Doctor-led age spot removal in Marylebone, London. PicoSure laser, MaxG IPL, UltraClear and ZO for sun spots on the face, hands and chest.
Dr Joney De Souza Clinic clears age spots week in, week out, and few treatments are as quietly satisfying. An age spot, a sun spot and a liver spot are all the same thing: a solar lentigo, a flat brown mark laid down where years of daylight have switched local melanin production permanently on. They favour the places the sun reaches most, the face, the backs of the hands, the chest and the shoulders, and they multiply slowly through your forties and fifties. Liver spots, despite the name, have nothing to do with the liver.
Daylight is the engine behind almost all of them. Ultraviolet light accumulates silently across decades of commutes, gardens and holidays, and UVA passes through cloud and window glass all year round, which is why the driving side of the face and hands often shows spots first. Genetics set how readily you mark, and time does the rest. The spots themselves are harmless, yet they age a face and a pair of hands more than most lines do, which is exactly why clearing them is so rewarding.
One thing matters before any treatment. Not every brown mark is an age spot, and the ones that look similar, from melasma to the rare mark that needs a doctor rather than a laser, each ask for a different response. That is why our clinic reads your skin first, and it is the heart of a longevity minded approach: clear what is there, then protect the result for the years ahead.
Most brown marks that arrive with time fall into one of five patterns. Find the one that sounds like your skin, then follow it through. Your practitioner confirms the match at consultation before anything is booked.
Flat brown marks, crisp edges
Classic solar lentigines: flat, well defined marks scattered across the cheeks, temples and forehead. Precision laser shatters the pigment cleanly, usually in one to three sessions, and where the spots sit in rough, weathered skin, resurfacing can lift both together.
The marks that give an age away
Hands collect more daylight than almost anywhere and rarely get the sunscreen the face does, so spots arrive early. The same precision laser works on the backs of the hands, with settings adjusted for the thinner skin there.
Freckled, widespread sun damage
Décolletage and shoulders often carry a mottled scatter of faint spots, freckling and redness rather than single marks. Broadband light works across the whole area, addressing pigment and redness in the same pass, usually as a course of four.
Melasma in disguise
Larger patches with soft, blurred borders sitting evenly on both cheeks are usually melasma rather than age spots, and the distinction matters enormously: laser clears an age spot and can aggravate melasma. Our pigmentation page covers it properly.
Growing, itching or bleeding
Any mark that is growing, changing shape or colour, itching, crusting or bleeding is not a job for cosmetic treatment. See your GP or a dermatologist first; once it has been checked and cleared, we are happy to talk through the cosmetic options.
Real results from our Marylebone clinic, photographed under consistent lighting. Treated spots typically darken for a few days and then flake away, so treat these as an honest illustration of what is achievable rather than a promise of your own outcome.
PicoSure laser
PicoSure laser
MaxG IPL photorejuvenation
Ultraclear Laser
6 weeks post 1 treatment
| Compare | PicoSure LaserPrecision spot removal | MaxG IPLWidespread sun damage | UltraClear LaserSpots plus texture and tone | ZO Peels and SkincareGradual, gentle, preventive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  | |
| Best for | PicoSure Laser Individual age spots, sun spots and freckles | MaxG IPL Many faint spots and redness across face, neck, chest | UltraClear Laser Sun weathered skin, spots with lines and texture | ZO Peels and Skincare Deeper tones, gradual fading, long term prevention |
| Typical course | PicoSure Laser 1 to 3 sessions | MaxG IPL A course of 4 | UltraClear Laser 1 to 3 sessions | ZO Peels and Skincare A course, then ongoing home care |
| Downtime | PicoSure Laser Minimal, spots darken then flake within about a week | MaxG IPL Minimal, treated spots darken briefly | UltraClear Laser Several days of redness and flaking | ZO Peels and Skincare Mild flaking for a few days |
| Skin tones | PicoSure Laser All tones, settings matched to your skin | MaxG IPL Best suited to lighter tones | UltraClear Laser Most tones, assessed individually | ZO Peels and Skincare All tones, including deeper tones |
| Price from | PicoSure Laser £420 face, smaller areas from £250 | MaxG IPL £350 face | UltraClear Laser £850 face | ZO Peels and Skincare £350 face |
| View PicoSure | View MaxG IPL | View UltraClear | View ZO 3-Step Peel |
Short clips from the treatment room at our Marylebone clinic, from PicoSure and MaxG IPL to UltraClear and ZO.
