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Cosmelan at AARVA
Lighter, more even skin tone, with a written plan for keeping pigmentation under control
About Cosmelan
Cosmelan is a professional depigmentation treatment from Mesoestetic, used to reduce melasma, sun spots, dark patches and uneven pigmentation. It works in two stages. A depigmenting mask is applied in the practice and left on for a set number of hours at home, then a maintenance cream is used at home over the following months. Together they slow the skin’s production of pigment and help lift the pigment that is already there, without heat or laser.
Cosmelan at Aarva is planned by Dr Shivani Malhotra, a practising GP who leads our skin and regenerative medicine and our women’s health, and delivered in our practice on Midland Drive, Royal Sutton Coldfield. Melasma is often driven by hormones, from pregnancy to the contraceptive pill and HRT, as well as sunlight and genetics, so a doctor looks at the whole picture before anything is recommended. You leave your consultation with a written treatment plan with clear pricing.
“Pigmentation always has a cause, whether that is sun, hormones or inflammation. Cosmelan works best when we have found that cause first, and when you are ready for the aftercare.”
Is Cosmelan Right for You?
Likely a good fit if you:
- have melasma, sun spots or patchy pigmentation that has not responded to skincare alone
- can commit to daily home care and sun protection for several months
- can allow about a week of redness and peeling after the mask
Probably not the right first step if you:
- are pregnant or breastfeeding, when we usually wait and use gentle skincare instead
- have a new, changing or irregular dark mark, which a doctor needs to check first
- have an upcoming holiday or cannot avoid strong sun in the weeks after treatment
Not sure which side you are on? That is exactly what the consultation is for.
Cosmelan Before and After
Real Aarva patients, photographed in the same light and at the same angle, three months after their last session. No filters, no retouching.
FACE · PATIENT A
FACE · PATIENT B
FACE · PATIENT A
FACE · PATIENT B
FACE · PATIENT A
FACE · PATIENT B
Every patient is different. These images show what happened for them, not a promise of what will happen for you. Shared with each patient’s written consent.
Our Promise to You
The standards every Aarva patient can expect, whatever they come in for.
- You see a doctor before any treatment is planned.
- You get a written treatment plan to take away, with clear pricing, so you can go ahead on the day or decide in your own time.
- We will tell you if Cosmelan will not help, even if that means no treatment at all.
- If something does not feel right afterwards, a doctor sees you.
- Your consultation is time with a doctor, set aside just for you.
From First Conversation to Follow-Up
Four simple steps, with the same doctor-led care from your first message to your follow-up.
Tell us what is bothering you
Request an appointment online or get in touch. You can describe it in a sentence, or save it for the room.
See a doctor from the start
A GP takes your history, including hormones and medicines, examines your pigmentation in good light and explains what Cosmelan can and cannot do for you. You leave with a written treatment plan with clear pricing.
Your treatment
Your skin may be prepared with home skincare for a few weeks first. On the day, the mask is applied in the practice in around 30 minutes, and you wash it off at home at the time set for your skin.
We follow you up
Written aftercare, your home products and a named person to call. We review you at one to two weeks, again at six to eight weeks and at three months, against your starting photographs.
Why a Doctor Plans Your Cosmelan
Cosmelan at Aarva is planned by Dr Shivani Malhotra, GP, who leads skin and regenerative medicine and women’s health. Every treatment is planned and overseen by a doctor.
Pigmentation is not one condition. Sun spots sit near the surface and often respond well. Melasma is deeper, driven by hormones, sunlight and visible light, and it tends to come back if the triggers are not managed. Heat can darken it, which is why we usually treat melasma with Cosmelan and skincare rather than aggressive laser. As GPs, we can talk through contraception, HRT and other medicines that may be playing a part, and we examine any mark that looks unusual before treating it. Daily broad-spectrum sun protection, ideally tinted, is part of every plan, all year round.
Cosmelan often sits within a wider plan. Medical-grade skincare, and prescription creams where appropriate after consultation, prepare the skin and keep pigment under control afterwards. Gentle chemical peels or an iS Clinical Fire & Ice facial can help maintain brightness, and for sun spots rather than melasma, UltraClear may be an option later on.
Why Patients Choose Aarva
Questions Patients Ask About Cosmelan
Cannot see your question? Our doctors are happy to talk it through at your consultation.
Cosmelan combines ingredients that slow down tyrosinase, the enzyme skin cells use to make pigment, with ingredients that exfoliate and help clear pigment already in the skin. The in-practice mask gives an intensive first step, and the home maintenance cream keeps pigment production in check over the following months.
Cosmelan is used for melasma, sun spots and age spots, patchy or uneven skin tone, and the dark marks that can follow acne or skin inflammation. It is mainly used on the face.
It is a good fit for stubborn pigmentation if you can keep up home care and sun protection. It is not usually used during pregnancy or breastfeeding, on broken or infected skin, or if you have a known allergy to its ingredients. If you are using other active or prescription skincare, we tell you what to pause and when.
Generally, yes. Mesoestetic describes Cosmelan as suitable for all skin types, and it is widely used in skin of colour because it does not rely on heat. Darker skin can still react with temporary darkening if it becomes irritated, so we prepare the skin first and adjust your plan.
Redness, tightness, dryness and peeling for about a week are expected, a little like mild sunburn. Some people feel itching or stinging. Occasionally the skin becomes more irritated or temporarily darker. Your doctor talks through these risks, and what to do if they happen, before you agree to treatment.
Your skin is cleansed and prepared, then the mask is applied in a thin, even layer. It takes around 30 minutes in the practice. You go home with the mask on and wash it off at the time we set for your skin type, usually several hours later, then begin the soothing and home products in your written plan.
Plan for five to seven days of redness and peeling. Many people work from home or keep social plans light that week. Avoid heat, saunas and strong sun, and use your sun protection every day without fail.
Most people need one in-practice mask, followed by the home maintenance cream for several months. Some people with stubborn melasma have a second mask later on. Your written plan sets this out before you start.
Pigment often looks visibly lighter within a few weeks of the mask, and continues to improve over the following months with home care. We review the result at around three months against your starting photographs.
Melasma is a long-term condition, and it can return, particularly with sun exposure, heat or hormonal change. Cosmelan can lighten melasma noticeably for many people, but keeping it lighter depends on daily sun protection and maintenance skincare.
For many people with melasma, a depigmentation treatment like Cosmelan is a gentler place to start, because heat from some lasers can make melasma worse. Laser can have a role for sun spots and some mixed pigmentation, and we will tell you which suits your skin.
Cosmelan is available at Aarva on Midland Drive, Royal Sutton Coldfield, a short drive from Four Oaks, Walmley, Erdington, Lichfield, Tamworth and north Birmingham. Parking is available nearby.
Cosmelan at Aarva is priced individually, with course pricing where it helps. Ongoing maintenance products are priced separately, and both are shown in your written plan before you commit. Cosmelan also earns points in the Aarva Circle.
Come With the Problem, Not the Treatment
You do not need to know whether Cosmelan is the answer. Tell a doctor what is bothering you, and you will leave with an honest view of what will help, and what will not.
Conditions we treat with Cosmelan: Melasma · Pigmentation and sun damage
Related treatments: Chemical peels · Medical-grade skincare · UltraClear · iS Clinical Fire & Ice