You spend a weekend by the water, feel great, then notice new marks on your cheeks or hands. Not dirt. Not childhood freckles. These spots stay. In Puerto Rico, that pattern is common: strong sun, heat, and even light from screens stack up, and pigment shows in the places with the longest history—cheeks, forehead, chest, and hands. This guide explains what is going on in the skin, how to protect your skin, and the treatment options that clear sun spots without guesswork.
Sun spots (solar lentigines) are flat brown marks that come from sun exposure over time. They form when melanin production turns up to shield skin cells from UV. That extra pigment can be helpful in the moment, but it also leaves behind uneven skin tone later. Many people also say “age spots,” since they show up more with age, but the real cause is total UV history.
Not everything brown is the same. Hyperpigmentation has a few faces:
Sun damage spots (lentigines): round, distinct, tied to UV.
Melasma: patchy areas across cheeks, forehead, or upper lip; often flares with heat and hormones.
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH): marks left in your wake after acne, a bite, or irritation.
Why this matters: laser treatments and IPL clear lentigines well. Melasma needs less heat and a longer plan. PIH improves with time, sun control, and the right ingredients.
Sun protection is the foundation. It is the best habit for skin health and the anchor for every treatment you choose.
Use a broad-spectrum mineral SPF 40–50 on face, neck, chest, and hands. A tinted formula helps with visible light that also drives melanin.
Reapply during long drives or hours outdoors. Hats with a firm brim belong in the car.
Add vitamin C in the morning to support tone and guard against UV stress.
Work a retinoid at night to improve turnover, pores, and fine signs of wear and wrinkles.
At home, keep it simple: SPF, vitamin C, retinoid, and a gentle pigment serum (such as tranexamic, azelaic, kojic, or arbutin). Match strength to skin type and season. Harsh scrubs, citrus DIY, and random acid stacks can be a fast path to new issues.
Treating sunspots in Puerto Rico isn’t about one device or one visit. It’s a plan that fits our climate, your skin type, and your calendar. The goal is fewer spots, clearer tone, and steady results without setbacks.
IPL is one of the workhorses in Puerto Rico for scattered sun spots on the face, chest, and hands. It targets browns and reds and lifts color over a series. For many patients, IPL is the first step toward an even skin tone.
Good for: lentigines, diffuse redness, photo-aging
Plan: 3–5 visits spaced a few weeks apart
Feel: brief snaps and warmth; mild discomfort settles fast
Outcome: clearer tone and smaller color contrast between untreated and treated areas
Modern laser therapy balances energy, pulse width, and wavelength to reach the skin where pigment sits. Laser technology that blends yellow and infrared is helpful for color and redness while still fitting a full schedule. This kind of laser therapy works well for the face, neck, chest, and hands, and supports skin rejuvenation without long breaks from the sun.
Good for: mixed color problems with mild texture change
Plan: series care with seasonal maintenance
Outcome: steadier tone and a healthier look to your skin’s surface
When sun change includes texture, lines, and larger areas of skin, a fractional laser can step in. It creates controlled micro-columns into the skin to stimulate collagen production and smooth etched areas. Because heat can wake melasma, this option needs a measured plan from a physician-led practice in San Juan.
Good for: texture, etched lines, stubborn color mixed with roughness
Outcome: smoother surface and stronger skin elasticity as collagen synthesis builds
Peels work when they match skin types and skin tones. Light and medium acids lift dullness and support spot care when the formula and depth fit the person. In a high-UV setting, peels are staged with clear prep and aftercare so gains hold.
Good for: uneven tone, fine texture, early lines
Outcome: brighter appearance with steadier color
Between higher-energy visits, advanced facials lift buildup and keep pigment care on track. This is where licensed skin therapists focus on smart ingredients, hydration, and a calm barrier so your plan stays on course.
Good for: upkeep after laser or IPL, post-peel balance
Outcome: glow, smoother makeup days, fewer setbacks
Melasma often needs less heat, more spacing, and a bigger role for skincare. Tranexamic acid, strict sun protection, and cautious device settings help. For PIH, patience plus SPF and a retinoid pays off. Acne scars add another layer; fractional laser therapy or radiofrequency microneedling can help with texture, while pigment gets a slower plan. This is where experts weigh all moving parts so one goal doesn’t trip another.
