OMG! I had 6 SGA and 6 Peels and IT DID NOT WORK!!!!!!

I had 6 more treatments (which I paid upfront) and I cannot go back,

After all that pain and $$$$ my skin got SYSTEMATICALLY WORSE.

They even ripped me off with the products. The jar of cream I bought was opened and used and a dodgy label with stick tape. After consulting a pharmacist friend, It turns out it was cheap sorbolene cream. In fact, it smelt and felt EXACTLY the same as a big tub cheao sorbelene cream.

I went off every product. Stopped all treatments and 3 months later started to see my skin was settling down.

Started to use Proactive and my skin started to get a lot better!

I tried the free trial to test it out and see how it reacts on a small section of skin. I was fine with electric/heat zapping on the pore it was uncomfortable but bearable.. But then when she started using an easy squeeze tool and apply alot of force to so call remove the oil gland, i wasnt happy because tore the skin open and left a bigger deeper open wound. One the thing ive learnt over years of acne is never squeeze a pimple doesnt matter with your hand or a tool because it tears the skin and cause skin to loose skin cells resulting in scaring. ... Now have scars where i didnt even have before the treatment.. Not happy i wouldnt try it.. By the way its not free trial because they make you buy the eazy squeeze tool ..

SGA laser treatment at Skinclear clinic for Milia.

2015.

I had SGA for treatment for Milia. This condition is extremely difficult to deal with. I've had small white lumps of sebum under my skin around my eyes for last 20 years. Milia cant be removed by yourself..you'll scar the skin before you get anything out. Even a beautician can't get rid of Milia without cutting into the skin. SGA laser does also break the skin but it's minor. SGA removed Milia !! *Didn't hurt much and just melted the Milia away ) The downfall is red marks afterwards which turn into brown marks when i was told just a bit red for 3 days or so. I still have these brown marks 1 month later. They seem to be fading and I believe with more time (like 6 months ) they'll be completely gone. Cant notice the marks with makeup and I love seeing my foundation go on smoothly without the lumps underneath. My concern is when the milia comes back, I don't think SGA is good for the delicate skin around my eyes. I'm glad I tried it though. I'm using skin fading creams to help with the brown marks.

Here's my feedback about the sebaceous gland ablation (SGA) I've been receiving at ClearSkinClinics for the past few months. Scroll down to 'SGA' to skip the boring stuff!

Background:

I am 27 and have chronic, cystic acne and scarring which started when I was about 19. The only time I have been truly acne-free in that time was while i was on accutane.

Ive had plenty of hormonal checks and although my acne appears to be hormonal (jawline is worse etc.) my hormones are fine and my acne doesnt seem to be caused by products either. I can put the greasiest, comedogenic-est, breakout inducing makeup on and sleep in it and my skin will be no worse in the morning. It is just consistently bad. But for the most part I have a very thorough (obsessive, even) beauty/coping routine.

Stuff Ive tried:

• I've been on every drug, antibiotic and contraceptive under the sun
• Accutane was the only drug which worked but it took about six months to work, I had very severe side effects and my acne returned when I discontinued the drug. I think it left my skin worse, with congestion (like blackheads) which I never used to get but have got in great volumes since the accutane
• Ginette was the only contraceptive which worked for me but I was taken off it due to stroke concerns. Yaz/Yasmin, Diane 35, Monofemme, Noriday are the names that come to mind of the other ones Ive been on which didn't do anything
• Have spent far too much time on Minotabs and Doxycyclene which never make ANY difference but the doctors are always keen to put me on them
• Proactiv sucks
• My skin reacts badly to topical treatments (like differin and tretinoin) and it usually gets to the point where just using a facecloth, gently, or knocking my face by accident will make it bleed, and they don't helo with the acne at all so I avoid them
• Herbal remedies - used vit. A etc. (no result) and also stuff like Pantothen (bought several months of treatment under guarantee, used religiously, didn't do a thing, would not return my calls about the guarantee!
• Various blue light / other kind of light therapy - no difference
• I've gone without sugar/dairy/meat/wheat and drank my three litres of water a day to try and get it to clear up, but it actually makes zero (0) difference (even though everybody is so quick to suggest dietary changes!)
• Silk pillowcases, not wearing any makeup for weeks, drinking cider vinegar, baking soda, you name it, I've tried it

SGA

I started SGA last year, they said my skin would only take about three months to clear up but at the time I knew they were underestimating my skin!

