Is acne treatment different for teens and adults?

It can be. Teen acne is often driven by oil and clogged pores during hormonal changes, while adult acne frequently shows up as deeper, cyclical breakouts along the jaw and chin tied to hormones and stress. We assess what's actually driving your breakouts before choosing treatments, so what we do fits your skin and your stage of life rather than a single template.

Why do you treat acne scars after the breakouts, not at the same time?

Resurfacing skin that's still breaking out can inflame it further and make scarring worse. So we get the breakouts under control first, then move to scar and texture work once your skin is stable. That order is what protects your result.

How long does acne treatment take to show results?

Most correction here is a series rather than one visit. Active acne is usually worked monthly while it settles, and you should expect steady improvement over a few months rather than overnight clearing. Scar and mark work is also series-based and builds gradually. We set expectations at your consultation based on your skin.

terra skin prep client closeup — 512 Skincare

Acne · Austin, Texas

Acne doesn’t have to be forever

Acne treatment that roots out the cause of the breakouts, then treats the marks and scars they left.

Why it keeps coming back

A breakout needs four things to go wrong at once

Acne at any age can impact quality of life. While the condition itself can be painful or embarrassing, the physical and emotional scars linger too.

Acne isn't just oily skin or poor washing. It's a chronic inflammation of the pore and its oil gland, and a breakout only forms when four things go wrong at once: too much oil when hormones push the gland to overproduce, clogged pores when dead skin doesn't shed cleanly, bacteria feeding on the trapped oil, and the inflammation your skin raises in response. Clear only one of the four and breakouts keep coming back, which is why so many conventional treatments fail to treat acne.

A variety of factors can influence acne: hormones and stress, genetics, the wrong products (heavy oils and silicones), a high-sugar or high-dairy diet, and friction from masks, phones, and hands. Over-cleansing backfires too, stripping the barrier until skin rebounds with more oil. We assess which are at play first, because two people with similar breakouts can need very different care.

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512 Skincare

Find what’s driving it before you treat it.

A few questions about your skin point us toward the right starting place — and what to skip.

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Acne signs

Acne signs and symptoms we treat

Acne shows up differently from person to person, and its form tells us what's driving it. We treat the active breakouts before the marks and scarring they leave.

Comedonal acne
Blackheads, whiteheads, and a bumpy, congested texture from pores that aren't shedding cleanly.
Inflammatory acne
Red bumps and pustules, where bacteria and the skin's immune response do the work.
Hormonal acne
Deep, cyclical breakouts along the jaw and chin that track with your cycle, stress, and hormones.
Cystic acne
Deep, painful breakouts that scar easily, usually caused by the confluence of all four factors above.
Post-acne dark marks (PIH)
The flat brown or pink spots breakouts leave. These are pigment, not scars, and fade once breakouts calm and we sequence pigment-safe correction. (See pigmentation.)
Post-acne scarring
The rolling, boxcar, or icepick texture deeper acne leaves, treated once breakouts are stable.

512.SIGNS

How we work

Prescriptive, not transactional.

We recommend what your skin needs and build it as a series, then adjust depth and timing as your skin responds.

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512.APPROACH

How 512 Skincare treats acne

Our tailored mix to get breakouts under control first, then treat the scars

Order matters. We control acne before we treat its scars, because resurfacing skin that's still breaking out can inflame it and worsen scarring. We calm and clear first; once skin is stable, we rebuild texture and fade the marks.

For active acne, we start with the Acne Facial: extractions plus antibacterial, calming care, usually monthly while things are active.

Next, we layer in chemical peels matched to how stubborn the acne is, from light peels for mild congestion up to medical-strength peels for persistent acne and old pigment. For the right candidates we also use BBL, one of the few lasers we'll run on active acne, to target the bacteria, calm redness, and fade dark marks, in cooler months.

Once your acne is stable, we rebuild texture with microneedling, adding an exosome-based booster like PRX8 or PDRN where it helps. For deeper icepick, boxcar, and atrophic scarring, we use laser resurfacing, up to ProFractional for deep scars, which asks for a few days of recovery.

