Skin guides from the experts
Dark spots, breakouts and uneven tone, treated the way we have treated them since 1980. No trends, no filler, and nothing we would not tell a client in the chair.
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Retinol for Acne: What It Does, and What It Doesn't
Retinol prevents breakouts and fades the marks they leave. It is not a spot fix. How to use it, how long it takes, and when not to start.
Skin Purging: What It Is, and How to Tell It From a Breakout
Purging means keep going. Breaking out means stop. How to tell which you have in the first weeks of a routine, and what to do about each.
Cystic Acne at Home: Calm First, Then Correct
Cystic acne sits deep and scars easily. The two-phase routine that calms inflammation first, then fades the marks and scarring it leaves.
Pimples on Cheeks: Causes and the Routine That Clears Them
Cheek acne is usually contact acne. The sources, the fixes that cost nothing, and the routine that clears the breakouts and their marks.
How to Get Rid of Acne Dark Spots in 30 Days
Acne marks fade when three things happen at once. The four-step routine, in order, and how long it takes.
Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation: What It Is and How to Fade It
Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation is not a scar, it is a pigment response, and that difference is why it responds to the right nighttime routine.
Acne Skincare Routine: Clear Breakouts and the Marks They Leave
Acne and dark spots need different actives, and using them wrong is what breaks most routines. Here is the exact AM and PM order, and what to expect week by week.
Acne Spot Treatment: What to Use, and When
A spot treatment is for the breakout you have now, not the mark it leaves behind. Here is which product does which job, and how to run both.
Clarifying Gel: How to Use It for Oily, Congested Skin
Clarifying Gel treats oil and congestion across the whole face, not spot by spot. How to use it, what it pairs with, and what it will not do.
Why Your Acne Treatment Isn't Working: 4 Real Reasons
Acne treatments usually fail for four reasons, and being too weak is rarely one of them. How to tell which is happening to you.
Red Marks or Dark Marks After Acne? How to Tell Them Apart
Post-acne marks come in two kinds: red ones from blood vessels and brown ones from pigment. They respond to completely different things.
How to Pop a Pimple Without Getting a Dark Mark
You cannot pop a pimple without risking a mark. What to never squeeze, how to limit damage if you do it anyway, and the aftercare that decides how dark it gets.