At Spotless, Treating A Breakout Is Just As Easy As Booking A Manicure

All over the world, acne is the most common skin concern by a landslide. In the U.S. alone, more than 50 million people deal with it each year. And it isn’t just a teenage rite of passage: Clinical data shows that roughly 1 in 3 women in their 30s and 1 in 4 in their 40s still experience regular breakouts. If that’s you, you don’t need statistics to tell you how frustrating it can be.

Though the “pimple positivity” movement in recent years has removed some of the stigma around acne (case in point: both Biebers have been known to walk around with star-shaped pimple patches on full display), that doesn’t mean it ever really feels good to wake up with a big, honkin’ zit.

And that gap between cultural acceptance and actual lived experience is exactly where Spotless, a new New York City clinic from renowned dermatologist/psychiatrist Dr. Amy Wechsler and her daughter, Zoe, comes in. The duo built the practice specifically to give acne patients the kind of accessible, judgment-free, holistic care they aren’t getting anywhere else.

Acne Care For All

The idea for Spotless was born in Wechsler’s text messages. Patients were regularly blowing up her phone on nights and weekends, begging her to give them a cortisone shot to quash a zit ahead of a wedding/interview/date/[insert big event here].

“Zoe said, ‘My God, mom — we should do a pimple shot bar,’ and the whole thing started from there,” she says. “We then decided we wanted to figure out how to treat all acne, because I was trained by one of the world’s foremost acne experts, and treating acne has always been my favorite thing to do.”

That training is no small detail: Wechsler studied under Dr. Alan Shalita, M.D., the physician who led the original clinical research on Accutane and Retin-A, giving her rare expertise in the full spectrum of acne care.

What started with pimple shots eventually turned into a one-stop shop for 360-degree care for all types of acne — including hormonal, comedonal, cystic, and inflammatory. Patients can stop in for “express treatments,” like medical-grade peels, extractions, and the aforementioned shots, but the offerings go much deeper for anyone dealing with more than just one rogue pimple.

“We do consults where we take a full history,” explains Wechsler. “We look at their history of acne as well as their skin care routine and any medications they’re taking, but also go deeper to look at how their acne is affecting them, how they’re sleeping, how they’re eating and exercising, their stress levels, their hormones — all those lifestyle things.”

From there, practitioners are able to provide a personalized plan that can involve any number of things — including prescription topical and oral medications (like Retin-A, oral contraceptives, spironolactone, and Accutane), extractions and peels, and plenty of education around which products to use and what to expect from their treatments.

“If someone’s starting a medication, we see them again in one to two months, because the expectation is that acne treatments will take six to eight weeks to work,” says Wechsler. “So many patients have gotten prescriptions from other practitioners and then never refilled them because they didn’t see results in the first month, but it’s not supposed to work that fast. So I’ve found that managing expectations is really helpful for ensuring people don’t get frustrated and give up.”

Quick fixes like cortisone shots can shrink a zit in hours, but long-term control takes patience — and Spotless works hard to keep patients engaged long enough to actually see results.

What Sets Spotless Apart

In bringing Spotless — which opened in November 2025 — to life, Wechsler and Zoe set out to solve all the pain points that prevent people from seeking professional care for their breakouts.

“Most dermatologists are only open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5, and that’s not convenient for people who are in their teens and 20s who have school, work, and after-school activities,” says Wechsler. “Regular dermatologist visits are also expensive, have long wait times, and can take forever to get an appointment.” Spotless, on the other hand, is open six days a week. Appointments are available from until 8 p.m. on weekdays and until 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Walk-ins are also very much welcome.

“We really want to deliver expert acne care in an efficient way,” says Wechsler, adding that she personally trained the staff of nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants (all of whom have master’s degrees or doctorates) to ensure that care was up to her standards.

Because Spotless’s derm-grade treatments aren’t being delivered by actual dermatologists, it allows the practice to keep costs far lower than what you’d expect at the doctor’s office. An initial consultation costs $250, while “express treatments” like peels and cortisone shots cost $100. Plus, to encourage patients to keep coming back for continued care (which is necessary for those with regular breakouts in order to see results), the clinic offers membership packages where you can score these deals for even less.

The space itself was intentionally designed to feel welcoming to everyone — not just the Upper East Side facial crowd. It’s gender-neutral, generationally neutral, and deliberately un-intimidating. “A 16-year-old boy with acne should feel just as comfortable walking in as a 30-year-old woman,” says Wechsler.

Addressing The Mind-Skin Connection

Arguably what makes Spotless’s approach to acne care stand out is Wechsler’s background in psychodermatology. With dual degrees in both psychiatry and dermatology, she’s built her career on addressing both the physical and mental effects of acne.

There’s an entire body of research that confirms acne is a whole lot more than “just” a skin condition — it can have a very real impact on someone’s mood, self-worth, and social behavior. So Spotless approaches acne the way people actually live with it: on their faces and in their heads.

“We’re infusing psychology into every aspect of the clinic, from the training to the space,” says Wechsler.

For starters, practitioners sit below every patient, instead of standing over them, as a way to make them feel more comfortable opening up. Consults involve asking open-ended questions about how the acne is affecting them socially, psychologically, and in terms of their self-esteem.

Zoe sees that transformation up close from the front desk, which she often works herself. “People come in avoiding eye contact and looking defeated,” she says. “But they leave smiling because someone finally listened to them.”

This, she adds, makes all the difference. “A lot of people come in with faces full of acne, looking downtrodden and avoiding eye contact in the waiting room — you can tell they aren’t feeling so great,” she says. “But by the time they leave, they’re smiling because they’re hopeful.”

An unexpected — but beloved — final touch: patients get a piece of chocolate on the way out. “Because chocolate doesn’t cause acne,” says Wechsler. “And we love busting myths in a way that actually makes people smile.”

The Future Of Acne Care

In a beauty landscape full of quick fixes and gimmicks, Spotless is offering something radically simple: expert care, realistic timelines, and a place where acne is treated like the medical — and emotional — condition it is.

The clinic isn’t just another dermatology startup. It’s a signal of where acne care (and, hopefully, skin care in general) is headed: toward more empathy and science, and less stigma. And the best part? After just two months in business, the Wechslers already have their eyes on expansion.

If this is the future, then in 2026, acne treatments may finally feel as good as they look.