Acne & Skin Health
Medical Acne Skincare
A physician-guided topical and skincare program using evidence-based ingredients to help control acne, oil, inflammation and post-acne marks.
Acne skincare in Vancouver
Understanding Medical Acne Skincare.
Clearer, calmer skin usually comes from the right few products, used well. Our medical acne skincare plans combine prescription and evidence-based topical treatment with a daily routine, chosen by our physicians for your acne and your skin, then adjusted as your skin responds.
Many patients arrive with a drawer of half-used products. We work out which part of the acne process is driving your breakouts, match treatment to it, and fine-tune the plan at follow-up so it keeps working for you.
Concerns & Goals
Concern guides connected to this treatment.
Acne
Acne is a skin condition that can affect people of all ages and skin types. Our physicians assess what is happening in your skin and help you choose an appropriate medical treatment, maintenance and preventive plan as well as your at-home skincare.
Active Acne
Help for current breakouts, inflamed pimples, and painful cystic acne.
Teen Acne
Adolescent acne driven by hormonal changes, oil production, and blocked pores.
Adult Acne
Acne that persists or begins after adolescence, often with recurring lower-face breakouts.
Hormonal Acne
Breakouts influenced by hormonal shifts, often appearing along the jawline or lower face.
Oily & Congested Skin
Excess oil with clogged pores, blackheads, whiteheads, or uneven texture.
Acne Marks & Post-Inflammatory Pigmentation
Flat red, pink, or brown marks that remain after acne blemishes have healed.
Hyperpigmentation, Sun Spots & Sun Damage
Darkened patches, spots and texture changes caused by excess pigment and cumulative sun exposure.
Rosacea & Facial Redness
A chronic skin condition that can cause persistent redness, flushing, visible vessels, or acne-like bumps.
Redness, Vascularity and Rosacea
Persistent facial redness, flushing, visible vessels or rosacea-related bumps and sensitivity.
Treatment options at our clinic
A physician-prescribed topical plan suits mild to moderate acne, and it pairs easily with in-clinic treatment. For severe, nodular or cystic acne, or acne that's starting to scar, our physicians build a broader plan that can include oral treatment.
- Prescribed topical therapy: retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, salicylic acid, topical antibiotics and supporting agents such as niacinamide, combined and introduced gradually to suit your acne and your skin.
- AviClear: suited to persistent acne where oil production is the main driver, especially if you'd like an option that doesn't depend on long-term medication.
- Celluma Light Therapy: LED light therapy that helps calm inflammation, including in skin that finds topical actives hard to tolerate.
- HydraFacial: clears surface congestion alongside your topical plan once your skin is settled.
Some patients use one option and others combine them. Once your acne settles, treatment steps down to an easy maintenance routine.
What medical acne skincare can improve
- Inflamed breakouts: the red, sore spots that keep arriving in the same places
- Blackheads, whiteheads and congestion, especially across the nose, chin and forehead
- Oily skin that's shining by lunchtime
- Jawline and lower-face acne in adults, often flaring in a monthly pattern
- Teenage acne that needs more than over-the-counter products
- Post-acne marks: the brown or red flat patches left behind after a spot has healed
- Skin irritated by too many products, settled with a simpler, better-matched routine
Who may benefit
Medical acne skincare suits mild to moderate acne, adult or hormonal breakouts and persistent congestion. It's also a good fit if you'd like to start with a well-built topical plan before considering oral medication.
It helps people who are using a lot of products, too. Many patients improve by simplifying their routine and setting aside products that irritate.
Severe, nodular or cystic acne, or acne that's starting to leave textural scars, does best with early physician care that may include oral treatment, so it's worth booking sooner.
Sensitive skin or rosacea calls for gentler agents, a slower start and more focus on the skin barrier. Pregnancy, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy changes which ingredients can be used, so let us know early.
Your medical history, medications and previous treatments are reviewed at your consultation to confirm which option suits you.
Your consultation
Prescription treatment starts with a physician assessment, so you'll meet one of our physicians: Dr. Gidon Frame, Dr. Sarina Govindasamy or Dr. Teri Fisher.
