Custom Facials, IPL, Pico, RF Microneedling and Tixel—What’s Right for Your Skin?

If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of breakouts, harsh products, and over-the-counter “solutions” that never seem to work, you’re not alone. Adult acne is complex. It’s influenced by hormones, stress, environment, and genetics—which means your approach to treatment needs to be just as dynamic.

At About Face Aesthetics, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all. That’s why we offer advanced, in-office skincare devices that go deeper than products alone to help you fight breakouts, fade scars, and restore skin clarity—without damaging your barrier or making inflammation worse.

Let’s break down some of our most powerful acne-fighting technologies: Custom Facials, IPL, Pico, RF Microneedling and Tixel—and how we personalize each one to your skin.

Custom Acne Facials: A Starting Point for Clarity

A professional facial may sound like a luxury, but at About Face, our Hot Snack Facial is designed as a targeted treatment with real results. Each facial is tailored to your skin condition that day—whether that’s breakouts, irritation, clogged pores, or post-acne healing.

What we may include:

• Deep pore cleansing
  
  
• Gentle exfoliation
  
  
• Calming masks
  
  
• Manual extractions (if needed)
  
  
• Medical-grade serums targeted to your skin's current needs
  
  

Our clients love this option for monthly maintenance, treating hormonal acne flare-ups, or building skin resilience before jumping into more intensive treatments. We also use facials to prepare or recover from deeper device-based treatments like microneedling or IPL.

IPL (Intense Pulsed Light): Redness, Meet Your Match

While most people think of IPL for brown spots, it’s also an amazing tool for acne-prone skin—especially for calming redness and reducing inflammation.

IPL works by delivering pulses of light energy into the skin, targeting both pigmented and vascular issues. It helps:

• Calm red, inflamed breakouts
  
  
• Kill acne-causing bacteria
  
  
• Reduce post-acne redness and discoloration
  
  
• Improve skin tone and texture over time
  
  

This treatment is a great option for acne with a lot of redness, post-acne scarring, or inflammation that doesn’t respond well to topical products.

We often recommend IPL in a series of treatments, spaced a few weeks apart, and build it into a larger plan with skincare and lifestyle support.

PICO Laser: Gentle, No-Downtime Skin Resurfacing

PICO laser technology is an excellent treatment for post-acne discoloration, scarring, and overall skin clarity, especially for clients who don’t want the downtime of more aggressive lasers.

Unlike traditional lasers that rely on heat, PICO  uses ultra-fast pulses of energy to:

• Break up excess pigmentation
  
  
• Stimulate collagen production
  
  
• Smooth skin texture
  
  
• Fade dark spots left behind by acne
  
  

What makes PICO unique is that it’s safe for all skin tones, and it delivers results gradually with minimal redness or peeling. It’s an excellent option for clients looking for clear, even-toned skin without disrupting their daily routine.

Tixel: Target Texture, Scars, and Stubborn Breakouts

Tixel is a newer skin resurfacing treatment that uses thermo-mechanical energy to create tiny micro-channels in the skin—stimulating collagen, tightening pores, and improving tone and texture.

Why we love it for acne-prone skin:

• Reduces oil production
  
  
• Improves acne scarring and uneven texture
  
  
• Helps with pore size and skin tightening
  
  
• Can be adjusted for gentle or deeper results
  
  

Unlike more aggressive CO₂ lasers, Tixel gives you many of the same benefits with less downtime and lower risk for irritation, making it ideal for active acne or compromised skin barriers.

We typically recommend a series of Tixel treatments combined with medical-grade skincare to extend and enhance your results.

Which Device Is Right for You?

Every face (and every breakout) is different. That’s why we always start with a comprehensive consultation to evaluate:

• Your acne type and severity
  
  
• Skin tone and sensitivity
  
  
• Scarring and pigmentation
  
  
• Your goals, timeline, and budget
  
  

From there, we build a treatment plan that may combine in-office technology with at-home skincare and lifestyle coaching, so you’re supported at every stage of the process.

If you’ve tried everything and still feel stuck, these tools could be the missing piece in your acne journey.

You Deserve More Than a Surface-Level Fix

At About Face Aesthetics, we serve clients across Union, Chapin, and the greater Midlands & the Upstate who are ready to move beyond the guesswork. Whether your acne is hormonal, stress-related, or purely stubborn, we have the tools and the team to help you clear it—for good.

Plus, our lead Esthetician, Kaylee, is "Face Reality" certified which is an entire skincare line dedicated to acne! 

Book your consultation and let’s talk about what’s actually going on with your skin—and how to treat it with care, expertise, and real solutions.