--- title: "ThreeForMe™ Photorejuvenation" --- ## What ThreeForMe does for your skin Skin that has spent time on the Central Coast almost never has one problem. It has brown spots from the sun, red vessels that arrived quietly and never left, and a surface that has lost the smoothness it used to have. Treat those one at a time and you are booking three separate courses of treatment, paying for three, and recovering from three. ThreeForMe puts two passes into one appointment. First pulses of light, which the brown and the red both soak up and break down. Then a laser, which works on the lines and the texture that light cannot touch. Together they take on all three problems, in roughly the time one treatment normally takes. The reason this works is that the two passes cannot substitute for each other. Light goes after color and does close to nothing for texture. The laser goes after texture and does close to nothing for color. Running both is the only way one appointment fixes three things, and it is why this costs more than a single treatment and considerably less than paying for two courses side by side. **What ThreeForMe is good at** - Clearing age spots, freckling and the patchy color left by sun damage - Fading broken capillaries around the nose and cheeks, and the background flush of rosacea - Softening fine lines and rough, uneven texture - Treating the chest and the backs of the hands, which are the two areas people leave until last and the two that give them away - Handling color and texture in one appointment rather than choosing which one to fix first One visit Three problems handled in one appointment, in about the time a single treatment usually takes. That is the entire reason to choose this over booking two or three separate courses. ## How treatment works ### Pulses of light, for the brown and the red First we go over the area with pulses of bright light. Brown spots soak it up, and so does the blood inside a broken vessel. Both break down, and your body clears them away over the following days and weeks. This is light rather than a laser: a broad band of it, filtered to hit color. ### A laser, for the lines and the texture Then a second pass, this time with a laser that treats thousands of tiny points across your skin and leaves the skin in between completely untouched. Nothing is taken off the surface. That untouched skin is what heals you in days instead of weeks, and new collagen builds underneath over the following months. ### Each pass does a job the other cannot Neither one covers for the other, and that is the whole design. It is why one appointment can take on color and texture together, and why the alternative is two separate courses of treatment on two separate calendars. Two passes Light for color, a laser for texture. The system's FDA clearance covers both families of handpiece, and they are cleared for different things for exactly this reason. [2] ## Which of the three do you actually have? Most people booking this can name what bothers them but not what it is, and the two passes treat different things. Here is how to tell them apart in your own mirror, in daylight, with no makeup on. | What you see | What it is | Which pass handles it | If it is your only problem | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Flat brown patches and freckling that got worse every summer | Sun-driven pigment | The light pass | [An IPL photofacial](/treatments/ipl-photofacial/) alone is the shorter, cheaper appointment | | Fine red lines beside the nose, or a flush across both cheeks that never fully settles | Widened surface vessels, often rosacea | The light pass | IPL alone, or a vascular laser if the vessels are individual and stubborn | | Skin that looks fine in a photo but rough and crepey up close | Surface texture and collagen loss | The laser pass | Clear + Brilliant® alone, which is the gentler texture-only option | | A raised, changing or new brown spot | Not a cosmetic question yet | Neither, until it has been examined | A dermatology appointment first, and this is the one that matters | If you can only tick one row, book the single treatment. We will tell you that at your consultation and we would rather you heard it from us than found out afterward. If you ticked two or three, that is what this treatment is for, and stacking them into one appointment is genuinely cheaper and faster than running the courses separately. ## Areas we treat ### Face Sun spots, redness, fine lines and texture, all in the same appointment. ### Neck The mottled color and thin, crepey texture that shows up here before it shows up on the face. ### Chest Brown and red sun damage across the V-neck area, which is the most common regret on the Central Coast. ### Hands The flat brown spots on the backs of the hands, which age you faster than almost anything else. Real results ## Before & after These are our own patients, photographed at our San Luis Obispo office and published with their consent. Individual results vary. There are more in the practice's private gallery, and we are happy to show you cases similar to yours at your consultation. Individual results vary. Photos shown are unretouched patients of Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics, published with consent. Patient 1 Patient 2 Patient 3 3-4 Visits in a recommended course. Each one takes on all three problems, so you finish a single course rather than stacking several. Treated spots darken and flake away over the week or two after each visit. > The staff is terrific, front to back. Thank you, Dr. Kilcline, for the great work today. — **Steve P.