Dark marks are pigment, not scar tissue, so we treat those on their own track: inflammation first, then pigment-safe correction. If your skin isn't ready for scar work, we start with what will actually help and come back to texture when the time is right.

Explore microneedling for scarring →

Is this for you?

Tired of breakouts that keep coming back, or keep leaving marks?

Our acne treatment is for teens and adults whose acne hasn't responded to off-the-shelf products and who are open to a series plus a simple home routine, or for anyone whose breakouts have settled but left scars or dark marks. We'll assess your skin and work with you to create a plan that works for you.

Book a consultation See treatments we use

Control before correction

The treatments we use, in the order your skin is ready for them

Clearing breakouts and fading the marks they leave are two different jobs, so we sequence them: control first, then correction.

See the Acne Facial →Book a complimentary consultation →

Signature Facial

Our standard facial and an easy way to keep clear skin looking its best between corrective visits.

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Acne Facial

The gentlest corrective starting point for active acne: antibacterial, calming care plus extractions, usually done monthly.

Dermaplaning Facial

Lifts away dead skin and fine peach fuzz so products absorb better and the skin surface looks smoother.

Chemical peels (Tier 1 to 3)

Light peels for mild congestion, salicylic and mandelic blends for active inflammation, and medical-strength peels for stubborn acne and pigment.

BBL

A light-based treatment that targets acne-causing bacteria, calms redness, and fades dark marks, done as part of a cooler-months series.

Explore BBL →

Microneedling (with PDRN, exosomes, or PRX8)

Softens rolling scars and uneven texture, once breakouts are stable.

Laser resurfacing (laser peels and ProFractional)

Smooths deeper post-acne texture and atrophic scarring, from light to deeper work, with downtime that fits the depth.

512.TREATMENTS_USED

512.REVIEWS

Jordan S.

Beyond thrilled with my results with Terra! I started seeing her for my acne and cannot believe how my skin has cleared with her advice, products, and extractions.

Sally W.

I have been going to see Terra for facials, chemical peels and eyebrow tinting for a little over a year now. She has been nothing but professional and knowledgeable about every aspect of skin care.

Corrective FacialsChemical Peels

Ssss S.

She has transformed my skin. I go to her for peels, derma-planing and latest- micro needling. All of it is sooo wonderful. But I am now obsessed with micro-needling.

MicroneedlingDermaplane FacialChemical Peels

01-03 / 09

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512.FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Acne is a chronic inflammation of the pore and its oil gland, and a breakout only forms when four things go wrong at once: too much oil, pores clogged by dead skin that hasn't shed, bacteria feeding on the trapped oil, and inflammation as your body reacts. Hormones, stress, genetics, certain products, diet, and friction can all amplify it. Because the causes combine differently in different people, two clients with similar breakouts can need different treatment.

Dark marks, what we call post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or PIH, are flat brown or pink spots left after a breakout heals. They're pigment, not damaged texture, and they fade with the right pigment-safe correction over time. Scarring is a change in the skin's texture, like rolling, boxcar, or icepick scars, and it needs collagen-building or resurfacing treatments. We treat the two on different tracks because they're different problems.

Come as you are, and if you can, hold off on trying new products in the days before so we can see your skin's baseline. Bring a list of what you're currently using and anything you've tried before, including any prescriptions. If you're on a strong retinoid or an oral acne medication, let us know, since it affects timing for some treatments. The first visit is an assessment, so the most useful thing you can bring is your history.

Next step

Start with an assessment, not a guess.

Every plan here is built around your skin and how it responds. It begins with a complimentary consultation.

Book your complimentary consultation Contact the studio

Acne doesn’t have to be forever

A breakout needs four things to go wrong at once

Find what’s driving it before you treat it.

Acne signs and symptoms we treat

Comedonal acne

Inflammatory acne

Hormonal acne

Cystic acne

Post-acne dark marks (PIH)

Post-acne scarring