• I have had 6 treatments (6 months) including the peels and skincare regime but I am not using the tretinoin as my skin does not tolerate it well.
• I have a high pain tolerance but do find it incredibly painful as my acne is often already inflamed and cystic so it is more sensitive to the hot needle.
• I have to wear extra make up, on top of the load I usually wear, for a few days as my skin does look pretty scabby and they are quite aggressive with the extractions.

I was really happy initially because after each SGA I would have no new cystic acne for about a week. But then it just comes back.

I think I have less cystic acne now (the really deep, painful ones which deform the shape of my jawline) but I still have plenty of acne. I had my 6th SGA just under a week ago and this morning I had about five new pimples, usually I have at least ten new ones a day.

I am quite disheartened by the ongoing cost and not knowing if it will make any difference as I've spent over $1000 there (ClearSkinClinics) already, I like to hope that it will clear it up and I will save that amount of $$$ on the tonnes of foundation and concealer i usually buy to cover my acne and scars!

Tips

• Sometimes I take a tramadol 2 hours before SGA so it hurts less. Sometimes I just harden up.
• I make sure I do a clay mask a couple of days before SGA to bring out any acne so they can zap it while it is active (important)
• You can do your own peels at home, which makes it cheaper, but make sure you know what you're doing.
• My best tips for living with chronic acne are to get yourself a good mattifying primer (such as MAC prep+prime face protect SPF50) and long-wear, matte foundation (such as Diorskin Forever or Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H) because it aint going anywhere soon (but hopefully one day!) so in the meantime youre gonna have to cover up.
• At night, I dab 35% glycolic acid peel on the ones that are sitting under the skin, leave it on for 5 minutes, extract the pimple then dry the hell out of it with alcohol-based toner (just the spot, not your whole face) and usually the redness has gone down in the morning, making it easier to conceal.

Let me know if you have any questions, I will try and remember to come on and let you know how my last two SGA sessions go.

Best of luck to you all.

Here's my feedback about the sebaceous gland ablation (SGA) I've been receiving at ClearSkinClinics for the past few months. Scroll down to 'SGA' to skip the boring stuff!

 

Background:

I am 27 and have chronic, cystic acne and scarring which started when I was about 19. The only time I have been truly acne-free in that time was while i was on accutane.

Ive had plenty of hormonal checks and although my acne appears to be hormonal (jawline is worse etc.) my hormones are fine and my acne doesnt seem to be caused by products either. I can put the greasiest, comedogenic-est, breakout inducing makeup on and sleep in it and my skin will be no worse in the morning. It is just consistently bad. But for the most part I have a very thorough (obsessive, even) beauty/coping routine.

 

Stuff Ive tried:

• I've been on every drug, antibiotic and contraceptive under the sun
• Accutane was the only drug which worked but it took about six months to work, I had very severe side effects and my acne returned when I discontinued the drug. I think it left my skin worse, with congestion (like blackheads) which I never used to get but have got in great volumes since the accutane
• Ginette was the only contraceptive which worked for me but I was taken off it due to stroke concerns. Yaz/Yasmin, Diane 35, Monofemme, Noriday are the names that come to mind of the other ones Ive been on which didn't do anything
• Have spent far too much time on Minotabs and Doxycyclene which never make ANY difference but the doctors are always keen to put me on them
• Proactiv sucks
• My skin reacts badly to topical treatments (like differin and tretinoin) and it usually gets to the point where just using a facecloth, gently, or knocking my face by accident will make it bleed, and they don't helo with the acne at all so I avoid them
• Herbal remedies - used vit. A etc. (no result) and also stuff like Pantothen (bought several months of treatment under guarantee, used religiously, didn't do a thing, would not return my calls about the guarantee!
• Various blue light / other kind of light therapy - no difference
• I've gone without sugar/dairy/meat/wheat and drank my three litres of water a day to try and get it to clear up, but it actually makes zero (0) difference (even though everybody is so quick to suggest dietary changes!)
• Silk pillowcases, not wearing any makeup for weeks, drinking cider vinegar, baking soda, you name it, I've tried it

 

SGA

I started SGA last year, they said my skin would only take about three months to clear up but at the time I knew they were underestimating my skin!

 

• I have had 6 treatments (6 months) including the peels and skincare regime but I am not using the tretinoin as my skin does not tolerate it well.
• I have a high pain tolerance but do find it incredibly painful as my acne is often already inflamed and cystic so it is more sensitive to the hot needle.
• I have to wear extra make up, on top of the load I usually wear, for a few days as my skin does look pretty scabby and they are quite aggressive with the extractions.

I was really happy initially because after each SGA I would have no new cystic acne for about a week. But then it just comes back.

