Acne is not about being dirty, and it is not only a teenage thing. It is hormones, oil, blocked pores, bacteria and inflammation, often with London on top. We find out which of those is driving yours, calm the skin first, then repair what the breakouts left behind.
Your skin makes an oil called sebum. That is normal and good, it protects you. The trouble starts when the pore gets blocked. Creams and SPF sit on top, the oil rises but cannot get out, dead skin adds to the plug, bacteria join in, and you get a spot. Clear the pore, and everything else starts to work.
We are seeing a lot of late-onset adult acne, and much of it is the city. Pollution, stress, the gym, sweat and the commute all wind the skin up. That is not your fault, it is your environment, and we plan around it.
Then there are the marks. Even a spot you never touched can leave a red or brown shadow for months, especially on deeper skin tones. That is post-inflammatory pigmentation, not a new spot, and it lives deep in the skin, so we treat it from within. Scarring is a longer road, a year or two rather than a month, and we walk it with you.
“My skin breaks out because I am not clean enough, so I should wash and scrub it harder.”
Almost never. On the scan we can actually see your surface bacteria, and most of our acne patients are spotlessly clean. Over-washing strips the barrier and gives you more spots, not fewer.
The Observ skin scan shows what a mirror cannot: where the oil is, how deep the congestion sits, whether the redness is live inflammation or the marks left behind. It tells us what to treat first.
If it is red and angry, nothing penetrates. We calm and repair this first, or every active just stings.
The scan lights up your sebum. Full pores mean product cannot get in, so step one is clearing them.
The red and brown left by old spots, sitting deeper in the skin, waiting to surface. We treat these early.
An overall pink hue tells us the skin is inflamed. We settle it from within so it stops feeding new spots.
Worse on one side? It is often the side you sleep on. Flip the pillow, change the case often. Silk is kinder.
Washing your face to death strips the barrier and causes more spots. Twice a day, gently, is plenty.
Physical scrubs tear at inflamed skin and spread bacteria. We exfoliate with acids instead, deep and gentle.
Sun drives the marks and can make acne worse, so protect the bits everyone forgets.
Think of this as a ladder. Your plan picks the rungs you need, and we always tell you why. We cherry-pick, we keep it affordable, and we never do more than we have to.
For many people this is most of the answer. A pore-clearing step, a vitamin A step, a light non-blocking SPF, and a gym-bag antimicrobial spray. Slower is always better with these, and we start one thing at a time.
A HydrO2Facial lifts the congestion out so your skincare can work. A gentle peel resurfaces without stripping you. Then, for scarring and texture, SkinPen microneedling, often paired with polynucleotides in the same visit to calm the fire and release tethered scars.
A simpler routine, a review every few months, and the Observ scan to show the change rather than guess at it. Once the skin is calm and clear, glow and support are a choice, never a starting point.
Your personal plan and prices are built for you at your consultation. This is the toolkit, not the bill. Treatment prices are on each treatment page and on Prices.
That is normal, it is the skin clearing itself out. If life throws a flare at you, a holiday, a stressful month, we have things in the bag to knock it back.
You will not be doing this alone. We stay in touch, we adjust as we go, and once you are over that first hump it is a different life.
Three SkinPen with polynucleotides, two HydrO2Facials, two Obagi Blue Peel Radiance, twelve Dermalux LED sessions, one medical-grade active chosen for your skin, plus KB VIP, 10% off further treatments and in-clinic skincare. Yours is built for you at your consultation, and a membership is only ever suggested if it is the sensible way to pay for the plan you already have.
Sometimes, briefly, in the first few weeks of active skincare. Your plan tells you what to expect and what to do if it happens.
No. Adult acne is common and responds well. The triggers are often hormonal and environmental, and the plan is built around that.
Yes, once the active breakouts are settled. SkinPen with polynucleotides is the main tool, and nothing we have touches acne scarring like it. It is a longer road, and we are honest about that.
Skin-only concerns start with a skin consultation with an advanced skin therapist, £50. If prescription skincare may be needed, you see Kelsey, £95.
Observ skin scan, an honest conversation, and a written plan within days. £50 with an advanced skin therapist, £95 with Kelsey, our nurse prescriber.
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