The launch of the AviClear laser is big news for victims of stubborn pimples, like me. Since my teenage years, I’ve experienced hormonal cystic pimples breakouts. They Increased in severity after I went off contraception in my early 20s, in addition to after a failed pregnancy once I was 25. These bouts, which have persevered into my 30s, have left me with an excellent deal of insecurity about my bare skin.

I’ve leaned on pimple patches (Zit Stick KILLA Deep Zit Microdart Patches), tried photodynamic therapy using blue light therapy and a photosensitizing agent (which helped for 2 years then plateaued), and I take 100 mg of spironolactone, on an irregular schedule due to dizziness it causes. These have all been short-term solutions for a skin concern that has spanned a long time. With my current regimen, I are likely to get one cystic breakout monthly, within the chin and jawline area, and am susceptible to clogged pores on account of an oily skin type.

I used to be thrilled to find out about AviClear, a laser treatment that was FDA approved last 12 months. It gets results which can be being touted because the first-ever treatment alternative to Accutane, the controversial oral medication that may stop pimples but may include unintended effects (dry mouth, dry eyes, dry skin) and risks including severe birth defects in the event you turn out to be pregnant. “AviClear is the closest final result to Accutane without all that baggage,” says Corey L. Hartman, a board-certified dermatologist in Birmingham, Alabama.

By non-ablatively targeting the oil glands under the skin using a 1726 nanometer wavelength laser, Dr. Hartman explains, the device prevents future breakouts and pimples scarring without damaging the skin. “It truly is revolutionary since it means that you can replace the topical and/or oral pimples regimen,” he says.

A part of AviClear’s “great potential” comes all the way down to its ease of protocol, adds R. Sonia Batra, a board-certified dermatologist in Santa Monica, California. “There are only three in-office treatments, which makes compliance easier and is useful for busy people and teenagers which have difficulty sticking with at-home regimens.”

In This Story

• My AviClear Experience
• My Skin After One Treatment
• My Skin After Two Treatments
• My Third Treatment
• The Aftercare Rundown
• The Brass Tacks

I even have suffered from hormonal pimples since my teens. I are likely to get about one cystic breakout monthly within the chin area (thanks, period), which keeps me heading to the dermatologist’s office monthly for kenalog injections into each individual pimples cyst (these anti-inflammatory corticosteroid shots shrink cysts overnight). But even with my treatment arsenal, the aftermath of a cystic breakout leaves me feeling self-conscious about residual hyperpigmentation and changes in skin texture.