I think I have less cystic acne now (the really deep, painful ones which deform the shape of my jawline) but I still have plenty of acne. I had my 6th SGA just under a week ago and this morning I had about five new pimples, usually I have at least ten new ones a day.

I am quite disheartened by the ongoing cost and not knowing if it will make any difference as I've spent over $1000 there (ClearSkinClinics) already, I like to hope that it will clear it up and I will save that amount of $$$ on the tonnes of foundation and concealer i usually buy to cover my acne and scars!

 

Tips

• Sometimes I take a tramadol 2 hours before SGA so it hurts less. Sometimes I just harden up.
• I make sure I do a clay mask a couple of days before SGA to bring out any acne so they can zap it while it is active (important)
• You can do your own peels at home, which makes it cheaper, but make sure you know what you're doing.
• My best tips for living with chronic acne are to get yourself a good mattifying primer (such as MAC prep+prime face protect SPF50) and long-wear, matte foundation (such as Diorskin Forever or Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H) because it aint going anywhere soon (but hopefully one day!) so in the meantime youre gonna have to cover up.
• At night, I dab 35% glycolic acid peel on the ones that are sitting under the skin, leave it on for 5 minutes, extract the pimple then dry the hell out of it with alcohol-based toner (just the spot, not your whole face) and usually the redness has gone down in the morning, making it easier to conceal.

Let me know if you have any questions, I will try and remember to come on and let you know how my last two SGA sessions go.

Best of luck to you all.

GRDN - hi! So sorry to hear that your battle with acne is still going. I was just wondering, you said you have had your hormones checked... Was this via a blood test or saliva test? This reason I ask is that I have hormonal acne, completely confined to my chin and blood tests showed by levels to be 'within range'. I then got a saliva test, and boy was that a different story! My estrogen levels are through the roof, testosterone is too high and progesterone is too low. VERY out of balance. I am now on very strong supplements (prescribed by a naturopath) to help even those levels out.

I have unsatisfactory experience with it. It's not working at all. The staff are rude once you request a refund.

I signed up to advise everyone that this treatment does NOT work in the majority of cases - contrary to what they advertise. That is right. They GUARANTEE clear skin but only for the sebaceous gland that happens to be erupted on that particular day. On today tonight they had one of their 'success' stories on and his skin was ok , free from any breakouts at the time of filming, but the quality wasnt good from all the alcohol and acids they tell you to rub on your skin. One therapist even told me to rub salicylic acid toner on my scars 5 to 6 times a day. All this did was make me erupt - they do not even understand the science of it at all. I have undertaken a different set of treatments that I do at home with natural oils and my skin is becomming so beautiful. If I had of stuck with these money hungry amateurs I would need to be back in a few years for anti aging skin gyms. That tbh is probably their business model. I wouldnt be surprised if Dr McCaffery did a double degree in medicine and marketing. The good news is that from going to this place ive realised where I was going wrong all these years. Too bad I did so by observing the therapists who are not meant to be completely coming across as sales people but do anyhow. I have even had to take days off work as the eruptions after the treatment were absolutely revolting. I have not seen even 1 before and after from sga uploaded by someone not affiliated with the company. I make my own cleanser and toner and it costs about 25 for a 3 month supply and its doing wonders. No skin should have their chemicals ruining it.

Sorry to hear you bad experiences with SGA, I feel the same,I had the occasional breakout from time to time, I tried this treatment on a couple of pimples, and it did nothing for me, just the opposite, it caused a bad scarring on my face, it looks like a white head but it is actually a queloide scar caused by the zapping! then they told me I could have skin resurfacing after, are you kidding me? first they scar my face and then I have to paid to get it fixed? thank you Clearskincare! I wish I had my pimples back instead, and just let it clear by itself! The peels are expensive and too mild to be effective, their products are ok but they have too much junk in them. It has just been a bad experience overall. I was talking to this girl at the clinic and she told me she had at least 12 SGA treatments and her skin looked pretty bad, that should have sent a red flag!! Please do your research and be careful of this treatment. Do not expect miracles, if it works it will take a lot of treatments and after that more treatments will have to be performed to clear the scarring!

