Pigment & Tone
Sun Damage
Cumulative UV injury — sunspots, leathery texture, broken capillaries and premature ageing.
01
What it is
Sun damage (photoageing) is the accumulated effect of UV exposure: solar lentigines (sunspots), uneven tone, coarse texture, fine lines, sallowness and visible vessels.
In Australia, it is the single largest contributor to how aged skin looks — far outweighing chronological ageing.
02
Why it happens
- UVA penetrates to the dermis and degrades collagen and elastin; UVB damages the epidermis and DNA.
- Damage is cumulative and largely invisible until decades later — which is why imaging often reveals far more than the mirror does.
03
The layer involved
Structure
Full thickness — epidermis through to dermal collagen and elastin
Photoageing affects pigment cells at the surface, collagen and elastin in the dermis, and the vascular network — so a combination approach usually outperforms a single treatment.
04 · What may help
Treatments we may consider
Indicative only. Which of these belong in your plan — and in what order — is decided at your skin analysis, never from a page.
Intense Pulsed Light
IPL
The gold standard for correcting pigmentation, redness and uneven skin tone.
Deep Skin Remodelling
Fractional Laser
Micro-beams of laser energy rebuild scarred, lax or damaged skin from the inside out.
Precision Ablative Resurfacing
2940 Er:YAG Laser
Erbium's ultra-precise wavelength resurfaces damaged skin with minimal residual heat.
Where Every Journey Begins
World Class Skin Analysis
Advanced imaging that reveals what your skin can't show you — and the plan that follows.
05 · When we may need a medical assessment
Some things belong with a doctor first.
- Any crusting, scaly, tender or non-healing spot — this may be a sun spot requiring medical treatment, not a cosmetic one.
- New, growing, irregular or multi-coloured lesions — a skin check comes before any cosmetic plan.
- A personal or family history of skin cancer.
This page is general education, not medical advice. If anything here sounds like your skin, we will tell you honestly at consultation whether we can help or whether you should see your GP or dermatologist first.
Related
Colour, spots and unevenness.
Pigmentation
Patches or spots of excess melanin — the umbrella term for uneven skin colour.
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH)
Brown marks left behind after acne, injury, waxing, burns or aggressive treatment.
Melasma
Symmetrical, hormonally driven pigment patches — a chronic condition that is managed, not cured.