Acne & Acne Scarring
I’ve had severe acne myself, and I know how much more it affects than just your skin.
I know exactly what it’s like to have acne.
I was absolutely covered in acne when I was younger. My face, neck, back and shoulders. It was horrendous.
I went through two courses of Roaccutane, and even after my acne cleared, I never had good skin.
It wasn’t until I started working in the aesthetics industry and properly understood active ingredients, what they do, which skin conditions they’re suitable for, and the importance of effective concentrations and formulations, that things changed.
Once I could give my skin what it actually needed, I was able to maintain clear skin, but more than that, my skin started to glow and look genuinely healthy.
Even then, it took me years to believe people when they told me I had good skin. I’d spent so much of my life with terrible skin, from the time I hit puberty, that my mind just wouldn’t compute it.
So when someone comes to me struggling with acne, I understand exactly what it’s doing to their confidence.
You’ve tried everything. Nothing works.
This is probably the biggest frustration I hear from people with acne.
They’ve spent a fortune on products, tried countless different routines and still aren’t getting the results they want.
When we break it down, quite often they’ve been buying products because they’ve seen them recommended online, or because a friend has had great results with them.
But that doesn’t mean those products were right for their skin in the first place.
The other thing I see is people finally getting the right products, but not sticking with them long enough to see the benefits.
Acne doesn’t clear overnight. You need the right products, the right formulations and enough consistency to give them time to work.
You also need to trust the process and let me guide you through it.
How I approach acne
Acne is an inflammatory skin condition, so internal inflammation is something we need to address alongside the skin itself.
During your consultation, we’ll go through your skin history, previous treatments, medication, current skincare, lifestyle and any triggers you’ve noticed.
We’ll look at your internal skin health alongside your skincare and lifestyle, so we can put together a plan that addresses your skin from the inside and the outside.
I’ll also give you practical advice for managing acne day to day.
What you’re doing at home comes first.
I can treat your skin in clinic alongside your home programme, but if your budget doesn’t stretch to both, my first priority is getting you set up properly at home.
What you do to your skin every single day is going to have a far greater influence on your long term skin health and results than what I can do in clinic, even if you’re coming in once a fortnight.
That means establishing the right skincare and internal support for your skin, using appropriate ingredients and formulations, and following the programme consistently enough to see what it’s doing.
Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better.
This is something I always discuss with acne clients.
When we introduce certain active ingredients, particularly those that influence skin cell turnover, some people experience an initial increase in breakouts.
You might have heard this described as skin purging.
It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it is something you should be aware of.
I know how upsetting that stage can be when you’re desperate for your skin to improve. So if it happens to you, I’ll be there to guide you through it.
What about acne scarring and pigmentation?
First, we get the active acne under control.
Once we’ve done that, we can look at what’s been left behind.
That might be post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, where breakouts have left darker marks, or actual changes to the skin’s structure, such as ice pick scars or other types of indented acne scarring.
We may consider treatments such as SkinPen microneedling or chemical peels, depending on which is best for you.
We’ll also establish a maintenance skincare programme to help you keep the clear, healthy skin we’ve worked towards while improving any remaining marks or scarring.
Frequently asked questions
Can you help with adult acne?
Yes.
Do I need clinic treatments to improve my acne?
Not necessarily. My first priority is getting the right home programme in place.
Will my acne get worse before it gets better?
It can happen when introducing certain active ingredients, but it doesn’t happen to everyone.
Can microneedling treat active acne?
There is some emerging research into microneedling for active acne, but it’s not an approach I currently see the value in. I prefer to get the active acne under control before considering microneedling for scarring.
Can acne scars be improved?
Yes, absolutely. I regularly treat acne scarring with SkinPen microneedling, and it can produce excellent improvements. The results depend on the type and severity of the scarring.
Book your skin consultation
If you’ve spent years struggling with acne, trying different products and feeling like nothing works, come and have a conversation with me.
We’ll look at what you’ve been doing, what’s been missing and how to get your skin where you want it to be.
Book your skin consultation