The most important part of our system is not the products alone, it is the education we provide on how to use the products. First, we analyze your skin to make sure you are getting the products at the proper potency. If the products are too weak they will not work or if they are too strong your skin may become dry and irritated. We will be sure to get the products just right.
Having the products is not enough! The results come with the proper skincare routine. We will show you how to use your products slowly at first so that your skin is responsive but does not get irritated or breakout. However, soon after starting with your new Face Reality regimen (usually within 2 weeks) your skin will get used to what you are doing so we will need to “amp up” the regimen. This may mean adding another product, increasing frequency of use of a product you are currently using or layering a few active products. As your Acne Specialist, this is our job to guide you through these changes over a 12-16 week time frame. If we did not make these bi-weekly adjustments your skin would stop improving.
When you use a new skincare line from the dermatologist or from the store, you follow the same regimen from Day 1 until you stop using them with no changes or adjustments to the product strength or frequency, this is why they stopped working at some point. As your personal Acne Specialist, we will help you tackle your acne in a customized, week by week way. Our Face Reality program provides you with strong products and a customized regimen while not over drying your skin. Our in office acne treatments also speed up the process and with our support our clients find that their skin is clear in a few months.
How are we different than dermatologists?
Dermatologists are typically the first call when someone has acne. They tend to prescribe a “one size fits all” regimen of oral antibiotics and topical prescription drugs. When this approach ends up failing a few months later, the doctor will then prescribe a round of new antibiotics and then another until they come to a point where nothing is working. Not only do these prescriptions fail to cure the acne they also cause health-depleting side effects such as constipation, diarrhea, liver damage, depression, and much more.
In addition, dermatologists just do not have the time it requires to really get to know you, and create a customized course of treatment to clear your acne. While they mean well, the amount of time allotted to each of their patients just doesn’t allow for a more personalized or “whole person” approach to your care.
When you work with me and the Natural Acne Clinic we will spend up to one hour together at your first consultation so we can get to know you and hear your story. The truth is, if there were only one specific thing in your life that was triggering your acne, it would be easy to clear up. But, acne manifests in many ways in different people so it’s imperative that we get to know you as an individual, not as just another patient that needs a cream and a pill.
What about Proactiv?
This skin care line has the right idea but the products are so strong that they typically cause dryness, redness, itching, and an initial “purging” breakout. Plus, your skin will get used to the products over time and will need more aggressive products every few weeks to keep acne from developing. For those who make it past the dryness and irritation, the skin may get clear for a short time but typically this is only temporary.
How are we different than day spas and traditional estheticians?
Most estheticians are not “Acne Specialists”. It takes specialists continuing education and training outside of a basic Esthetician license program to learn how to effectively work with acne-prone skin. Estheticians are primarily trained in facial techniques and the biology of the skin. Day spas and estheticians may even offer a few acne products but these products will most likely contain pore-clogging ingredients that can make your acne worse or simply maintain the acne instead of clearing it. The Face Reality program that we use is sold only by their trained Acne Specialists and is the only non pore-clogging focused acne line.
Naturopath/Acupuncturist/Holistic Practitioners
If you have been looking for a more holistic or natural approach to treating your acne then you may have gone to or considered visiting an acupuncturist or naturopath. While these professionals may be trained in treating the body from the inside out with supplements and herbs, they are not skin or acne specialists.
Typically, what we see is that they do recommend great supplements for the skin BUT they are missing a key factor which is treating the skin itself! If you read our article, “What is Acne?” you learned that acne is a hereditary condition of the pore. Also, hormones, nutritional deficiencies, and food choices can trigger acne only in those that are predisposed to the pore turning over an excessive amount of skin cells. A holistic doctor will not know about pore-clogging ingredients or the proper skin care regimen so this part of the equation would be missing.
If you live too far away from our Denver clinic, consider our Online Acne Program.
