It depends how dark, and we would rather say so than treat the wrong skin. Intense pulsed light works because brown pigment absorbs it; in a dark spot that is the point, but the surrounding skin absorbs it too, and the darker the skin the more it absorbs. The manufacturer places Lumecca on skin types I to IV, fair to olive: its 515 nm filter for types I and II, its 580 nm filter for III and IV. A review of 54 Lumecca patients' photographs from 27 clinics used lower energies on darker skin. In our practice we treat types I to III and some type IV after a patch test, and for types V and VI we usually advise a different treatment, because we found no Lumecca study that treated them and the risk of darkening is highest there. At Lumecca Clinic, 130 Harley Street, the clinician assesses your skin type at a free consultation before anything else.
What the evidence says about darkening
- 43 studies, 1,654 patients with skin types IV to VI, 2022: across non-ablative lasers and energy devices for rejuvenation and acne scars, the darkening rate (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) was 8.1%. It was significantly lower with intense pulsed light and radiofrequency than with diode and erbium lasers, and it rose with skin type and with energy.
- 675 patients with skin types III and IV, 2014: after IPL, 2.96% developed melasma-like darkening within three months, all of them with a prior pigment disorder, and six of the twenty were not regular sunscreen users afterwards.
- A review of 54 patients' photographs from 27 clinics, collected by the manufacturer, 2021: no significant side effect, nine of the patients with Asian skin, with lower energies used on darker skin.
The lesson in those figures is the one we follow: match the filter and the energy to the skin type, test a patch first on olive skin, and usually advise a different treatment for the skin types no Lumecca study has covered.
What we do for olive skin
Type IV skin, olive or light brown, is treated with the filter and energy set for that skin type, after a small test patch, and with strict sun avoidance and sunscreen for the course. Melasma on any skin type is assessed by the doctor first, because light can make it worse. A recent tan counts as darker skin for the day: we do not treat tanned skin, and in our practice we ask for four weeks out of the sun before a session.
What we advise for types V and VI
A different treatment. The clinician says at the free consultation which treatment suits deeply pigmented skin. The how it works page explains why light and pigment interact the way they do.
Book a free consultation
Call Lumecca Clinic on 0207 043 8149 or use the form below. The clinician grades your skin type, says whether Lumecca is the right light for it, and plans a patch test where it is.
