With a thorough understanding of my skin history, the peel began. Three layers of 20% salicylic acid were applied to my skin, loosening sebum and providing gentle exfoliation. Betsy made sure there was no excessive tingling, common in chemical peels, before applying another layer. (I was also given a squeeze ball and hand fan for added comfort and tingle-busting insurance.) The treatment was swift, comprehensive, and pain-free. After the peel was wiped away, La Roche-Posay moisturizer was massaged across my face. Supergoop! SPF followed. “This isn’t something I would suggest the day before a sunny vacay due to sun sensitivity,” Betsy said. “But overall, it’s a gentle, worry-free treatment.” After my peel, in the bleak, gray New York weather, I felt like a beacon—a lighthouse of glow—unencumbered by dullness.
Sure, quick-and-easy skin clinics are a dime a dozen in 2025. Hard-to-vet medspas and facial bar chains exist on every street corner; it feels as though fast-casual restaurants are mere moments away from offering neuromodulators like one would a side of fries. But Spotless relies on science, not gimmicks. For example, all services are provided by board-certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants, who use a detailed curriculum created by Dr. Wechsler. It doesn’t require a membership or subscription, either—in fact, Spotless doesn’t offer them at all. In Dr. Wechsler’s words: “We want to cure you so you don’t have to come back.” Instead, patients looking for consistent care can buy treatment packages that cover pimple shots, extractions, acne peels, and follow-up visits. The packages include credits for treatments—one credit equals one treatment—in groups of three, five, and 10, offering 10%, 15%, and 20% off, respectively. The bundle of three and five credits allows for one transfer to another person, while the bundle of 10 treatments allows for a transfer to two people. (Do note, though, that credits cannot be transferred to the same person more than once!)
The clinic’s providers can also prescribe topical and oral medications, like adapalene gel, tretinoin cream, low-dose doxycycline, spironolactone, and isotretinoin (most commonly known as Accutane), a trusted tool in Dr. Wechsler’s kit for 20 years. “It’s my favorite medicine… [but] there are a lot of myths around it I’m trying to debunk,” she said. (Of course, she’s referring to the very complicated history of the drug.) Dr. Wechsler abides by the principle that slow and steady wins the race. “Stay at the lowest dose possible, [because] it’s better to do that and stay on it longer,” she said, while noting a full dose of isotretinoin has an 80% chance of curing a patient.
If it’s not abundantly clear, Spotless’s offerings are robust and meant to cater to the far-reaching needs of anyone struggling with their skin. That means meeting patients where they are and eliminating the challenges of modern medicine. No prohibitive scheduling woes, exorbitant costs (for example, a pimple shot at Dr. Wechsler’s OG practice costs $400 without insurance), limited hours, or intimidating, hypersterile environments. The clinic anticipates expanding in New York City before establishing a national presence—and based on the care I received, I hope it does.
Beyond the demand noticed by Zoe and the volume of folks struggling with acne (or those who don’t wash their pillowcases and makeup brushes as much as they should), Dr. Wechsler’s second specialty, psychiatry, also informed Spotless’ ethos. (She is dual board-certified in both dermatology and psychiatry.) Because even if a challenging breakout doesn’t leave a physical scar (or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), the emotional marks can be a lifelong burden—a reality Dr. Wechsler has experienced firsthand.