Hyperpigmentation Decoded

8 modules.Built to ship change.

01
The five presentations of hyperpigmentation, on sight
The face-reading framework. Five distinct patterns, the visual clues that separate them, and the protocol implications of each.
• +Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, including the post-acne and post-procedure subset
• +Melasma and its three distribution patterns (centrofacial, malar, mandibular)
• +Solar lentigines and photo-induced epidermal pigment
• +Dermal and mixed pigment, including drug-induced
• +Post-inflammatory erythema and the conditions that get treated as pigment and shouldn't be
• +Sorting a new client into the right protocol track inside the first thirty seconds
02
The chromophore map
Where the pigment actually sits, and why depth changes everything about the plan.
• +Eumelanin and pheomelanin, and how each responds to different wavelengths
• +Epidermal versus dermal pigment, and what a Wood's lamp actually tells you
• +The mixed-depth client and the two-phase plan
• +Fitzpatrick reading and its limits
• +Explaining depth to the client in plain language
03
The hormonal axis of melasma
Melasma is rarely a skin problem. The systemic drivers and the practitioner conversations that surface them.
• +Pregnancy, the combined oral contraceptive, HRT and the melasma flare timeline
• +Perimenopause and the unstable-oestrogen window
• +Thyroid involvement and when to refer
• +Stress and sleep load: what is treatable from inside the clinic and what isn't
• +The fifteen-minute history that surfaces the real driver
04
UV, visible light, and the photodamage timeline
Why SPF alone is rarely enough, and how to build a year-round plan that survives June.
• +The cumulative photodamage clock and what you see at forty
• +Visible light and melasma: tinted SPF, iron oxides, why broad spectrum often isn't
• +Summer protocol versus winter protocol
• +Sun-recovery rebuild after a long-haul break
• +The client conversation that gets the SPF actually used
05
Active sequencing
The topical layer, sequenced for tolerance, not potency.
• +Tyrosinase inhibitors: hydroquinone, kojic, azelaic, tranexamic acid (topical), arbutin, niacinamide
• +Exfoliants: AHAs, BHAs, PHAs. Sequencing and tolerance first
• +Retinoids: when they help pigment, when they trigger PIH, when to delay
• +Antioxidants: vitamin C, resveratrol, polyphenols, their real role in a hyperpigmentation plan
• +The eight-week rebuild for an over-exfoliated barrier
06
In-clinic modalities
Matching the modality to the presentation. Peels, microneedling, laser and IPL, in order of operations.
• +Chemical peels: which acids for which depth, melasma cautions, the post-peel window
• +Microneedling: depths and intervals, when it triggers PIH
• +Laser and IPL: a clear map of which device belongs to which presentation
• +Why melasma and IPL is usually the wrong combination
• +Combination protocols and the order of operations
07
Preventing rebound
The post-procedure window where most hyperpigmentation plans collapse.
• +PIH risk profile by Fitzpatrick, by ethnicity, by season
• +The two-week protective protocol after any procedure
• +The five rebound triggers (sun, exfoliant restart, retinoid restart, hormonal flare, mechanical trauma)
• +Recovery scripts for each rebound trigger
• +The 'we have made it worse' conversation, and how to lead it without losing the client
08
The consultation script and the twelve-week timeline
The consultation, the follow-up cadence, and the expectation conversation that holds the client through the slow middle.
• +The seven-question hyperpigmentation consultation, fully scripted
• +The twelve-week timeline: what to see at week 4, 8 and 12, and what to say if you don't
• +Photo protocol: lighting, framing, frequency
• +The 'your timeline is going to be longer' conversation for dermal and hormonal pigment
• +Follow-up cadence and the touchpoint emails that keep the client compliant
• +Knowledge check and Certificate of Completion