A chronic condition, managed with care. Fotona Angel White and Pink's Signature Melasma Protocol, designed by Porsha, our founding Senior Dermal Clinician, and delivered by the team she trained. Designed for every skin type, with particular attention to Fitzpatrick IV to VI.
Melasma is chronic. It cannot be permanently cured. That is the honest answer most clinics will not give you upfront, and any real conversation about treatment starts there. What can be done is management. At Pink, that work unfolds over months: the pigment fades, the skin stays quieter, and the protocol adjusts to yours. What you need is a plan.
“Melasma is a chronic condition. It can be managed but not permanently cured.”
If you have tried retinol, hydroquinone, chemical peels, and another clinic’s laser, you already know this is not a one-session problem. You may have been told your skin is “too complicated” for laser, or watched a treatment make things worse. That is almost always a device-mismatch issue. Pink runs the Fotona platform, specifically designed for Melasma and for darker skin. At baseline we deliver its branded protocol, Angel White. For harder cases – particularly Fitzpatrick IV–VI, long-standing Melasma, or skin that has reacted badly to previous laser – Pink’s Signature Melasma Protocol is the enhanced version of that baseline.
Melasma is often mistaken for sun damage or post-inflammatory pigmentation. It behaves like neither. The three look similar on the surface and respond to very different treatment. Getting the match right is the difference between a protocol that clears pigment and one that quietly makes it worse.
Driven by hormones and genetics, not sun alone. Shows up as symmetric patches on the cheeks, forehead, or upper lip, with pigment that often sits deeper in the skin. Flares with UV, heat, pregnancy, and the wrong laser. The realistic goal is long-term management, not a permanent cure.
Also called solar lentigines. Cumulative UV exposure laid down over years, seen as discrete brown spots on the face, chest, and hands. The pigment sits closer to the surface and, with a correctly matched laser, can be cosmetically cleared in a small handful of sessions. A different category to Melasma, treated differently.
Pigment left behind after inflammation, most often acne, but also eczema, ingrown hairs, or an aggressive treatment. Flat marks that map exactly to where the skin was inflamed, and more stubborn in deeper skin tones. Treatable with a dedicated, low-fluence protocol that stays barrier-aware and calibrates to each skin tone. The plan starts at a consultation, where the settings are matched to the inflammation state, the skin tone, and whether the trigger is still active.
If you are not sure which one you have, that is the first question the consultation answers. The protocol follows the diagnosis, not the other way around.
A layered, paced approach designed in-clinic for Melasma specifically. Built to soften pigment, calm the inflammatory pattern underneath, and hold the result steady, without forcing the skin past what Melasma will tolerate.
Standard laser toning treats Melasma like any other pigmentation. Our Signature protocol doesn't. Each session layers calibrated steps for darker skin types and inflammatory patterns, then closes with a calming recovery phase to bring the skin down before it leaves the room.
The result is steadier, more predictable lightening over a course, with less of the rebound flare-up that aggressive single-modality treatment can trigger in Melasma-prone skin.
There is no universal session count for Melasma, but there is a shape. Treatment runs as a paced course, spaced to your skin's response rather than to a calendar. Below is what it looks like when it's working.
You arrive clean-skinned, no makeup or SPF. A therapist walks you through what's happening today and checks in on anything still outstanding from last time. The treatment itself is layered: prep, the laser work tailored to your pigment and skin type, and a calming recovery close that brings heat and redness down before you leave. Most sessions run around forty-five minutes. You can return to normal life the same day, though we ask that you stay out of direct sun and wear SPF.
A full course typically runs three to six sessions, spaced three to four weeks apart. The first one or two sessions tell us how your skin is going to respond, and the protocol adjusts from there. By session three, most clients see pigment that has lifted, quieted, and become less reactive to the usual triggers. Deeper, longer-standing Melasma takes longer, and we will tell you that upfront, before it matters.