**, San Luis Obispo (5 out of 5 stars) ![Middle-age woman with great skin](https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/cd-threeforme-photorejuvenation.webp) The Coastal difference ## Two treatments in one visit is twice the judgment, not half Combining treatments saves you time. It does not make the decision simpler, it doubles it, because both passes carry their own settings and both have to be right for the same skin on the same day. Getting one right and the other wrong is not half a good result. That judgment sits inside a board-certified dermatology practice rather than beside one. It also means your brown spots get looked at before they get treated. Not every brown spot is sun damage, and a treatment that clears color can clear away the one thing a dermatologist needed to see. That is not a hypothetical on skin that has spent decades outdoors here. It is the single best argument for having this done where somebody can tell the difference. ## Is it right for you? **ThreeForMe is probably a good fit if:** - You can tick two or three rows in the table above rather than one - Years outdoors have left you with color and texture problems at the same time - You would rather run one course of treatment than two or three - You can take a week or two of treated spots darkening before they flake away **We will steer you somewhere else if:** - Only one of the three actually bothers you, in which case the single treatment is cheaper and shorter - You have a tan, fresh or from a bottle, which needs two clear weeks to fade first - Your skin carries more pigment and the light half raises the risk of a lasting color change - You are taking something that makes your skin sensitive to light, or finished a strong acne pill in the past year - There is a brown spot in the area that has never been examined - You are pregnant Not sure which of these you are? That is what the consultation is for, and it is why we look at your skin before we tell you what it needs. ## What to expect afterward Expect mild redness and swelling for a day or two, and a warm sunburned feeling the same day. Then the satisfying part: treated brown spots go noticeably darker, sometimes almost black, and then flake away over one to two weeks, taking the pigment with them. That darkening is the treatment working, and it is why you want a week or two between this and a big event. **In the first two weeks, do** - Let darkened spots flake off on their own, on their own schedule - Keep treated skin out of direct sun completely - Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, every day from here on [3] - Use a gentle cleanser and keep moisturizer on **In the first two weeks, don't** - Pick, scrub or exfoliate anything that darkens or flakes - Go back to retinoids, acids or scrubs until we clear you - Book a beach day, a tanning bed or a self-tanner - Take a very hot shower, sit in a sauna or overheat in the first day or two Call us about anything severe, worsening or surprising: blistering, real pain, signs of infection, or anything that does not match what we described before your treatment. We would far rather hear from you early. ## Concerns treated This is the treatment for skin with more than one thing going on. Pick a concern to see how we approach it. - [Wrinkles and Fine Lines](https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/conditions/wrinkles-and-fine-lines/) - [Sun Damage](https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/conditions/sun-damage/) - [Spider Veins](https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/conditions/spider-veins/) - [Rosacea](https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/conditions/rosacea/) - [Vascular Anomalies](https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/conditions/vascular-anomalies/) ## What treatment costs ThreeForMe is priced per session and by the area treated, so a face is not the same number as a face, neck and chest. It costs more per visit than a single light treatment, because you are getting two passes rather than one, and it costs considerably less than running two courses of treatment side by side. That trade is the whole reason the treatment exists. Most people are planning a course of three to four, so you get the cost of the course at your consultation rather than a per-visit number that adds up later. If only one of the three problems is really yours, we will quote you the single treatment instead and it will be cheaper. Treatment time 30 to 60 minutes Downtime A day or two of redness, then treated spots darken and flake off over 1 to 2 weeks Results appear Color clears over 1 to 3 weeks, texture keeps improving for months Results last Long-term, with sun protection and occasional maintenance ## ThreeForMe frequently asked questions **Q: What are the three?** Brown spots, red veins and fine lines. Pulses of light take care of the first two and a laser takes care of the third. One appointment, two passes, three problems. The live name never says it, so now it does. **Q: Is this just an IPL photofacial?** No, and that is the whole difference. An IPL photofacial is the brown-and-red half on its own. This adds a second pass with a laser for lines and texture. If brown and red are all you want treated, the standalone treatment is the shorter, cheaper appointment and we will say so. **Q: How many visits will I need?** A course of three to four is recommended. Each visit takes on all three problems, so you are finishing one course rather than running several. **Q: Does it hurt?** The light pass feels like a rubber band snapping against your skin. The laser pass is more of a prickly heat. Neither lasts long, and we offer Nitronox if you find procedures hard. **Q: How much downtime is there?** A day or two of redness and swelling, then treated spots that go noticeably darker and flake away over one to two weeks. That darkening is the point, not a problem. **Q: Can I have it if my skin is darker?