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AviClear: The Definitive Guide to the Best Acne Treatment Available in London

By , Founder & Clinical Director, Harley Street Injectables

I've been treating on Harley Street for over a decade. I've watched patients spend years on courses of antibiotics, cycle through topical retinoids, endure the serious systemic side effects of Roaccutane^{Roaccutane (isotretinoin)A powerful oral retinoid that reduces sebaceous gland size and sebum production. Effective but carries significant systemic side effects.}, and still come back to my clinic with persistent breakouts. Acne is not a cosmetic inconvenience; it is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes genuine psychological distress and, left undertreated, can leave permanent scarring.

So when was FDA-cleared in 2022 as the first and only laser device cleared for the treatment of mild to severe inflammatory acne. I made it my business to understand every aspect of the science before we brought it to the clinic. I want this guide to be the resource I wish had existed when I was making that decision: a clinician's honest, evidence-based assessment of what AviClear can do, who it is right for, how it compares to alternatives, and what the realistic outcomes are. No hyperbole. Just the science, the data, and my clinical experience.

If you have already read our overview of the , this guide goes considerably deeper. Where that article introduces you to the technology, this one is designed to help you make a fully informed decision about whether AviClear is the right treatment for your specific skin.

Key Takeaways

What Is AviClear, and Why Is It Different From Every Other Acne Treatment?

Most acne treatments operate downstream of the problem. Topical retinoids normalise cell turnover and reduce comedone^{ComedoneA blocked hair follicle (pore) in the skin. Open comedones are blackheads; closed comedones are whiteheads. The precursor to inflammatory acne.}formation. Antibiotics, both topical and oral, target Cutibacterium acnes^{Cutibacterium acnesThe bacterium (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) that colonises blocked follicles and triggers the inflammatory response in acne.}, the bacteria that colonise blocked follicles. Benzoyl peroxide creates an oxygen-hostile environment to kill bacteria. Even Roaccutane (isotretinoin), the most powerful oral acne medication currently available, works primarily by reducing sebaceous gland size and sebum^{SebumThe oily substance produced by sebaceous glands. Overproduction of sebum is the primary driver of acne formation.} production, but through a systemic mechanism that carries a significant side-effect profile, including teratogenicity, depression risk, and liver strain.

AviClear addresses the problem at its physiological origin: the sebaceous gland^{Sebaceous glandOil-producing glands within the skin's pilosebaceous units. Overactivity of these glands is the root cause of acne.} itself. These glands sit within the pilosebaceous unit^{Pilosebaceous unitThe structural unit comprising a hair follicle, its associated sebaceous gland, and the arrector pili muscle.} of the skin. When they overproduce sebum, driven by androgens, genetics, stress hormones and other factors, that excess oil mixes with dead keratinocytes^{KeratinocytesThe primary cell type in the epidermis. Dead keratinocytes that are not shed properly mix with sebum to create comedones.} and creates the anaerobic, bacteria-friendly environment in which acne thrives. If you can reduce sebaceous gland activity selectively and sustainably, you interrupt the acne cascade before a single spot forms.

The 1726 nm wavelength that AviClear uses is selectively absorbed by the lipid content of sebum, not by water, not by haemoglobin, not by melanin. This specificity is what makes the technology transformative. Published research in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine established that sebum has a relative optical absorption coefficient of 1.8:1 over water at 1726 nm, enough differential to cause selective thermal damage to sebocytes^{SebocyteThe specialised cell within a sebaceous gland that produces sebum. AviClear causes thermal necrosis of up to 84.3% of sebocytes.} while leaving the surrounding dermis, epidermis, and vasculature entirely intact.

This is not available from any other laser platform. Other devices including 1320 nm and 1450 nm near-infrared lasers, IPL and PDL have some incidental effect on sebaceous gland activity, but none were engineered specifically to achieve selective sebaceous photothermolysis^{Selective photothermolysisThe principle of using a specific wavelength of light to target a specific chromophore while leaving surrounding tissue unharmed.} at this level of precision. You can read more about the broader landscape of , but AviClear occupies a unique mechanistic position in that portfolio.

How Does AviClear Actually Work? The Science in Plain Language

Understanding the mechanism is important because it explains why the results continue to improve for months after you have finished your three sessions, a pattern that surprises many of my patients and that distinguishes AviClear from treatments where results plateau or reverse.

When the 1726 nm laser pulse reaches the dermis, the energy is preferentially absorbed by the triglycerides and fatty acids within the sebaceous gland. This causes thermal injury to the sebocytes, the cells that produce sebum. The gland undergoes partial necrosis. Histological studies published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology have demonstrated irreversible necrosis of up to 84.3% of sebocytes following 1726 nm treatment, with the surrounding dermis and epidermis remaining intact. The epidermis is specifically protected by AviClear's built-in AviCool