Laser
Q-Switch Laser
Laser treatment using short, high-energy pulses, considered for specific pigmentation concerns.
Overview
Why this treatment
Q-Switch laser delivers very short, high-energy pulses. It is considered for certain pigmentation-related concerns following assessment, and like all laser treatment here it is preceded by evaluation of your skin and a patch test.
Assessment and patch testing
As with all laser treatment at AVIV, a patch test is carried out before beginning a course. This lets us observe your skin’s actual response to the intended settings on a small area first. It applies regardless of whether you have had laser treatment elsewhere previously.
Not all pigmentation responds
Q-Switch is suited to some pigmentation concerns and poorly suited to others. Part of assessment is establishing whether your particular concern is likely to respond at all. Where we think it will not, we will say so rather than starting a course.
What to expect during a course
Treatment is planned as a course with intervals between sessions. Depending on what is being treated, the treated area may darken temporarily before changing — this is explained beforehand so it is not unexpected.
Preparation and aftercare
Avoid sun exposure and self-tanning products beforehand. Disclose all medications, particularly anything light-sensitising. Attend with clean skin free of makeup in the area. Afterwards, avoid heat, strenuous exercise and sun exposure for the advised period, and use sun protection on the treated area diligently. Do not pick at any crusting that forms — let it resolve naturally.
Benefits
What this may help with
Delivers very short, high-energy pulses
Considered for specific pigmentation-related concerns
Settings assessed against your skin tone and concern
Patch test carried out before a course begins
Planned as a course with defined intervals
Combined with sun-protection guidance as standard
Suitability
Who may consider it
Suitability depends on the specific concern, your skin tone and your medical history, and is assessed individually with a patch test. It may not be appropriate with recent sun exposure or tanning, while taking light-sensitising medications, during pregnancy, or where there is active infection or inflammation in the area. Not all pigmentation responds to this approach, and we will tell you if yours is unlikely to.
The session
The experience
The area is cleansed and eye protection is provided. The handpiece delivers pulses across the treatment area. Sensation is commonly described as a rapid snapping against the skin. Some redness and mild swelling afterwards is common and typically settles. Depending on what is being treated, the area may darken temporarily before changing. Specific aftercare is given and sun protection is essential.
Questions
Anything not covered here, we will walk through during your consultation.
Your consultation is a conversation and an assessment. We ask about your concern and its history, your medical background, medications you take, previous treatments, allergies, and what outcome you have in mind. We then examine the area and discuss which approaches may or may not be suitable.
You will get a clear explanation of what any recommended treatment involves, roughly how many sessions may be appropriate, what preparation and aftercare are required, and what the treatment can and cannot address. There is no obligation to proceed, and you are welcome to go away and think about it.
This genuinely cannot be answered without assessment — and we would be cautious of anyone who tells you otherwise online. The same visible concern can have quite different underlying causes from one person to the next, and a treatment that suits one skin type may be unsuitable for another.
What determines the recommendation is your skin type and sensitivity, the nature and duration of your concern, your medical history and current medications, your previous response to treatments, and what downtime you can accommodate. All of that is what consultation is for.
Preparation varies by treatment and you will be given specific instructions beforehand. Some guidance applies broadly: avoid significant sun exposure in the period before treatment; tell us about all medications and supplements; mention any retinoids, acids or prescription topicals, as some need pausing; disclose any history of cold sores; and let us know about recent waxing, threading or treatments elsewhere.
Attend with clean skin, free of makeup in the area being treated, unless told otherwise.
This varies genuinely between individuals and we will not quote a number before assessing you. It depends on the treatment, the nature and duration of your concern, your skin or hair type, and how you respond as a course progresses.
What we will do is give you a realistic indication at consultation, build review points into your plan, and adjust based on what we actually observe rather than adhering to a number decided at the start.
This is specific to each treatment and you will receive written aftercare guidance covering what was done that day. Broadly, some redness or warmth in the treated area is common after many treatments and typically settles. Some treatments involve a period of dryness or light flaking.
Sun protection features in nearly all aftercare. You will also be told what sensations are expected versus what warrants contacting us — and if anything falls outside what was described, please do get in touch rather than waiting for your next appointment.
Sensation varies by treatment and between individuals, and we describe what to expect honestly before you begin rather than minimising it. Many treatments are described as comfortable or mildly uncomfortable rather than painful. Where appropriate, a topical numbing preparation may be used and given time to take effect.
Comfort is checked throughout any session and you can ask to pause at any point.
Many are, but skin tone genuinely affects treatment selection, settings and protocols — particularly around the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation. This is assessed individually rather than assumed.
Our general approach for deeper skin tones is conservative: often beginning at a lower intensity and adjusting based on observed response rather than starting aggressively. Where a particular treatment carries a higher risk for your skin, we will tell you and discuss alternatives.
Many aesthetic treatments are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and some are specifically contraindicated. Please tell us if you are pregnant, may be pregnant, or are breastfeeding — before booking where possible, and certainly at consultation.
We will discuss what is and is not appropriate, and in many cases the honest recommendation will be to defer treatment until later. Where a service may be possible, we may ask for clearance from your doctor first.