Treating Acne
Evidence based. Consultant-led. Built around you.
Effective treatment of acne and acne scarring starts with understanding what is driving your breakouts, the type of acne you have and the pattern of scarring left behind. At S.K. & Co. Dermatology, treatment is tailored to your skin, your priorities and the stage of your acne journey.
The following options may be used individually or in combination, guided entirely by your clinical assessment.
Avi-Clear Laser
Lifestyle Considerations
Prescription Skincare
Dr Khan selects, or compounds, formulations built specifically for your skin, your acne subtype and your lifestyle.
The topical treatments with the strongest evidence base in acne include:
Retinoids — regulate skin cell turnover & prevent blocked pores
Topical antibiotics — reduce bacterial load & inflammation, always prescribed alongside non-antibiotic agents in line with BAD guidelines
Benzoyl peroxide — directly targets acne-causing bacteria with no resistance risk
Azelaic acid — addresses inflammation & post-inflammatory pigmentation, particularly useful in skin of colour
Clascaterone - a new active targeting the hormonal component of acne
The right combination depends on your acne subtype, skin tone, tolerance and lifestyle. Where multiple prescription actives are clinically indicated, S.K. & Co. offers compounded prescription skincare — a single bespoke formulation containing exactly what your skin needs, prepared to your precise clinical specification.
Prescription skincare is initiated following a full consultation and reviewed as your skin responds.
Prescription Medication
For many patients, topical treatments alone are not enough. Where acne is moderate to severe, deeply inflammatory, cystic, hormonally driven, or where scarring is a concern, oral prescription medication — initiated and monitored by a consultant dermatologist — can be genuinely life-changing.
Oral antibiotics are a useful short-term option for inflammatory acne, always prescribed in line with antimicrobial stewardship principles and alongside non-antibiotic agents where possible.
For hormonally driven acne in women, anti-androgen therapy offers a highly effective and often underused option — one that requires specialist assessment to prescribe appropriately.
For severe, scarring or treatment-resistant acne, the gold-standard oral treatment available only through specialist dermatology has the potential to achieve long-term or permanent clearance. Every patient considered for this treatment receives thorough counselling, careful selection and full safety monitoring throughout their course.
Oral treatments are initiated following a full consultant-led assessment. Whether any treatment is right for you will always be determined by that conversation first.
Multimodal Treatment
Evidence based. Consultant-led. Built around you.
Combining oral medication with topical treatments or AviClear laser allows for lower doses that are equally effective and significantly better tolerated. This is particularly relevant for patients who have previously struggled with side effects or who prefer to minimise systemic medication.
Every decision is made on clinical grounds, reviewed regularly and adjusted as your skin responds.
Oral treatments are initiated following a full consultant-led assessment. Whether any treatment is right for you will always be determined by that conversation first.