We look at the type of acne you have, where it sits and whether there's any early scarring. We also review your medications, including hormonal contraception, your allergies, pregnancy plans and how your skin has handled treatment before.
Bring your products, or photos of them. Knowing what you use, how often and what hasn't helped lets us build a plan that does. Sometimes a product simply needed more time, or was paired with something that irritated your skin.
Cosmetic consultations are complimentary. When you book a treatment, we take a card on file. New clients pay a $150 deposit that goes toward their treatment, and a $150 no-show fee applies if an appointment is missed.
How your plan works
Start simple. A short routine you can keep up with.
Introduce actives gradually. Usually a couple of nights a week to begin with, building up as your skin adapts. Going slowly is what helps your skin settle in comfortably.
Give it time. Acne treatment works on spots that are still forming under the surface, so the first couple of weeks can feel quiet.
Review and adjust. Follow-up is where the plan is refined: strengths change, products are swapped, and anything irritating is removed.
Then step down. Once your acne settles, treatment moves to a lighter routine you can maintain.
Results and planning
What improves. Fewer and less inflamed breakouts, clearer pores, more balanced oil, and flat marks that gradually fade.
When change appears. Over weeks. Improvement is gradual and often easier to see in photos than in the mirror, so take one at the start. Flat marks fade more slowly than spots, often over months.
Keeping your skin clear. Acne has an underlying tendency, so a lighter maintenance routine helps you keep your results once your skin settles. Textural scars, such as indents and pitting, respond to in-clinic scar treatment, which can be added to your plan.
What shapes your result: hormones, how consistently you use your routine, how well your skin tolerates the actives, picking, and other skin conditions in the mix. Individual results vary.
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic
Looking for the right next step?
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic can help you understand this treatment, explore related technologies and concerns, and build a plan around your goals.
Adjusting to a new routine
You can carry on with your day as normal. There's an adjustment period, and knowing what's normal helps you stay on track.
- Dryness, flaking, tightness and mild stinging are common in the first few weeks, particularly with retinoids.
- Skin can look busier before it clears, as existing blocked pores come to the surface faster than usual.
- Sensitivity to products you normally tolerate is temporary.
What helps: using less, less often. Apply moisturizer before or after the active, use a pea-sized amount for the whole face, and cut back to fewer nights a week if you need to.
When to get in touch: if irritation is severe, if the skin becomes raw, weepy or swollen, or if things haven't started settling after a few weeks. We'll adjust your plan.
Optimizing your results
Combining with HydraFacial. HydraFacial works well alongside your acne skincare program. Regular sessions cleanse and decongest the pores and hydrate the skin, helping your home routine do its best work. Your physician will advise the right timing for your skin.
Prescription skincare and treatment safety
Acne treatment is selected according to your skin, medical history, acne pattern and goals. If a prescription product or medication is recommended, we explain how to use it, its possible side effects, relevant precautions and which symptoms should prompt you to stop and contact the clinic.
Some topical acne medications may cause dryness, irritation or increased sun sensitivity, and certain treatments are avoided during pregnancy or while trying to conceive. These points are reviewed individually for you.
When a product may need to wait or change
Part of your plan may be paused, altered or avoided if you:
- Are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive (retinoids in particular are avoided)
- Are currently taking isotretinoin, which leaves skin too fragile for most topical actives
- Have eczema, dermatitis or a significantly compromised skin barrier
- Have a known sensitivity or allergy to an ingredient
- Have a laser treatment, peel, waxing or facial booked, which usually means pausing retinoids beforehand
- Are about to spend an extended period in strong sun
- Are already using several strong actives, where adding more may irritate
This is not a complete list. Your medical history, current medications, pregnancy plans, other skin conditions and everything you're already applying are reviewed before anything is prescribed.
Your supporting skincare routine
The active products get the attention, but the routine around them is what makes treatment comfortable to stay on.
- A gentle cleanser, twice a day. Over-stripped skin tends to produce more oil.
- A non-comedogenic moisturizer. It's what makes retinoids and benzoyl peroxide comfortable at effective strengths.
