Acne Spots

Less severe acne is best addressed with medical grade, prescription topical medications. These are not antibiotics as typically prescribed by GPs, and are not available over the counter or without a prescription. They are specialist products with strong, active ingredients which require you to be under the care of the prescriber during use. You will have a reaction phase that involves redness and excess skin shedding lasting 2 – 6 weeks. Once you come through this, your skin will be brighter and acne largely under control.

For more severe acne, we have specialist oral medication. This treatment path is a last resort since the medication can have severe side-effects and potentially cause lasting damage to internal organs. It also causes birth defects, so for patients at risk of pregnancy they must use dual contraception and administer monthly pregnancy tests. All patients must have a consultation, regular check-ups and regular blood tests to ensure you are safely coping with the medication. Treatment course for oral acne medication averages about 6 months. Provided the patient achieves the target cumulative dose over the course of treatment, relief from acne is long term (i.e. 5+ year and permanently for many patients).

In the UK, any clinic administering this oral acne treatment must be registered and inspected by the CQC, so be sure any clinic that offers this treatment can be verified on the CQC database.