Aftercare: Acne Treatment

1. Keeping the skin clean and untouched matters most. Don't squeeze or pick at spots at home, and don't seal them under hydrocolloid patches. If a new or severe breakout appears before your next appointment, come in — we can treat it with a calming injection.
2. After a scaling treatment, the surface layer is removed, which can bring underlying acne to the surface.
3. Redness may persist for 2–3 days after extractions. Hold off on home exfoliation during this time.
4. Breakouts or redness can occur after the first session — focus on keeping your skin moisturized.
5. Wear sunscreen daily. It protects your results and prevents post-acne marks.
6. You can wash your face and apply makeup 3 hours after treatment. Over-cleansing dries the skin and can enlarge oil glands.
7. Avoid alcohol, smoking, and other irritants for at least 2–3 days.
8. Consistency is key with acne — please keep to your treatment schedule as closely as possible.
9. If you're taking oral acne medication and planning a pregnancy, talk to our medical staff first.

Daily habits that help

Regular treatment at the clinic is the most important thing, but a few daily habits make a real difference.

1. Wash your hands often and avoid touching your face.
2. Keep your hair off acne-prone areas — tie it back or sweep it away.
3. How you cleanse and what you put on your skin matters. If your skin is dry or sensitive, talk to the doctor about switching to a mildly acidic cleanser, and cleanse gently. Skip oil-based products, including cleansing oils — they tend to clog pores. Choose a non-comedogenic sunscreen. Concealer, primer, and heavy-textured makeup can make acne worse, so ask our staff which products to use and how.
4. Sleep matters. Avoid late nights and aim for at least 7 hours a night.
5. Even without being overweight, gaining weight can worsen acne because fat cells produce androgen hormones.
6. Limit meals heavy in refined carbs and fat (tteokbokki, fried food, ice cream) and dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, lattes). You don't need to cut dairy out completely. Fish, fruit, and nuts are good for acne-prone skin.