Cosmelan: Your answer to brighter, better skin

I’ll be the first to admit that I love the summer sun a little bit more than I should, but hailing from the ‘Sunshine State’, can you really blame me?

The problem however, is that all this time in the sun causes the skin on my face to become discoloured in certain areas – mainly my forehead, cheekbones and above my upper lip. This pigmentation is caused by increased melanin production, and becomes exacerbated the more time it’s exposed to the sun. So as something that’s bothered me for quite some time, I decided to finally do something about it. Recently, I paid a little visit to Natalie Abouchar, Director and RN of Privée Clinic in Bondi Junction to get a treatment called Cosmelan, which is used to treat these types of facial pigmentation issues as well as melasma and to brighten the skin tone. Here’s what happened…

WHAT IS COSMELAN?

Jump onto Natalie’s website (www.privee.com.au) and it’ll tell you that Cosmelan is a one-off treatment that’s designed to address all types of pigmentation concerns, including melasma. It’s suitable for all skin types, and works to lighten and brighten the skin, equalising skin tone and increasing luminosity. The treatment works by decreasing the skin’s melanin production by inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase.

WHAT DID THE TREATMENT INVOLVE?

Firstly, I had a consultation with Natalie to address the areas of concern, and talk about the process and after-care of the treatment. The next time I visited the clinic, we applied the mesoestetic Cosmelan treatment.

The Cosmelan 1 mask is applied and remains on your face for eight hours, however the application itself only takes about 20 to 30 minutes. A heads up – this is what you’ll leave the clinic looking like, so make sure your car is closely parked, and you don’t have any plans scheduled for the rest of the evening:

Once the eight hours are up, the mask is washed off at home. Following this, you’ll experience anywhere between two to seven days of light to heavy peeling, redness, sensitivity and mild swelling.

A day or two after your mask, you’ll head back to the clinic for a 30 minute Rejuvalight LED session to assist with the healing process. The Cosmelan pack also includes a take home pack of Cosmelan 2 products to use twice daily to assist in the skin’s healing phase and prevent pigment from returning.

HOW DID IT FEEL TO HAVE THE COSMELAN TREATMENT?

For me, the Cosmelan 1 mask was a breeze. However, having booked my treatment at five in the afternoon it meant I had to get up in the middle of the night to wash it off, which wasn’t ideal, so if you’re considering this treatment, keep that in mind.

The morning after the mask, my face was a little red but felt okay, however over the course of the day it began to swell a little and was quite sensitive. To explain the sensation, it feels like bad sunburn. Using the Cosmelan 2 products stung a little, especially in the following days while my skin peeled, however this is completely normal. By about day seven, my skin stopped feeling so sensitive, and really started to show signs of improvement. Now two weeks out from the treatment, my skin feels completely normal again, with just the teeniest bit of peeling happening between my eyebrows.

WHAT WERE THE RESULTS LIKE?

The treatment aims to:

• Reduce all types of skin pigmentation including melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
• Increase skin luminosity
• Equalise skin tone
• Inhibit the formation of melanin
• Increase collagen production

In my experience, I peeled for around a week, but during that time I could see signs of improvement to my skin. It started peeling first around my mouth and in the centre of my face, and worked its way out to around my hairline by about day 10. The depigmented areas were mostly on my cheeks and forehead.

It’s now been two weeks, and my skin is looking brighter, more revived, fresh and feels super smooth. I have this dewy glow, and the treatment helped build collagen so my skin is firmer and plumper. And the best part? It won’t stop there – in the coming weeks and months, with the help of the Cosmelan 2 pack, it should continue to look even better.   

WHO CAN HAVE THE TREATMENT?

Anyone – all skin types and skin blemishes of melanic origin including melasma are treatable. It’s particularly ideal for those who have difficulty treating skin blemishes with laser, or who experience hyperpigmentation from laser or other chemical peels. However, it’s not recommended for those with rosacea, women who are pregnant or on roacutane medication.

IS THERE ANY DOWNTIME?

Yes – be prepared to become a bit of a hermit following the procedure. Each patient is different, though I experienced facial redness for around three to four days with day two being the worst, and peeling for almost 10.

ANY ADVICE?

• Don’t book your treatment too close to an event – make sure it’s at least two weeks prior.
• Resist the urge to assist the peel – ie. don’t use your fingers to peel off large bits of skin.
• Don’t exfoliate during the peeling process. Only use a mild cleanser and the Cosmelan 2 skin care products.

If you are interested in the Cosmelan treatment, visit www.privee.com.au.

Do you have facial pigmentation? What treatments have you tried?