Show patients their result before they treat.
Flat brown spots and age spots from years of cumulative sun exposure.
Sarah Jenkins
Plan #4110 • Overall
Recommended Protocol
Photofacial: IPL and BBL
VI Peels • For Sunspots
Vitamin C serums
At-home maintenance
Sunspots (age spots or solar lentigines) are flat brown spots from cumulative UV exposure that triggers excess melanin. They respond well to IPL/BBL photofacials, chemical peels, and lasers that break up the pigment, often with visible clearing in one to a few sessions. Daily SPF, vitamin C, and retinoids maintain results and prevent new spots.
Sunspots — also called age spots or solar lentigines — are flat brown, tan, or dark spots that develop after years of UV exposure from the sun or tanning beds. UV light triggers excess melanin in certain areas, leading to a mottled, weathered look with uneven coloration, rough texture, and dullness.
Sunspots are a satisfying, high-conversion concern because results are visible and often dramatic, which makes them a great gateway treatment. The provider's goal is to break up and fade the pigment, even tone, and refresh texture — frequently with a single photofacial or peel series. Showing the projected clearer, brighter skin on the patient's own photo makes the before-and-after potential obvious and books the treatment on the spot.
Sunspots
Where it appears
Face
Facial area
Overall
Treatment paths
9
From in-clinic procedures to at-home regimens, Afters maps the full range of options — so patients can see what each one would do for them, on their own photo, before they commit.
Professional procedures performed by a provider to target the concern directly.
Energy-based and resurfacing devices used to treat the concern in clinic.
Branded injectables and medical products providers use for this concern.
Medical-grade products patients use between visits to maintain results.
The named injectables, products, and devices patients search for — each lets them preview the result before they commit.
A near-painless medium-depth chemical peel with formulas for acne, pigment, and aging.
View brandA professional depigmentation peel system designed specifically to treat melasma and stubborn pigment.
View brandSciton's high-powered BroadBand Light — the premium IPL for sun damage, redness, and brown spots.
View brandA laser-free resurfacing device that uses brief heat contact to renew skin — gentle enough for the eye area.
View brandSciton's hybrid fractional laser — combines ablative and non-ablative wavelengths for big results with manageable downtime.
View brandInMode's high-intensity IPL — clears sun spots, redness, and broken capillaries, often in just one or two sessions.
View brandPatients rarely come in for just one thing. Browse other concerns Afters can visualize.
Darkened patches and spots from excess melanin caused by sun, inflammation, or hormones.
Explore treatmentsBrown or gray-brown patches on the face triggered by sun, hormones, and heat.
Explore treatmentsSmall, shallow wrinkles that show up first around the eyes, mouth, and forehead.
Explore treatmentsCommon questions patients ask about sunspots — and what practices should be ready to answer.
Years of cumulative UV exposure from the sun or tanning beds trigger excess melanin in localized areas, producing the flat brown spots known as age spots or solar lentigines.
IPL/BBL photofacials are a gold standard for fading brown spots, with chemical peels, fractional lasers, and microdermabrasion also effective. Many patients see clear improvement in one to a few sessions.
Some spots fade after a single photofacial, while more extensive sun damage may need a series of 2–4 sessions spaced a few weeks apart.
Treated spots don't typically return, but new ones can form with continued sun exposure. Daily broad-spectrum SPF is essential to protect results.
No. Sunspots are discrete, sun-induced spots that respond well to lasers and IPL, while melasma is a hormonally-driven, diffuse, recurrence-prone pigmentation that requires a gentler, managed approach.
Afters simulates the outcome on a patient's own photo and builds a visual 12-month plan — so consults convert and average ticket climbs.