What is the Cosmelan Peel?
Cosmelan is a professional depigmentation method — not an ordinary chemical peel. Where a conventional peel works largely by exfoliating the surface, Cosmelan is designed to interrupt the pigment-making process itself. It combines a high-strength mask applied in clinic with a structured home-care programme that continues the work for months afterwards. That two-part structure is the whole design: the mask produces the initial correction, and the home phase is what holds it. It is the most widely used professional depigmentation protocol in aesthetic medicine, and at Panache it is applied under Dr. Ankit Gupta's supervision, after your pigmentation has been assessed and the cause identified.
What ₹50,000 Includes
One transparent price covers the full programme — the in-clinic session and the home-care kit that follows it. There is no separate charge for the kit, and no drip of add-ons afterwards.
- The full in-clinic Cosmelan mask application, performed by a trained clinician
- Consultation and pigmentation assessment with Dr. Ankit Gupta before treatment
- The complete home-care kit — the maintenance phase that holds your result
- Detailed written aftercare and a step-by-step home routine
- Scheduled follow-up reviews through the peeling and settling phase
- Guidance on sun protection and long-term maintenance
₹50,000 covers one session with the home-care kit included. Some patients with deeper or long-standing pigmentation need additional support over time; if that applies to you, it is discussed openly at consultation rather than discovered later.
How It Works
Pigmentation appears when melanocytes — the pigment-producing cells in your skin — become overactive and deposit excess melanin. Cosmelan approaches that on several fronts at once. Its actives inhibit tyrosinase, the key enzyme in melanin production, which slows the manufacture of new pigment. At the same time, controlled exfoliation clears pigment already sitting in the upper layers, and the home phase keeps the melanocytes regulated for months afterwards so the correction is not immediately undone. This combination is why Cosmelan tends to hold better than exfoliation alone — treating only the surface leaves the cells that made the pigment entirely untouched, which is precisely why so many pigmentation treatments disappoint.
Who It Is For
Cosmelan is designed for pigmentation that has not responded to creams and ordinary facials. It suits:
- Melasma — the symmetrical brown patches across cheeks, forehead and upper lip
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, including marks left behind by acne
- Sun-induced pigmentation and uneven tone from years of exposure
- Freckling and dark patches that make skin look tired and uneven
- Patients who have tried topical creams without lasting improvement
- Indian and deeper skin tones — the protocol is used across a wide range of skin types
It is not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, on actively inflamed or broken skin, or where there is a known allergy to any component. Assessment first is not a formality — the right treatment depends entirely on which type of pigmentation you actually have.
The Two Phases
Cosmelan is a programme rather than an appointment. Understanding both halves before you start is what makes the result achievable.
Your skin is cleansed and prepared, and the mask is applied evenly across the treatment area. You go home wearing it, and remove it yourself at the time your clinician specifies — usually somewhere between 8 and 12 hours later, set according to your skin type and the depth of pigmentation.
From the day after removal you begin the home phase using the kit included in your price. This is applied daily on a schedule that tapers over the following months, and it is the part that holds your correction in place.
The home phase is not optional and not a supplementary product to consider later. Cosmelan without its maintenance phase gives back much of what the mask achieved — which is exactly why the kit is included in the price rather than sold separately.
What to Expect, Day by Day
Cosmelan involves visible peeling. Knowing the shape of it in advance lets you plan around it rather than be alarmed by it.
The mask is applied in clinic. You may feel warmth or mild tingling. You wear it home and remove it at the specified hour.
The skin looks flushed and feels tight, rather like mild sunburn. The home-care programme begins.
Flaking and peeling appear and reach their peak. This is the visible part of the process, and it is the reason most patients plan the treatment around a quiet week.
Peeling settles and fresh skin comes through, usually looking brighter and more even almost immediately.
Pigmentation is noticeably lighter and tone is more uniform. This is where most patients first feel the treatment was worth it.
With the home phase continuing, pigment keeps fading and the correction stabilises.
Plan for around a week of visible peeling. Most patients schedule Cosmelan when they have a lighter social calendar, and avoid booking it immediately before a wedding or event.
Aftercare and Sun Protection
Sun discipline is not an accessory to this treatment — it is half of it. Pigmentation is driven by UV exposure, and unprotected sun will undo good work faster than anything else.
- Broad-spectrum SPF 50 every single day, reapplied through the day, indefinitely
- Do not pick, scrub or pull at peeling skin — let it shed on its own
- Use only the cleanser and moisturiser advised; pause retinoids, acids and scrubs unless told otherwise
- Avoid direct sun, saunas, steam and swimming pools during the peeling phase
- Follow the home-care schedule exactly, including the tapering steps
- Attend your follow-up reviews so the programme can be adjusted to how your skin is responding
Patients who are diligent with sun protection hold their result markedly longer than those who are not. This is the single biggest variable within your control.
Melasma — An Honest Conversation
Melasma deserves candour rather than salesmanship. It is a chronic, relapsing condition influenced by sun exposure, hormones, genetics and heat — not a one-off blemish that can be permanently removed. Cosmelan can reduce it substantially and, for many patients, transformatively; what no treatment can do is guarantee it will never return. Pregnancy, hormonal medication, a strong summer or simply time can all trigger it again. What a well-run programme offers is a meaningful correction plus a maintenance plan to hold it, and honest guidance about touch-ups if pigment starts to creep back. Any clinic promising a permanent cure for melasma is telling you something the evidence does not support. Results vary from patient to patient, and depend on the type and depth of your pigmentation, your skin type, and how closely the home phase and sun protection are followed.