The work continues at home. SPF every day without exception. Retinol and acids paused for forty-eight hours after treatment, then reintroduced carefully. Where relevant, we provide topical support that keeps the pigment pathway calm while the protocol does the deeper work. Heat (sauna, steam, intense workouts in the face) pauses for two days and returns gradually. Sun is the single biggest reverse gear for Melasma, which is why SPF is the one non-negotiable.
Melasma responds best to a protocol that stays on it over time. That is what this course is built to do.
Melasma treatment only works when the skin in front of us is ready for it. This is an honest read on whether it's the right course for you now, or a different conversation first.
If you are not sure which list you belong in, that is exactly what the consultation is for. No obligation, no pressure to book a course.
Pink operates as a cosmetic clinic, not a medical clinic. Our work lightens and manages the appearance of Melasma over a course of treatment. It does not cure Melasma. No clinic, laser, or topical currently can, which is why we have said so plainly from the top of this page.
The devices we use, including the Fotona platform that anchors this protocol, are TGA-approved for cosmetic dermatological indications, and our protocols sit inside those parameters by design. If your case calls for prescription-strength or specialist medical intervention, we will tell you, and coordinate with a dermatologist rather than push a treatment past what it is built to do.
Honest framing is not a disclaimer. It is the basis on which the clinic is built.
Our Melasma protocols were designed by our clinical team, led by Porsha, our founding Senior Dermal Clinician. Angel White sits at baseline; the Signature Melasma Protocol is its enhanced form. Both were built for Fitzpatrick I to III as well as IV to VI skin, where Melasma most often presents stubborn, patterned, and slow to shift.
Stephy, our Dermal Therapist and Multi-Modality Laser Specialist, leads consultations and treatment planning for Melasma at Pink. Her specialty is Fitzpatrick IV to VI, and she plans conservatively, with lower fluences, longer intervals, and patch testing where the skin calls for it. Treatments are delivered by Stephy and our trained clinical team, working to the same framework. Porsha directs how the protocol evolves and steps in on more stubborn cases.
“A protocol that cannot be delivered consistently by a team is not a protocol. It is a preference.”
Both courses share the same clinical foundation. The difference is in how far the protocol extends, and how the session closes. Your consultation confirms which one fits your skin.
The TGA-cleared Fotona Angel White laser toning course. Paced for your skin. Suits most cases of Melasma in lighter-to-mid skin types.
Angel White as its foundation, with extended protocol layering and pacing built for stubborn Melasma and Fitzpatrick IV to VI. Every session closes with a calming recovery step.
Not sure which course fits? Start with a free consultation. Your dermal clinician confirms which protocol suits your skin and case before your first session.
Before any session, your dermal clinician reviews your skin under clinic lighting, confirms whether you're looking at Melasma or another pigmentation type, and agrees the right course with you. No pressure to book on the day.
Consultations are free. Courses are purchased after your consultation once your clinician confirms the right fit.
Same clinical foundation. Three decisions separate them.
Your dermal clinician confirms the right course at your consultation. If you're between the two, we'll tell you.
No, and we'd never tell you it can be. Melasma is hormonal at its root, which means your skin holds a tendency to make it. No clinic in the world has a permanent cure for that. What we can do is lighten it well, hold it steady, and teach you how to manage what triggers it back. That's the work of a Melasma course.
It can, with the wrong approach. Melasma is heat-reactive: too much warmth in the skin tells melanocytes to produce more pigment, not less. That's the mechanism we have to design around. Our Signature Melasma Protocol uses Q-Switched pulses, so short that the surrounding skin barely warms, and we calibrate every session to your skin's response, not a generic schedule. If your skin tells us to slow down, we slow down. That's how Melasma keeps improving across the course instead of being provoked back.
