4747 Katella Ave Ste 100 Unit 3, Los Alamitos California 90720
I struggled with acne for over 12 years and honestly felt like I had tried everything. I was on spironolactone for years, had been on birth control forever, talked about Accutane multiple times, saw different dermatologists, etc. Some things would help temporarily, but nothing ever actually fixed it. I kept feeling frustrated that nobody really wanted to look into root causes. It always just felt like another prescription.
In 2021, I decided to get off birth control and spironolactone because I didn’t want to be on long term medications anymore. About two months later my acne got SO much worse, which was really discouraging. I remember wondering why I had been taking medications all this time, just to get off of them and for everything to come back with a vengeance.
I spent the next several years trying to fix it on my own. Trying different skincare products based on friends’ recommendations, diet changes, natural remedies, etc. I even had a doctor suggest one round of antibiotics for acne I’d had for over a decade and I remember thinking there is just no way this is the actual answer (and it wasn’t)
In September 2025, I hit a breaking point with my acne and finally found Melissa at Acne Specialists.
One thing I liked right away was that she’s an esthetician, not a dermatologist, so I knew she wasn’t going to prescribe me something and send me on my way. She focused a lot on routine, consistency, ingredients, and figuring out triggers.
It has definitely been an investment (one that has been SO incredibly worth it), and in the beginning I was going every 2-3 weeks for facials. Now I go more like every month or month and a half. I also switched over to their skincare line and still use it all now, and love it.
The biggest thing Melissa taught me was how ingredient based acne can be. She gave me a list of pore clogging ingredients when I first started going to her, and I completely changed my products based on that. Makeup, skincare, even toothpaste because the acne around my mouth and chin was so bad.
She was also really realistic from the beginning and told me it would probably take at least 3-6 months to really start seeing changes because everything under the surface has to come up first. That honestly helped because I stopped expecting instant results and actually committed to the process.
My skin is doing genuinely amazing now compared to where it used to be, but honestly the biggest thing has been the mental peace. Constant breakouts were exhausting and always in the back of my mind. Trying to cover them, worrying about them, feeling frustrated when nothing seemed to work. I finally feel like I don’t live in that cycle anymore, and I’m forever grateful I found Melissa and trusted the process!
First three photos are early during the process, last two are where we are today!