** Sometimes, and sometimes the honest answer is no. The light half works by being absorbed by color, which raises the risk on skin that carries more of it, and a recent tan does the same thing to anyone. Two clear weeks with no sun, no tanning bed and no self-tanner before your appointment. Your assessment decides, and if the answer is no we will tell you what to have instead. SPF 30+ New sun brings new spots, so this is the treatment where sunscreen is doing the most work of any page on this site. Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant, every day. [1][3] ## Offered at - [San Luis Obispo](https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/locations/coastal-dermatology-aesthetics/) ## Ready to start? Request your consultation ## Sources and medical review 1. American Academy of Dermatology Association. "How dermatologists treat sun-damaged skin." Names intense pulsed light and laser resurfacing among the treatments dermatologists use for age spots and wrinkles, and states that without protection from UV rays patients "may develop side effects from treatment, fail to get the results you seek, continue to damage your skin." [https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/sun-damage-skin/wrinkles-sun-damage-can-be-treated](https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/sun-damage-skin/wrinkles-sun-damage-can-be-treated) · Medical Organization 2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 510(k) Premarket Notification K142376, Palomar Icon Aesthetic System, Cynosure, Inc., cleared 24 September 2014. Clears the 1540 fractional non-ablative handpiece for skin resurfacing and for melasma, striae and acne and surgical scars, and the Max IPL handpieces for benign pigmented lesions, port wine stains, hemangiomas, angiomas, telangiectasias, rosacea and inflammatory acne. [https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf14/K142376.pdf](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf14/K142376.pdf) · Regulatory 3. American Academy of Dermatology Association. "How to select a sunscreen." Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant. [https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/how-to-select-sunscreen](https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/how-to-select-sunscreen) · Medical Organization 4. American Academy of Dermatology Association. "Lasers and lights: How well do they treat rosacea?" Reports most patients seeing a 50% to 75% reduction in visible blood vessels after 1 to 3 treatments, with results tending to last 3 to 5 years and new vessels able to form. [https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/rosacea/treatment/lasers-lights](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/rosacea/treatment/lasers-lights) · Medical Organization Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. ThreeForMe™ and Icon® are trademarks of Cynosure Lutronic, Inc. Mild redness and swelling, a warm sunburned feeling, and treated spots that darken and flake away over one to two weeks are expected. Blistering, burns, infection and lasting light or dark patches are uncommon but possible, and the risk rises on skin that is tanned or sunburned at the time of treatment and on skin that carries more pigment. Tell us about any medicine that makes your skin sensitive to light and about a strong acne pill taken now or in the past year. This treatment is not suitable during pregnancy, or where a spot in the area has never been examined. Individual results may vary. A consultation fee of $125 is due at the time of booking. ```ld+json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Service", "@id": "https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/treatments/threeforme-photorejuvenation/#service", "name": "ThreeForMe™ Photorejuvenation", "url": "https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/treatments/threeforme-photorejuvenation/", "description": "Brown spots, red veins and fine lines, all handled in one appointment. 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Brown spots, red veins and fine lines. Pulses of light take care of the first two and a laser takes care of the third. One appointment, two passes, three problems. The live name never says it, so now it does.

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No, and that is the whole difference. An IPL photofacial is the brown-and-red half on its own. This adds a second pass with a laser for lines and texture. If brown and red are all you want treated, the standalone treatment is the shorter, cheaper appointment and we will say so.

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A course of three to four is recommended. Each visit takes on all three problems, so you are finishing one course rather than running several.

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The light pass feels like a rubber band snapping against your skin. The laser pass is more of a prickly heat. Neither lasts long, and we offer Nitronox if you find procedures hard.

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A day or two of redness and swelling, then treated spots that go noticeably darker and flake away over one to two weeks. That darkening is the point, not a problem.

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Sometimes, and sometimes the honest answer is no. The light half works by being absorbed by color, which raises the risk on skin that carries more of it, and a recent tan does the same thing to anyone. Two clear weeks with no sun, no tanning bed and no self-tanner before your appointment. Your assessment decides, and if the answer is no we will tell you what to have instead.

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