Nurse Practitioner
Megan Lafuente
West Hollywood
What Megan does
- Neurotoxins
- Dermal filler
- Hormone therapy
- Peptide protocols
- Medical weight management
- Lab work review
Skin
Brown patches have several different causes and they do not share a treatment. Melasma in particular gets worse with the wrong one, which is why this page starts with which kind you have.
$175per session
Multi-treatment protocol, custom priced
New clients save 15% on your first treatment.
Price depends on cause. Superficial sun damage is often resolved from $175 to $350. Melasma is a longer, more involved programme and Cosmelan starts at $850 including the home regimen that makes it work. The analysis comes first because using the wrong treatment on melasma actively sets you back.
Financing available
Pay over time with the same providers we use in center. Checking your options does not affect your credit score.
Skin discoloration treatment · Cheeks and mid-face
In short
Skin discolouration has three main causes and each needs a different approach. Sun damage and age spots are surface pigment and respond well to IPL and peels. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the mark left after a spot or injury and often fades on its own with sun protection. Melasma is hormonally driven, sits deeper, recurs, and can be made worse by heat and light-based treatments including IPL.
Sun damage is pigment that sits near the surface, and it responds quickly and dramatically to IPL and peels. Post-inflammatory marks are what a spot leaves behind, and they very often fade on their own given a year and sunscreen. Melasma is different in kind: it is hormonally driven, sits deeper, comes back, and is aggravated by heat as well as light. That is why an IPL that clears a friend's sun spots in one session can leave someone with melasma darker than they started. Telling these apart is the entire value of the consultation.
Units and cost
By cause. This is the table that matters on this page.
| Area | Typical units | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sun damage and age spots | IPL, 3 sessions | from $350 |
| Dullness and uneven tone | HydraFacial or peel | from $175 |
| Post-inflammatory marks | Peel series, or time | from $420 |
| Melasma | Cosmelan protocol | from $850 |
| Melasma, maintenance | Topicals and peels | from $420 |
| Pigment on deeper skin | Microneedling or Cosmelan | from $500 |
| Pigment with texture | Microneedling | from $500 |
| Chest and hands | IPL or peel | from $350 |
Melasma is managed rather than cured, so it is priced as a programme rather than a session. Sun damage frequently resolves in one to three sessions and is the cheapest and most satisfying thing on this list.
Treatment areas
Cheeks and mid-face
from $350
Where melasma concentrates most often.
Upper lip
from $350
The classic melasma pattern, and a giveaway to a trained eye.
Forehead
from $350
Often treated alongside the cheeks in melasma.
Sun spots
from $350
Discrete age spots, the fastest thing to clear.
Chest
from $350
Years of accumulated sun exposure.
Hands
from $350
Age spots that give age away before the face does.
How it works
Remove it, block it, or wait it out.
Surface pigment is removed physically. Peels shed the layers holding it, IPL breaks it up so it rises and flakes away, and microneedling accelerates the turnover that carries it out.
Deeper and hormonally driven pigment is not removed so much as suppressed. Cosmelan and prescription topicals interrupt melanin production itself, which is why the home regimen matters more than the in-center treatment.
All of it is undone by sun. Ultraviolet exposure restarts melanin production directly, which is why daily SPF is not aftercare advice here, it is part of the treatment.
Which product
Including the one that can make things worse.
Starts working: Spots darken 1 to 3 days. Lasts: Months to years. The fastest and most dramatic option for discrete sun spots and age spots, from $350. ⚠️ Generally INAPPROPRIATE for melasma, where heat and light can worsen it, and not suitable for deeper skin types. This is the treatment most often used wrongly.
Starts working: Peeling 5 to 7 days. Lasts: Managed long term. A medical depigmentation protocol: an in-center mask plus a strict home regimen. The strongest option for melasma and one of the few appropriate across skin tones. From $850, and the home phase is not optional.
Starts working: Peeling 5 to 7 days. Lasts: Months. VI Peel Precision Plus is formulated for pigment specifically, from $420. Works without heat or light, so it suits skin tones IPL does not.
Starts working: Redness 1 to 3 days. Lasts: Improves over 6 months. No heat, no light, safe on every skin tone, from $500. Treats pigment alongside texture and is the safer choice when melasma may be involved.
Good to know
Including two things most clinics will not tell you.
The most satisfying result here. Discrete brown spots often clear substantially in one to three sessions.
Diffuse dullness and unevenness respond well to peels and resurfacing.
With a protocol built for it: Cosmelan, topicals and genuinely rigorous sun protection.
Microneedling, peels and Cosmelan all work without relying on light, which is what makes them appropriate where IPL is not.
It is hormonally driven and it recurs. Anyone promising to cure it is selling you a course you will be disappointed by, and we would rather set the expectation correctly now.
Heat and light can aggravate it. It is still the treatment most commonly reached for, which is why so many melasma patients arrive having been made worse elsewhere.
Not aftercare. Ultraviolet exposure restarts pigment production directly and undoes the work in weeks.
Aftercare
Pigmentation is the one concern where what you do at home decides it.
Treated spots darken for one to three days, then flake away. Expected, not a complication.
Five to seven days of peeling. Do not pick it: lifting skin early on a pigment patient causes new pigment.