They look similar in the mirror but they're three different conditions. Sun damage is pigment built up from years of UV. It lightens well with laser and usually doesn't return if you protect your skin. PIH is the brown mark left behind after acne, a scratch, or any skin irritation. It fades with time and the right skincare, sometimes with a gentle laser nudge. Melasma is hormonal. It sits deeper, recurs whenever its triggers fire, and needs its own dedicated protocol. For a quick read at home, use the selector on our pigmentation hub. The first job at consultation is to tell which one you actually have, because the wrong treatment for the wrong condition won't work.
Yes. The Signature Melasma Protocol was built around darker skin from the start. Pacing, energy, and how often we see you all shift for Fitzpatrick IV to VI, because the wrong settings on darker skin can leave post-inflammatory pigment behind. We patch test before we go further, every time. Your consultation confirms what's right for you.
Most people describe it as a warm tingling, like the laser is gently passing across the skin. It's tolerated well without numbing cream. If your skin runs sensitive, tell us at the start and we'll adjust the pacing. Comfort doesn't compromise the result, and you don't have to power through anything.
Almost none. You'll likely have a soft pink flush for a few hours, similar to mild warmth from the sun. Most people head back to work or pick up the kids straight after. Skip your active skincare for the first day or two, then back to your normal routine.
Most courses run three to six sessions. If your Melasma is stubborn, or it sits deeper in the skin, you may need a couple more. We confirm the right number at your consultation, then check in at every session and adjust as we go. No one's locked into a number that doesn't match what your skin is doing.
Most people notice their tone softening by the second or third session. The full course result lands four to six weeks after the final session, once the skin has finished its cycle. We take before and after photos at every visit, so you're not relying on memory or the mirror to track the change.
SPF 50+ broad-spectrum, every day, no exceptions. That's the foundation. On top of that, your clinician will pick specific topicals for your skin type and where you are in the course, usually a melanin-calming serum and a barrier support product. Homecare matters more than people expect. It's often the difference between a great course and a frustrating one.
Direct sun is the fastest way to bring Melasma back. SPF 50+ every morning, reapplied through the day, plus a wide-brim hat if you'll be outside for more than a quick walk. Beach holidays during an active course aren't ideal. If one's coming up, tell us and we'll plan the course around it rather than fight it.
No, and that's a firm rule, not a precaution. Pregnancy itself is the strongest Melasma trigger we know, which is why it's nicknamed the pregnancy mask. Whatever lightening we do during pregnancy will reverse, often quickly. We're happy to see you for a consultation while you're pregnant if you want to plan ahead, but we won't laser until your hormones have settled after birth.
Yes, breastfeeding itself isn't a contraindication. The laser doesn't pass into breastmilk, and the treatment area is well away from the chest. What we do think about is timing. The first few months postpartum are a hormonal storm, and if we treat too early the result can be undone before it sets. We'll usually suggest waiting until your cycle has returned and feeding has settled into a rhythm, then plan a course around your routine.
Honestly, it can. Melasma reacts to hormones, sun, heat, and friction, so the triggers don't disappear when the course ends. With a strong course, consistent homecare, and disciplined sun protection, most people hold their results well. A maintenance session once or twice a year is common, and that's usually all it takes to keep it in line.
Most Melasma sits across the cheeks, upper lip, forehead, and jawline. We treat all of those. We also see it on the neck and chest, and we'll include those areas in your course if your skin is suited to it. We confirm at consultation.
Angel White is the foundation. It's a TGA-cleared laser toning course that works well for stable Melasma on lighter to mid skin types. Signature Melasma Protocol is what we built on top of it. Same foundation, plus extra protocol layering, pacing calibrated for Fitzpatrick IV to VI, and a calming recovery step we close every session with. It's the right choice for stubborn or recurring Melasma, or for darker skin.
Our clinic sits a few minutes off Doncaster Road, with free parking on site. Melasma consultations and sessions are by appointment only.
Pink Laser Clinics
Shop 3, 642 Doncaster Road
Doncaster VIC 3108
Clinic hours