Four routes to clearer skin, each suited to a different pattern of sun damage. Around them sit the supporting players: Enerpeel chemical peels for gentle resurfacing and HydraFacial for brightening between sessions. Where overall skin quality needs attention, Dr Joney also performs injectable skin boosters, which improve hydration and radiance without acting on pigment directly.
Picosecond laser
The first choice for individual age spots. Picosecond pulses shatter the pigment in each mark into fragments fine enough for the body to carry away, with very little heat reaching the surrounding skin.
Spots darken, then flake away within a week or two. Most people need one to three sessions.
IPL photorejuvenation
Built for the sun damage that collects across a whole area rather than in single spots. Broadband light sweeps the face, neck or chest and addresses scattered pigment and redness in the same pass.
A course of four is standard.
Laser resurfacing
For skin the sun has weathered as a whole, where spots arrive with fine lines, roughness and dullness. Resurfacing renews the surface layer so everything improves together rather than mark by mark.
It asks for several days of redness and flaking in return.
Peels and skincare
The gradual route, and the backbone of keeping results once you have them. Brightening actives and controlled exfoliation fade pigment steadily, and they suit deeper skin tones particularly well.
Daily sun protection does the rest.
Every plan at Dr Joney De Souza Clinic opens with a proper look at the marks themselves, because confirming that each one is a simple age spot is most of the work. Your practitioner reads the pattern and the edges: crisp borders scattered where the sun lands point to sun damage, while soft symmetrical patches suggest melasma and a different plan altogether. Any mark that looks unusual is referred to a doctor before cosmetic treatment is discussed, and we would always rather pause than guess.
We then assess your skin tone on the Fitzpatrick scale, which guides device choice and settings, and take a history covering sun exposure, medication and any previous treatment. Where laser or IPL is on the table, a patch test comes first, and for medium and deeper tones it is not negotiable.
“My ‘less is more’ approach has become the mainstay of my practice and clients appreciate that they will have natural looking results.”
Dr Joney De Souza, speaking to The Sybarite
Here is what happens before, during and after treatment at our Marylebone clinic.
Your consultation confirms which marks are age spots, which device suits them and how many sessions to expect. If laser or IPL is part of the plan, a patch test is done and left to settle first. You will be asked to avoid sun exposure and self tan for two weeks beforehand, because treating recently tanned skin raises the risk of an uneven result.
Most sessions take twenty to forty five minutes depending on the area. The laser feels like a series of quick warm snaps against each spot, and IPL like a broad warm flash across the area, both very manageable without anaesthetic. Your eyes are protected throughout and your practitioner talks you through each pass.
Treated spots darken over the following days, which is the sign the pigment has been broken up, then flake away within a week or two. Expect mild redness for a few hours, and most people wear makeup the next day. Daily broad spectrum SPF becomes non negotiable from this point, because unprotected sun simply lays down new spots. You leave with written aftercare and a review booked in.
To a degree, and it is worth doing properly. Prescription strength brightening agents, a retinoid, vitamin C and daily broad spectrum SPF will soften early, superficial marks and stop new ones forming, and that is the routine our team builds around your skin with ZO Skin Health prescription skincare. Sunscreen is the single habit that protects whatever result you achieve.
Where home care runs out of road is with the established spot. A solar lentigo is a permanent change in how that patch of skin produces melanin, so creams lighten it at best and rarely clear it. The fastest and safest route pairs an in clinic treatment that removes the mark with a home routine that keeps the skin around it protected.
What treatment will not do. We would rather say this plainly. Clearing today’s spots does not stop new ones forming, so without daily sun protection the sun will simply start again. Results vary between people and between marks, and deeper pigment improves more slowly. And if any mark is changing shape, growing, itching or bleeding, that is a job for your GP or a dermatologist first, not for skincare or laser.