Sorry to hear you bad experiences with SGA, I feel the same,I had the occasional breakout from time to time, I tried this treatment on a couple of pimples, and it did nothing for me, just the opposite, it caused a bad scarring on my face, it looks like a white head but it is actually a queloide scar caused by the zapping! then they told me I could have skin resurfacing after, are you kidding me? first they scar my face and then I have to paid to get it fixed? thank you Clearskincare! I wish I had my pimples back instead, and just let it clear by itself! The peels are expensive and too mild to be effective, their products are ok but they have too much junk in them. It has just been a bad experience overall. I was talking to this girl at the clinic and she told me she had at least 12 SGA treatments and her skin looked pretty bad, that should have sent a red flag!! Please do your research and be careful of this treatment. Do not expect miracles, if it works it will take a lot of treatments and after that more treatments will have to be performed to clear the scarring!

Of course the therapists work under product commission and they have to meet budget like any other business whether they believe in the product or not!!!! They must sell, sell, sell or they are out, out, out!!

It says 90% successs rate in their website. Such blatant lie.

I don't recommend this treatment. I had 5 single areas treated, stubborn cystic types, 1.5 weeks ago. They scabbed and shed, and now I am left with scarring way worse than what was there before. On the larger cysts the practitioner zapped each pore about 5 times (in the vids on-line I see each pore is zapped only once by the Dr.). The pores in question are now wide open and frantically trying to close, I doubt they will fill in.

I am using Tretinoin Gel (Retinol A), Salicylic 2% pads & Copper Peptide serum in an effort to plump up the scars - very disappointing. Such an expensive treatment, and now my skin is actually worse.

I've no doubt the clinic I attended (not in Australia, in Europe) will advise I have to go back to them do some sort of skin resurfacing to fix these areas, which I will of course have to pay for! The only thing that will fix it at this point is needling combined with fillers. Of course the clinic doesn't offer this, because that WOULD have to performed by a Cons. Derm - which this clinic does not have employed 🙁

Only Cons. Dermatologists should be allowed to perform SGA - it's also referred to as PPR (Permanent Pimple Removal). It's dangerous in the wrong hands and maybe in the right ones too.

Take heed.

*I don't recommend this treatment*

I was on the SGA on skin gym treatment for 12 months and spent nearly $2000 on the treatment and all their products ($40 smallproducts that did nothing to help my skin).This treatmentmade my acne worse. The only time I noticed improvement was after the first or second month and after that my acne only got worse andleft me with deep deep scarringall over my face.

I'm nowon my 5thmonth ofroaccutane and my acne has cleared but Ive still got deep scarring from the sgatreatments. I regret spending soo much money on the sgatreatment that doesn't even work.

I am 17 and I have had acne, at varying severities, persistently since I was 13-14. It's been a very very expensive and long journey.

I have tried antibiotics, the pill (which cleared it up COMPLETELY like my skin was flawless for about 6 months and then went absolutely terrible again very suddenly.) I've done acupuncture, every product under the sun - both off the shelf and prescribed. I've tried vitamins like vitamin A and Zinc, even probiotics. I've tried cutting out dairy which actually made my skin worse. I'm now on a new pill which I'm hoping will work.

Finally I've tried doing SGA. I've only done one treatment, 2 days ago, and my skin was relatively not terrible. But now my skin has broken out really quite badly, as though everything has come to the surface. I'm so embarrassed of it and I'm praying that it settles down. It was very painful, at times I thought it was bordering on intolerable but I just kept thinking about how it will be worth it which got me through. I don't have a very high pain threshold, keep that in mind. However, after my treatment the nurse offered me a tissue "for my eyes", because she said "most patients cry during this treatment." That's really not something they mention on the website or in any of their youtube videos. Infact, I think I recall the term "pain free" being mentioned once or twice.

Can someone who has done the treatment please let me know how long it takes for your skin to calm down after the treatment. Also, let me know if it's abnormal to experience so many breakouts afterwards.

Reading these reviews I feel really nervous. I feel sick about how much money I've spent on this, I don't even want to work out the total amount of money my parents have spent. I feel incredibly guilty about it.

Surely if there are so many people with poor results there has to be a breach of legal marketing conduct under the Australian Consumer Law. I almost want to file a complaint to the ACCC about this for misleading and deceptive advertising. Their claims give unwarranted hope to sufferers. 

Acne sufferers are very vulnerable people, they would do just about anything to get rid of their acne. If an expert told me to put $200 dog poo on my face for guaranteed clear skin I would do it without a second thought, as I'm sure many people can relate to.
Acne can feel like it cripples with hopelessness you from the inside out at times - exploiting the desperation and low self esteem of these people is so unethical and cruel. 

But regardless, as it's only a couple of days after my first treatment, I do have hope for my skin. I'd really appreciate it if someone who has had really good results could respond to this post and let me know.

