How you can finally fix your adult acne

Telegraph

24-02-2025

Acne as a teenager? You sort of expect it, don't you? But an increasing number of people in adulthood suffer acne, too. According to the British Association of Dermatologists, the acne rates in young adults in the UK are among the highest in the world. I've had more than six months of a continuous, frustrating cycle of acne that seemingly popped up out of nowhere.
'Adult acne has slowly been on the rise for a while now, and I've personally observed a noticeable increase in cases over the past decade, particularly among women in midlife,' the consultant dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto tells me. Many of the clients in her Harley Street clinic are acne sufferers. She puts the rise down to hormonal fluctuations, which can persist through pregnancy and menopause, or if you have conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
Stress and poor sleep can have an impact, too, which certainly resonates with me. Whatever my acne was down to, it felt alarmingly abrupt when my skin began breaking out last summer. There was one spot on my cheek, and then another, and before I knew it I was playing whack-a-mole with painful red blemishes. One spot would shrink but another two would erupt. There was a particular cluster that set up camp on my left cheek for months. I was using spot stickers – which are popular among teenagers – almost every night, as well as the tried-and-tested blemish-busting ingredient salicylic acid. Nothing worked.
Of course, there's medication, but I had been there, done that: around 15 years ago I underwent a course of Roaccutane for four months, on a low dose. It's a widely used treatment for acne, but can result in very dry, sore skin. This potent vitamin A derivative reduces oil production, and back then it worked for me, for a while, until my skin decided it was not going to play ball any more.
Needless to say, I needed a remedy. I booked in to see Dr Mahto, who is also a leading acne specialist. Now in her mid-40s, Dr Mahto herself has suffered from acne since she was a young teenager. She suggested a new laser treatment, which became available in the UK last year, designed specifically to reduce the activity of the oil glands on the face. It addresses the root cause of acne and can last years.
'It is ideal for patients who experience oily skin, recurrent breakouts or persistent acne and want an effective, safe treatment with minimal downtime and lasting results,' she says of the AviClear laser treatment, currently the only laser acne treatment of its kind. 'It's been game-changing and having had it done myself, I only wish it had been available sooner.'
It takes two to three months to have the full course of treatments – three sessions three to four weeks apart. I was warned my skin could break out during this period and it indeed did (but the spots cleared far quicker than usual and were certainly not as sore). Pleasingly, although unusual for a laser, the treatment works for all skin types and tones.
But a treatment zapping your skin many, many times over isn't exactly comfortable. I found the bony parts of the face – the forehead and chin, for instance – were the most uncomfortable. But it's over quickly (around 40 minutes in total per session).
As for the results, I'm now four weeks after my last treatment and my skin is remarkably clear. It's less greasy, too – if oily skin is your issue, this treatment deserves some consideration. My skin has better clarity and, according to Dr Mahto, the results continue to improve long after the treatment course has finished.
Now to the price. It's £4,500 for the complete course at Self London (Dr Mahto's dermatology clinic in London) and also available at selected clinics around the UK. It's a huge investment, but if acne and consistently problematic skin is your issue, and you are looking for a long-term remedy, this is one of the most remarkable treatments around.