Peeling and a strict home regimen that runs for months. The home phase is the treatment, not the follow-up.
Daily, indoors included, reapplied. On this page it is not optional advice, it is the mechanism.
For melasma specifically, heat alone can trigger it. Saunas, hot yoga and even hot cars matter.
Where honest assessment happens. Pigment moves slowly.
Melasma needs maintenance indefinitely. Sun damage, once cleared, stays cleared if you protect it.
Aftercare
Your result lasts longer when what you use at home is doing the same work. This is the routine our providers start most patients on, dispensed through the practice. Not sure it is right for your skin? Take the skin quiz, or ask your provider to build one around the treatment you are having.
skinbetter science
An exfoliating foam cleanser for normal to oily skin, for a brighter and more refined look without a separate scrub.
skinbetter science
A morning antioxidant serum with a broader antioxidant blend than a single-ingredient vitamin C.
skinbetter science
skinbetter science's most recognized product, and the one most people start with. AlphaRet pairs a retinoid with an alpha hydroxy acid in a single overnight step.
skinbetter science
An eye gel with a visible short-term tightening effect alongside longer-term peptide work.
All four steps together. Dispensed by the practice and shipped to you, or picked up at any of our 22 centers.
Is it for you
Discoloration Treatment Our skin discoloration treatments are suitable for a wide range of adults seeking clearer, more even skin.
During your consultation your provider will assess you and review your medical history to make sure this treatment is safe and appropriate for you.
Your timeline
Diagnosis first, because the wrong treatment sets you back.
Frequently asked
Skin discoloration can result from multiple factors including sun exposure (UV damage), hormonal changes (melasma), post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne or injuries, genetics, aging, and certain medications. Understanding the root cause of your discoloration helps us select the most effective treatment approach for lasting results.
Results vary by treatment type.
Treatment suitability varies by skin type and tone. IPL works best for lighter skin tones, while treatments like Cosmelan and microneedling are safe for a wider range of skin types including darker complexions. During your consultation, our providers will assess your Fitzpatrick skin type and recommend the safest, most effective options for your unique skin.
Downtime varies by treatment. HydraFacial has no downtime—you can apply makeup immediately. IPL may cause mild redness for a few hours and darkening of spots for 7-10 days before they flake off. Cosmelan involves 7-10 days of peeling.
IPL uses broad-spectrum light to target pigment and redness, treating larger areas efficiently.
Melasma is a chronic condition that can be effectively managed but not permanently cured. Treatments like Cosmelan can dramatically reduce melasma, but it may recur with sun exposure, hormonal changes, or pregnancy. Long-term management includes strict sun protection, maintenance treatments, and medical-grade skincare to keep melasma under control.
Sun protection is absolutely critical—it’s the most important factor in maintaining your results. UV exposure is the primary trigger for pigmentation, and treated skin is more sensitive to the sun. We recommend daily SPF 30+ sunscreen, hats, and sun avoidance, especially during peak hours. Without proper sun protection, discoloration will return regardless of how effective your treatment was.
Most patients achieve optimal results with a series of treatments. IPL typically requires 3-6 sessions spaced 3-4 weeks apart.
Enhance your results
What pairs well with neurotoxin.
The fastest option for discrete sun spots, and the wrong one for melasma.
Learn More
VI Peel Precision Plus is formulated for pigment and works without heat or light.
Learn More
Safe on every skin tone, and treats pigment alongside texture.
Learn More
If texture rather than colour is the real complaint.
Learn MoreOur team
The molecule is the same everywhere. Who holds the syringe is not.
Nurse Practitioner
West Hollywood
What Megan does
It is the most commonly misapplied treatment in this category. On melasma and on deeper skin it can make things worse, and we would rather lose the booking than cause that.
A full medical depigmentation protocol from $850, including the home regimen that actually does the work.
Peels, microneedling and Cosmelan all work without relying on light. Pigment problems are more common on deeper skin, which makes that essential rather than nice to have.
It is managed, not cured. Setting that expectation at the start is the difference between a happy long-term patient and an angry one.
Post-inflammatory marks often fade on their own within a year. We will say so.
Standardised training and the same protocols in every location.
Find a center
Available at all 22 centers. Pick your closest for directions, hours and local pricing.
West Hollywood, CA
8550 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste 101
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Westlake Village, CA
968 South Westlake Blvd, Ste 10
Westlake Village, CA 91361
Las Vegas, NV
1825 Festival Plaza Dr, Ste 180
Las Vegas, NV 89135
Henderson, NV
120 S Green Valley Pkwy, Ste 174
Henderson, NV 89012
Bee Cave, TX
3944 Ranch Rd 620 S, Bldg 1, Ste 100
Bee Cave, TX 78738
San Antonio, TX
23110 W Interstate 10 Frontage Rd, Ste 203
San Antonio, TX 78257
Tell us what you are considering and where, and a provider will be in touch.
"*" indicates required fields
Start your journey
Schedule your complimentary skin analysis. Your provider will establish which kind of pigmentation you have, and steer you away from the treatments that would make it worse.
Medically reviewed by the BHRC clinical team. Last reviewed August 2026.
This page is for general information and is not medical advice. Treatment suitability, pricing and results vary by individual and are confirmed at consultation with a licensed provider.
