Ashe and I met so she could share her most recent experience with the second of three treatments for her moderate to severe acne. First, she summarized the experience of the last month. As mentioned in the first blog post, there was a purge period within five days of the treatment. For the most part, these breakouts were smaller and faster healing- but still numerous. She shared that about two weeks into the treatment, the texture, and pain associated with the larger, deeper cysts improved significantly. Several areas on her face were clearing, especially her chin directly below her lower lip and the upper parts of her cheeks. The primary breakout space on the left side of her face was improving but she still needed a fair amount of make-up to feel comfortable going out to school and work. The third week of the first month was the best, because, by the fourth week, there did seem to be several new smaller breakouts, so it seemed like her face was telling her it was time to go back and get another treatment.

Her parents had taken her to a local dermatologist about two weeks past the first treatment to get a second opinion and check on the healing process. As expected, the doctor had not heard and was not particularly familiar with the treatment and suggested that if things did not improve, Ashe should absolutely consider using Accutane. The doctor stated that the treatment combination of Avi-clear paired with Winlevi to prevent further breakouts in the interim was so new her clinic system could not prescribe or recommend it. She did suggest Ashe switch to a foaming cleanser and cut back on the retinoid. Ashe has trouble with breakouts on her back and chest as well, so the doctor suggested a benzoyl peroxide, retinoid medication for these areas.

The second treatment was exactly four weeks after the first and Ashe said it was actually harder than the first one. She attributed the challenge to having background knowledge. She explained that the treatment hurt more, and it may have been because she knew what the treatment would feel like and tensed up accordingly.

I saw Ashe on day 3 after the second treatment. Again there appears to be a new purge starting; but it is not as bad as the first one. There did appear to be a few new breakout areas outside of the typical hormonal acne zones. If her face responds as it did in the first treatment, I can’t wait to see her again in a couple of weeks. She remains optimistic and is overall happy with results so far.

At this point, even with the increased cost compared to Accutane, this has the potential to be the acne treatment of choice. Imagine getting these results a year or so ago before things had gotten really bad. AviClear could be a real gamechanger.