Now you see 'em, now you don't. That seems to be the case of Nicole Kidman's freckles (remember her skin back in her
BMX Bandits days?). So how did she do it? We asked plastic surgeon, Dr Steven Liew of Shape Clinic and MediSpa (www.shapeclinic.com.au), his approach to making freckles disappear.
Who gets freckles and what are they?
People who get freckles tend to be pale-skinned individuals — someone with a bit of Celtic origin — fair red hair, blue eyes. Freckles are the skin's response to the sun.
What's the easiest way to treat freckles?
Prevention with a very intense sunblock. But for established freckles, the easiest and most effective way is with a photo facial treatment which essentially evolves an IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) machine.
So what's the process?
If a patient comes to see me, I'd start them on a skincare routine, which would involve some kind of glycolic acid cleanser, a very good sunblock (Dr Liew recommends Jan Marini Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant SPF 30, $76), a topical vitamin C (for its antioxidant properties — try Jan Marini C-Esta Serum, $115) and Lumin8 Botanical Skin Brightener, $88. It has a low dose of vitamin A, which will boost the skin cycle. Skin takes 52 days to regenerate, but the vitamin A will reduce the cycle to around 30 days.
What's next?
The photo facial (IPL). The IPL machine works by generating a spectrum of light onto the skin, which specifically targets the cells that produce pigment — it heats them up and kills them. Because of this, freckles will initially darken for the first 10 days or so, and gradually dissipate. Then, four to six weeks later, the patient will return for the second session, and if the result is fantastic, I stop, but recommend they come back in two to three months for a very light peel. The peel is just to remove the top layer of dead skin so that the skin on top is fresh and new.
Will the freckles return?
Yes — if you spend a lot of time in the sun and go without an SPF.
What does a photo facial cost?
As a rough guide, a photo facial for the face and neck would be $450 to $500 per session (but can start as low as $200 to $300). It can be done all over your body, although most people just have their face, neck, décolletage, and backs of their hands treated. The number of treatments depends on the severity (ie how much pigment there is and how intense the freckles are).
