Skin discoloration can occur when your skin produces too much melanin (skin pigmentation) in an area, causing a darkening of the skin cells. When these cells rise to the epidermis, they produce brown spots, sun spots, and freckles. Spotting can occur as a result of sun exposure, trauma to the skin, or hormonal changes especially due to pregnancy or menopause. Laser brown spot removal works immediately by vaporizing the brown spot. The healing time is normally 7 to 10 days. The spot initially looks darker, then turns pinkish, and then blends in with the surrounding skin. A single treatment often completely removes the pigmented blemish. Laser spot removal treatment is often not appropriate for darker skinned (Fitzpatrick V or greater) individuals because the skin surrounding the brown spot could absorb too much too much laser energy and cause burning of the surrounding skin. However, sometimes Dr. Rose is able to treat certain lesions even in very darkly pigmented individuals.