Acne

Clear skin you can keep by treating what's causing it

You're doing everything right, and your skin still won't settle. The breakouts keep coming, often along the jaw and chin, well into adulthood, long after you were promised they'd stop. You've tried the products, maybe the harsh treatments, and some of them left your skin angrier than before. It's exhausting, and it's more common than anyone lets on.

Here's the thing we want you to hear first: acne isn't a hygiene problem, and it isn't your fault. It's a condition with real causes, and when you treat those causes properly, it changes.

What's actually happening

Acne starts when oil, dead skin cells and bacteria block a follicle, and inflammation follows. What drives that is rarely one thing. Hormones, a compromised skin barrier, inflammation, stress, and sometimes internal factors all play a part. Adult acne in particular is usually inflammatory and hormonal rather than anything to do with how clean your skin is.

The honest truth about treating acne

This is personal for us, because the way acne is usually treated is a large part of why With Grace exists. Stripping the skin, aggressive extractions, harsh actives, and back-to-back peels can clear a breakout for a week and wreck your barrier in the process, leaving your skin more reactive and more prone to breakouts. We don't work that way. We calm and decongest the skin while protecting its barrier, and we look at what's driving the acne rather than just scrubbing at the surface. It takes time, and we'll be upfront about that. What we can promise is a plan built for skin that stays clear, not a quick fix that flares the moment you stop.

How we treat it

Everything starts with a Skin Discovery Session, where we work out what's actually driving your acne and build a plan around it. From there, your pathway might include:

DMK Enzyme Therapy
To decongest, calm inflammation and restore healthy skin function

Explore Enzyme Therapy

NeoClear by Aerolase
To reduce acne-causing bacteria, gently regulate oil and settle inflammation.

Learn More

LED light therapy
To target bacteria and calm the skin, often between treatments. 

Get Started

Dermaviduals bespoke facials
To repair the barrier and treat acne without stripping the skin.

Learn about Bespoke Facials

Prescriptive homecare
To support the work between visits, and sometimes a conversation about the internal factors at play

Book A Skin Discovery Session

If your acne has left scarring or marks behind, that's treated differently, and we'll fold it into your plan once your skin has calmed. 

[Learn about Scarring and Pigmentation]

What to expect

Skin takes time to change, and acne especially. Most people see real improvement over a few months of consistent treatment and homecare, sometimes with an adjustment period early on as the skin recalibrates. We'll set honest expectations for your skin at your first visit, and we'll never promise overnight.

Book a skin consultation

Frequently asked questions

What causes acne?
Acne happens when oil, dead skin cells and bacteria block follicles and inflammation sets in. What drives that varies, with hormones, the skin barrier, inflammation, stress and internal factors all playing a part. Because the causes differ from person to person, identifying yours is the first thing we do.

Is adult acne normal?
Very. Acne well into your thirties, forties and beyond is common, and it's often more hormonal and inflammatory than teenage acne. It's also frequently made worse by harsh treatment, so the gentler, cause-led approach tends to suit adult skin better.

Will treatment make my skin worse before it gets better?
Sometimes there's an adjustment period as your skin recalibrates, which we'll prepare you for. What we avoid is the harsh approach that strips and inflames the skin in the name of clearing it, because that does more harm than good. We'll always tell you what's normal and what isn't.

Why don't you just do strong peels and extractions?
Because they treat the surface and often damage the barrier, which makes skin more reactive and more prone to breaking out. We extract only where it genuinely helps and do it gently, and we treat the causes underneath rather than chasing each breakout. That's the difference between clearing acne for a week and managing it for good.

Does diet or hormones affect acne?
Significantly. Hormonal patterns, in particular, often show in adult acne. We'll talk through the internal picture at your consultation and, where it's beyond our scope, we'll suggest seeing your GP rather than guessing.

Will my acne scar?
It can, which is one reason treating it properly and early matters. There's also a difference between true scarring, which is textural, and the flat red or brown marks acne leaves behind, which are a pigment and inflammation issue. We treat each differently, and we'll explain which one you're dealing with.