‍Acne can be tricky, because there isn’t just one cause or cure for everyone. There’s a combination of hormones, P. acnes bacteria, oil production and sometimes systemic things that can contribute to acne and its 4 severities.

While going to a dermatologist sounds like it should be a quick fix, I more often than not hear they only suggest drugs such as Accutane (which I thought was getting banned back when I graduated esthetics school in 2011) and for some reason that is beyond me – Cetaphil which is the most bland gentle cleanser and moisturizer possible.

Acne is often a trial and error type of thing. What I like to start with, is a couple of weeks-worth of Epionce samples appropriate for their skin type, and see if there is any improvement. Whether it’s reduction in break outs, black heads, inflammation- improvement is improvement. Epionce is great for anti-inflaming the skin at the least to get a better visible idea of what we are looking at and how we may need to treat the skin for that person.

Next, we often will try either a Pelleve for cystic acne, or a HydraFacial for more superficial acne or both. The Pelleve is FDA approved for anti-aging benefits, however we have found the RF reduces the oil contribution that is often a big culprit in the cystic acne. The HydraFacial is great because it helps to exfoliate the top layer of skin which sometimes gets stuck due to oil production and get clogged causing black heads and build-up of skin. Then it infuses a light glycolic acid/salycilic acid peel which helps to absorb some of the oil, black heads/congestion and shrink active pimples. If the Epionce samples don’t do enough for their skin, I recommend our Becker Cosmetic Acne Triple Gel which is part of our prescription strength skin care line that helps stage 1-4 acne and we have had great success with it!

To further enhance results, we also just got a new treatment called Forever Clear BBL that helps with the P.acnes bacteria, active lesions, and redness as well as depth of acne scarring all in one treatment and we have had great success with our acne clients! With all of this said, acne is a process! But with all of our options and routes we can take, I love trying and seeing what works! Acne is probably my favorite thing to treat as I got acne when I was 9 through my 20s, I get it!