You've done the antibiotics but the breakouts came back.

Try our clinical facial and Chinese herbal treatment for hormonal, acne-prone skin with Dr Cynthia White, RN & Doctor of Chinese Medicine. 60 minutes · $220

  • $220

    60 minute treatment

  • AHPRA Registered

    Chinese Medicine Board of Australia

  • Dr Cynthia White

    RN & Doctor of Chinese Medicine

What's driving your adult acne

Adult acne rarely behaves like teenage acne — and it rarely responds to the same harsh, stripping products. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, breakouts are read as signs of internal imbalance, with a long-held connection between the skin and the gut.

Modern research is now exploring the same link. The "gut–skin axis" describes the two-way relationship between gut health and the skin, and studies increasingly implicate both gut and skin microbiota in the inflammation behind acne. TCM has described this "intestinal–skin" relationship for centuries.

Many adults arrive having cycled through repeated courses of antibiotics or other prescriptions, sometimes with real effects on their gut and digestion, and often finding the breakouts return once treatment stops. Our approach is different: rather than targeting the surface alone, we support the skin and the internal patterns — hormonal, inflammatory and digestive — associated with breakouts.

Dr Cynthia White, RN & Doctor of Chinese Medicine, combines clinical facial therapy, acupuncture and tailored herbal support to address both the skin and its underlying pattern.

What happens in your 60 minutes

A hands-on clinical facial, paired with internal herbal support, for hormonal and inflamed adult skin:

  • Full Skin & TCM Health Assessment — including the hormonal, inflammatory and digestive patterns behind your breakouts
  • Face & Body Acupuncture to calm inflammation and support circulation
  • Deep Cleansing & Extraction where appropriate
  • Anti-Inflammatory Herbal Mask
  • Gua Sha & Lymphatic Massage to support drainage and reduce congestion
  • LED Light Therapy to calm inflammation and support the skin
  • Chinese Herbal Prescription to address the internal patterns associated with your acne
  • Tailored product recommendations for reactive, breakout-prone skin

No stripping cleansers, no harsh scrubs, no fragrance — nothing that inflames already-reactive skin.

BOOK YOUR TREATMENT
  • Step 1: Assess

    We map what's driving your acne: hormones, inflammation, digestion and your current routine.

  • Step 2: Treat

    In-clinic facial therapy and acupuncture calm inflammation and support the skin directly.

  • Step 3: Prescribe

    Chinese herbs, tailored to your pattern, to address the internal factors from within.

  • Step 4: Maintain

    Guidance on skincare, diet and lifestyle to support clearer skin between visits.

Questions you might have

Why do I have acne as an adult when I didn't as a teenager?

Adult acne is often driven by different factors — hormonal shifts, stress, inflammation and digestion — rather than the causes behind teenage breakouts. This treatment looks at those underlying patterns, which is why the approach differs from standard acne products.

Is my acne hormonal?

For many adults, hormones are a significant factor — which is why breakouts often appear around the jaw and chin, or fluctuate with your cycle. The assessment considers your hormonal patterns alongside inflammation and digestion, and herbal support is tailored accordingly.

I've been on antibiotics or other prescriptions for my acne — is this different?

Yes. Rather than targeting bacteria alone, this approach looks at the fuller picture — hormonal, inflammatory and digestive patterns — and supports the skin alongside them. Many clients come to us because their breakouts returned after conventional treatment, or because they'd prefer to avoid repeated courses. We work alongside your GP's care, not against it.

What does gut health have to do with my skin?

Traditional Chinese Medicine has long linked the gut and the skin, and modern research describes a "gut–skin axis" — a two-way relationship between digestive health and skin inflammation. Your assessment considers digestion as one of the factors that may be contributing to your breakouts.

How do the Chinese herbs work?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs are prescribed to address internal patterns — such as heat, inflammation or imbalance — associated with breakouts. They're selected for your individual presentation, following traditional use, and taken alongside the in-clinic treatment.

What happens in my first appointment?

Sixty minutes, beginning with a full skin and TCM health assessment. Treatment may include face and body acupuncture, deep cleansing, an anti-inflammatory herbal mask, gua sha and lymphatic massage, and LED light therapy. Chinese herbs are prescribed to your individual pattern where appropriate, following traditional use.

Why this works when other treatments haven't

Conventional acne treatments often target one factor — reducing bacteria, or drying out oil. They can help, but they don't always address why the breakouts keep returning, and some carry side effects that adults understandably want to avoid long-term.

Research points to a broader picture. Acne is now understood as a multifactorial inflammatory condition, and a growing body of work on the gut–skin axis links the balance of gut and skin microbiota to the inflammation involved in breakouts. See this gut–skin axis research. Traditional Chinese Medicine has worked with this skin–gut connection for centuries, and modern reviews of Chinese herbal formulas describe how they act on multiple pathways — sebum, microbial balance and inflammation — rather than a single target. See this systematic review of Chinese herbal formulas.

This is why we combine methods: the in-clinic facial supports your skin directly, while herbal prescription is used to address the internal patterns beneath the surface. That's not a guarantee of an outcome. It's a more complete way of looking at adult acne.

BOOK YOUR TREATMENT

Is this right for your skin?

This treatment supports:

  • Adult and hormonal acne
  • Jawline and chin breakouts
  • Inflamed, congested or reactive skin
  • Breakouts linked to your cycle or hormonal change
  • Acne that hasn't responded to conventional products
  • Breakouts following or between courses of antibiotics
  • Oily or combination skin with inflammation
  • Skin sensitised by harsh acne treatments
  • Congestion, texture and enlarged pores

60-minute consultation and treatment $220

BOOK YOUR TREATMENT

"I look forward to helping you break the cycle of flare-ups through a holistic, full bodied approach."

Dr Cynthia White, TCM Practitioner & Clinical Nurse.