Thanks, good luck everyone. My thoughts are with you all and I know what you're going through  

This treatment works while you are on it BUT once you stop the ACNE RETURNSso is it really worth speanding thousands of dollars?

WOW i am SO glad i found this forum! Ivebeen trying to find honest reviews about this treatment but took me a while!
I Have always suffered from Acne since i was 13, and i am 22 now! it got worse over the years and scarring began apparentsince age 18! I have tried birth control pills and every possible acne wash but nothing so i went to clearkin this year JANUARY 2017
Ok so here's my story > I HAVE HAD 6 SGA TREATMENTS with Clearskin Care (the first 3 was done in Perth City and last 3 done in Mount Lawley - i preferred Mt Lawley - they pay better attention to your skin BUT

here is the ABSOLUTE TRUTH
My first 2 Treatments were like MAGIC - 90% of my pimples disappeared! The third was ok! Then i stopped for about a month and GUESS WHAT! The pimples began to return EVEN in the spots they treated (ANd i have pimples all over my face)! Disappointed. I really wanted my acne to go, so stupid me i thought if i did another 3 treatments they'd go. The last 3 treatments were useless. Only 10% of my pimples have gone.

And I have even more scars now from the electric treatment (tiny holes). I did 2 treatments without LED and the peel (because it was costing me too much) But thatspointless - but was using all the products.

I have spent $1000 or more for a total of 6 Treatments and i am not happy. I thought they said 90% success rate but its all just a marketing gimmick! The staff act like marketers always trying to suck out every possible penny from you! After my 3rd SGA treatment i asked to do acne scarring but they would not let me they kept insisting that i needed to do more SGA treatments, now even after 6 treatments they won't allow me to do acne scarring, obviously because they want me to keep spending money there.

And i WILL not return!

Heres my advice if you are still going there >

1.Go on your worst day when you have many ACTIVE pimples (someone here recommended a doing a clay mask a few days before to help pimples come out & also dont use their products two days before your treatment)
2. It is painful but take a deep breathe and take the pain , if you show that you are in pain they will only treat a few spots and you're not getting your moneys worth
3. If you feel they are not targeting or treating all spots, SPEAK UP and say or ask them to treat more spots
4. DOnt let them force you into purchasing their products/treatments on the spot, i always leave my purse at home when i go there, do your research first
5. Stop afater your third treatment for 3 - 4 weeks and see if the acne returns, if it does, it doesnt work, dont go back friend!

I™ve been battling acne on and off since I was 20. (17years) I have an autoimmune disease that affects my hormones so all of my acne is usually on the lower part of my face. I™ve had long periods of clear skin when I™ve responded well to different contraceptive pills. But it all came back three years ago and won™t go away. I™ve tried different contraceptive pills, antibiotics, proactive products, trying to treat it internally with vitamins and herbs. But my acne remains unabated. Two months ago when I commenced SGA with Clearskin Clinics my acne consisted of small bumps in my chin area and lower cheeks which the clinician who did my initial consultation  called congestion. She told me that SGA was the cure for acne and that my skin would respond really well to the treatment because my acne wasn™t so bad. I also started using the clearskin clinics products as my skin care regime. I was warned that my skin would get worse before it got better. I expected some break outs after the first couple of treatments. I™ve had 4 sessions now and my skin is worse than ever. I now have large welts on my forehead (somewhere I™ve never really got pimples before) and big blind pimples on my chin. Also the small bumps that used to only be on the lower part of my face have spread all the way up to my cheekbones. After the second session, the clinician introduced overnight peels which made my skin break out in at least 20 surface pimples with heads on them. It was so bad that two new pimples would form every couple of hours. I couldn™t believe it. And in addition to that, my skin would be dry and scaley from the peel. I™ve had to call in sick to work and avoid social events since I™ve started this treatment. When I spoke to the clinician about it at my last session she admitted to me that because my acne is hormonal, SGA will not cure it. That™s when I decided to stop wasting my money and ceased further treatment. My skin is no less oily and I still feel like I™m getting pimples in the same spots I always did. Also, because the peels made me break out in between treatments, those pimples weren™t  getting SGA so it kind of defeats the purpose. This treatment may work for some people but it wasn™t for me. Also, the SGA has left dark scars on my face too. I really regret doing this treatment and I never thought I™d say this but I would give anything to just go back to having little small bumps on the lower part of my face 

Photo 1: My forehead the day of my first treatment 

Photo 2: My forehead after 4 treatments 

Photo 3: my skin after the third treatment which included an overnight peel 

Photos 4 and 5: How my skin looks now with make up. You can see the bumps go all the way up my face