Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Hello, I had CO2 and erbium facial resurfacing about 6 months ago; I did have melasma. I then developed early hyperpigmentation on my cheeks and forehead (the CO2 area) about 2 weeks after, and have been managing this with a 4% hydroquinone and ridiculous amounts of sunscreen/hats/sun avoidance. The forehead is slowly getting better, but I just don't think the cheeks are any longer. My surgeon is giving me the run around; what might you suggest?

Can you use creams for scars also for sun damage?

Yes, you can. I have had to fight sun spots my whole life, because I have really light skin, and I get freckles even if I stay in the sun for only a split second. It didn’t take me long to figure out that products with vitamin c can really help. But watch out that it is fresh, because when it turns brown it quits working. And I have only a short list of products that I will buy again, because I’m sort of freaked out by all the things that can cause allergies. So I really research and then try something before I put it on my list. I used by Mederma until reading a bunch of studies that it’s esentially like putting on petroleum jelly. Mederma is not very expensive, but a lot more than pet-jelly. I started looking for something else, and that's when I found that vitamin c is really important. So I tried strips and some vitamin c creams.