- Daily sunscreen. Actives increase sun sensitivity, and sunlight darkens post-acne marks, so sunscreen protects both your skin and your progress.
What to set aside: scrubs, grainy exfoliants, alcohol-heavy toners, repeated washing through the day, and products that promise to strip oil away. Makeup is fine; choose non-comedogenic and remove it properly.
Our team can recommend supporting products from our online shop that suit your skin and your prescription.
Technologies Used
Technologies that may support this treatment.
AviClear
AviClear is a laser that calms the oil glands behind acne, giving a way to treat breakouts on the face and body without relying on daily medication.
Celluma Light Therapy
Celluma is a flexible LED panel that delivers specific wavelengths of light to the skin as a form of low-level light therapy, used to aid acne management, tissue healing and skin rejuvenation.
HydraFacial
HydraFacial is a device-based facial treatment that combines fluid-assisted exfoliation, gentle suction to remove surface debris, and application of hydrating and conditioning topical solutions.
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic
Why patients choose our clinic
- Physician-prescribed treatment. Dr. Gidon Frame, Dr. Sarina Govindasamy and Dr. Teri Fisher assess your acne and prescribe for your skin, with a plan you can follow at home.
- Follow-up is built in. Your plan is meant to be adjusted, and review appointments are where much of the improvement comes from.
- Early guidance on oral treatment. If your acne needs more than topicals, or scarring is developing, we'll raise it early.
- In-clinic treatments alongside, including AviClear, Celluma light therapy and HydraFacial, when your skin would benefit.
- Physician-led care in Vancouver since 2003, for teenage, adult and hormonal acne.
FAQ
Questions about Medical Acne Skincare.
Prescription-strength ingredients aren't available over the counter, and the combination is chosen for the type of acne you have. Just as important, your plan is reviewed and adjusted. When something irritates or stops helping, we change it so you keep moving forward.
Purging usually appears where you normally break out, shows up in the first few weeks of a retinoid or exfoliating acid, and settles as your skin adapts. A reaction tends to appear in new places, with stinging, burning, swelling or a rash, and doesn't settle. If it sounds like a reaction, get in touch and we'll adjust your routine.
Flat brown or red marks fade gradually over months, and daily sunscreen makes a big difference to how quickly. Indents and pitting are textural scars, which respond to in-clinic scar treatment. Your assessment shows which you have, so your plan targets the right one.
Some ingredients are, and some are avoided. Topical retinoids are set aside during pregnancy and while trying to conceive, and there are pregnancy-friendly alternatives so your acne can still be treated. Let us know as soon as pregnancy is a possibility and we'll rebuild your routine.
Not at the same intensity. Once your skin settles, most people move to a lighter maintenance routine, and many keep a retinoid a few nights a week, which also helps texture and pigmentation. We'll set up a routine that's easy to live with at your follow-up.
Reviews
What patients say about the clinic experience.
Reviews help show the human side of care, from the first consultation to comfort, communication, treatment planning, and follow-up.
Visit Our Clinic
Visit our clinic in Vancouver, BC.
Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic combines medical assessment, individualized planning, physician oversight, and a broad range of treatment options in its Vancouver clinic.
Plan your consultation.
Bring your questions, treatment history, and goals. Your provider can help you understand appropriate options, expected recovery, and realistic outcomes.
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Step into your next plan with confidence.
Use our consultation form below and the clinic can guide you toward the appropriate starting point.
Why Anti-Aging Medical & Laser Clinic?
- A medical clinic with physicians and experienced medical-aesthetic providers on the team.
- Science-informed assessment, treatment planning, and realistic expectations.
- Laser, injectables, skin, body, hair, wellness, and medical services available in one clinic.
- Complimentary aesthetic consultations are available for appropriate cosmetic and laser services.
- Personalized skincare and product consultations based on your goals and routine.
- Home-care guidance to support your skin between in-clinic appointments.
- Professional skincare products available through the Anti-Aging Vancouver shop.
- Clear guidance on treatment options, preparation, downtime, aftercare, and next steps.
- Ongoing follow-up so your plan can evolve as your needs and goals change.