:
Formulations containing hydroquinone and/or tretinoin and a variety of lightening agents such as kojic acid and azelaic acid may be used to lighten solar lentigo.
However, it usually takes a long time and results vary across individuals. Most of the time, there would not be complete removal of the spot.
2) Lasers/BroadBand Light (BBL) :
As you correctly mentioned, lasers can be used to remove the spot. Q-switched lasers are very effective in clearing such spots. BBL is also effective in dealing with such pigments. There may be darkening of the spot initially after laser or BBL but it will lighten after 1-2 weeks. More than one treatment may be needed to achieve complete or near-complete removal.
Solar lentigo is due to ultraviolet (UV) damage from the sun's rays. Hence, without proper sun protection, solar lentigo can always recur. It is important to use sunblock regularly. Given the strong sunlight we experience in Singapore, a sunblock with SPF 30++ and above is minimal and ideally, re-application is recommended every 2-3 hours. Best case scenario would be to avoid the sunlight as much as possible.
Hope this would be useful for you.
Best Regards,
Dr. Soh.