You may also want to read about related concerns we treat alongside age spots, including pigmentation and melasma and dull skin.
The questions our Marylebone team hears most often about age spots, from what they are to what removal involves and costs. If yours is not here, message us on WhatsApp and a practitioner will answer properly.
Related reading: age spots and sun spots on the face.
Nothing but the name. All three describe the solar lentigo, a flat brown mark produced by years of accumulated sun exposure. Liver spots have no connection to the liver, and age itself is only half the story, since it is daylight rather than birthdays that creates them.
Ultraviolet light, accumulated over decades. UV switches on the melanin producing cells in small patches of skin, and eventually some of those patches stay switched on permanently. Genetics decide how readily you mark, which is why fair skin that burns easily tends to show spots sooner, and why hands and face lead the way.
A simple age spot is flat, evenly coloured and stable over time. A mark that grows, changes shape or colour, develops ragged edges, itches, crusts or bleeds should be checked by your GP or a dermatologist before any cosmetic treatment. We look at every mark at consultation and refer anything that deserves a medical opinion first.
It depends on the pattern. A handful of well defined spots respond best to PicoSure laser. Widespread mottled damage across the face, neck or chest suits MaxG IPL. Where spots come with rough, lined skin, UltraClear resurfacing lifts everything at once, and deeper tones often do best on the gradual ZO route.
Yes, reliably, on true age spots. The laser shatters the pigment in the mark into fragments the body clears, so the spot darkens, flakes and lifts away over a week or two. Most well defined spots clear in one to three sessions, and treated spots usually stay clear provided the area is protected from the sun afterwards.
Yes, and the hands are one of the most rewarding areas to treat, because they so often give an age away. The same precision laser we use on the face works on the backs of the hands, with settings adjusted for the thinner skin there. Diligent sunscreen on the hands afterwards keeps the result.
A few discrete spots often clear in a single session, though one to three is the realistic range. MaxG IPL for widespread sun damage runs as a course of four, and resurfacing is usually one to three sessions. You will be given an honest number at consultation once we have seen the marks, rather than a guess over the phone.
Minimal for laser and IPL. The treated spots darken, look a little like coffee grounds for a few days, then flake away, and most people are back to normal life immediately and wearing makeup the next day. UltraClear resurfacing is the exception, asking for several days of redness and peeling.
A properly treated spot usually stays clear, because the pigment cluster has been broken up and carried away. What does happen is new spots forming in sun exposed skin nearby. Daily broad spectrum SPF and sensible sun habits are what keep the canvas clear, with an occasional maintenance session if the sun has been generous.
Yes, with the right device and settings. PicoSure can be configured appropriately for medium and deeper tones, and the ZO route suits all tones including the deepest. A patch test always comes first, and for deeper tones it is non negotiable, because that is how we confirm your skin responds cleanly before treating at full strength.
You can, with discipline. Recently tanned skin should not be treated, and strong sun straight after a session risks an uneven result, which is why many people prefer autumn and winter for a laser or IPL course. If you treat through summer, rigorous sun protection around your sessions is essential.
It depends on the treatment and the area. PicoSure starts from £250 for a small area such as the eye or mouth region, with the full face at £420. MaxG IPL starts from £350 for the face, and the ZO 3-Step Peel from £350. Course rates bring the per session cost down, and our full price list has the detail.
Verified Google reviews from patients treated for sun damage and pigmentation at Dr Joney De Souza Clinic in Marylebone.
Roma has tailored my treatments to fit in with my skin and pays a lot of attention to make sure you get the best possible results. So talented, knowledgeable and kind. I have had such amazing results with her for my facial pigmentation and my skin looks so much brighter and more even.
I have been getting the Picosure laser facial and it has completely changed my skin! My acne scars have faded, texture is gone and my skin is glowing! Roma performs the treatment and she is so knowledgeable and kind, I highly recommend this clinic!
All everyone wanted to do is make money selling me lasers and no one ever listened… until Dr Joney. He is the first doctor who truly understood my skin, listened to me, and gave me exactly what I needed with no pressure.