Every skin type can improve with the right path. That starts with a full history, a check of past reactions, and a plan built for your tone and tendency. Darker skin tones need settings and steps that respect melanin while still moving color. Lighter tones need UV discipline so new spots don’t step in. If your skin tans with ease or holds on to marks after a bite, mention it; those clues guide safe choices.
A typical session in Puerto Rico starts with photos and a short review of the plan for that day. With IPL, expect quick bursts of light and warmth. With lasers, you’ll feel measured heat with pauses so the tissue can cool. With peels, you’ll sense tingling that lasts a few minutes. Most people head back to work or home right away. Redness and mild swelling can be part of the first day or two with energy-based care; flaking follows a peel. Good aftercare—instructions, SPF, and a skin-calming routine—keeps you comfortable and protects gains.
At home, focus on what moves the needle without stirring trouble:
SPF every day, reapply during long outdoor time
Vitamin C in the morning under sunscreen
Retinoid at night for turnover and smoother texture
A pigment serum (such as tranexamic or azelaic) matched to your tone
In the clinic, treatment options shift with season and response: IPL for lentigines, pigment-friendly laser treatments for mixed color, fractional resurfacing for texture, a peel for brighten-and-smooth weeks, and monthly facials to steady the barrier. That rhythm turns short bursts into the longer arc of clear, strong skin.
Early signs show up in small ways: less contrast between untreated and treated areas, softer edges around spots, and makeup that sits better. After a few visits, you see fewer “new” marks after a weekend outside because sun protection is now a habit. With resurfacing, collagen production builds under the surface, and texture starts to even out. Clearing tone while protecting skin health is the balance; in our climate, maintenance is part of the most successful plans.
Photo-aging lives on the chest and the backs of the hands too. Laser or IPL can treat hands with care around tendons and veins; peels help chest tone; facials keep both areas smooth. A broad-brim hat and driving gloves sound fussy, but they protect the work you did. For the neck and chest, some adults add a collagen stimulator plan to improve fine crepe as tone improves.
Every plan starts with your needs, not a menu. Some patients ask for the best single treatment; in truth, the solid plan mixes a few tools based on skin type and season. For example:
A teacher with fair skin, scattered age spots, and weekends outside: start IPL, add vitamin C, retinoid, and hats; shift to maintenance session each quarter.
A runner with medium tone, mixed color, and early texture change: pigment-friendly laser therapy in a short series; light peel to smooth; SPF reapplication training and a tinted mineral sunscreen.
A new parent with patchy melasma: avoid heat spikes, increase shade habits, elevate skincare, and pace any device work with caution.
All three examples include a check on pores, hydration, and barrier care so the plan works with real life.
Pigment is more than “lighten the brown.” It touches health, hormones, light exposure, and how your skin behaves after heat or irritation. A physician-led practice looks at all of that, chooses laser technology and peels with your tone in mind, and times sessions around travel and seasons in Puerto Rico. The aim is steady progress, not spikes and backslides.
If you want a clear plan for sun damage and hyperpigmentation that fits Puerto Rico life—and your life—reach out when it makes sense. Ask about IPL, pigment-smart lasers, peels, or a simple at home routine that you can keep. Bring the list of skin concerns you notice: color shift, acne scars, texture, or lines. We’ll sort what to treat now and what to stage later. No rush. Just steps that make sense for your skin, your schedule, and the weather we live in.
Explore related care on our laser treatments page, or return to the NUMED home.
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At Numed Medical Aesthetics Center, you can reverse the effects of time and rejuvenate your appearance, so you can look younger longer—healthy and natural in your skin. We offer a broad range of treatments to help you live optimally. We are a specialized clinic with the latest technology in platelet-rich plasma treatments, anti-aging, laser hair removal, vaginal rejuvenation, and state-of-the-art CO2 Laser Skin resurfacing, among other treatments.
Locations in Carolina & Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
