Three figures are quoted for AviClear almost everywhere it is described, namely 78 percent, 87 percent and 92 percent. This page explains what each figure measured, who the 104 patients were, who was excluded, and how the same course behaves in Singapore skin. The treatment itself, its price and the booking detail are on the AviClear page.
What the AviClear trial figures mean
The figures come from a prospective multicentre study of 104 patients, most with moderate to severe acne, treated with three AviClear sessions two to five weeks apart (Goldberg 2023, Alexiades 2023). The endpoint was the proportion of patients whose inflammatory lesion count had fallen by at least half. That proportion was 78 percent at three months after the final session, 87 percent at six months and 92 percent at twelve months. Two conclusions follow. The result continues to build after the last session, because the sebaceous glands the laser has heated keep shrinking for months. And the endpoint is a reduction of at least 50 percent in inflammatory lesions rather than clear skin. Some patients cleared completely, most improved substantially, and a minority improved by less than half.
Who the AviClear trial included and excluded
The study enrolled adults and adolescents across Fitzpatrick skin types I to VI, which is relevant to Singapore, with mild, moderate and severe acne, and it formed the basis of the first FDA clearance of an energy device for all three grades (FDA 2022). Excluded were pregnant patients, patients who had taken isotretinoin in the preceding months, and patients with active skin infection in the treatment area. AviClear is therefore not started during an isotretinoin course and is not offered in pregnancy. A one-year follow-up is long by acne-trial standards, but it does not show what happens at three years, and that figure has not been published.
AviClear results in Singapore skin
The three-session structure is unchanged. Two differences are observed in my practice here. A flare in the first two to three weeks after the first session is expected and settles on its own. Sun protection between sessions carries more weight because of the pigment risk in Fitzpatrick III to V skin. The course is assessed at six months from the first session rather than at week six, because a patient who judges it early sees the flare and not the result. The reasons a course falls short, and what is done next, are set out on why AviClear did not work for you.
AviClear vs AGNES, different tools often used together
AGNES delivers radiofrequency through a single insulated microneedle to destroy individual sebaceous glands, which makes it the more precise tool for stubborn nodular and cystic lesions. It involves minor discomfort and a day or two of redness at each treated spot. AviClear heats the glands across the whole treated area without a needle and with no downtime, which makes it the tool for widespread papular acne, although it is less targeted against a deep embedded cyst. Used together, AviClear lowers overall sebum production across the face while AGNES destroys the individual glands driving recurrent deep lesions. The full comparison, including Gold PTT, is on AGNES vs AviClear vs Gold PTT.
Who AviClear suits, and what it costs
AviClear suits mild to severe acne in teenagers and adults, and in particular patients who want a treatment without the systemic side effects of oral medication. It is the treatment most often weighed against isotretinoin, and that comparison is on AviClear vs isotretinoin. AviClear at my clinic is $1,800 per session over three sessions.
Book a consultation with Dr Gerard Ee at The Clifford Clinic
Dr Gerard Ee consults and performs AviClear at The Clifford Clinic, 50 Raffles Place, Singapore. Consultations are by appointment. Message the clinic on WhatsApp, or call 6532 2048.
This page is written from published research and from clinical experience in Singapore since 2012. It is for general education, not medical advice. Whether a treatment suits you, what it may achieve and what it may risk can only be established at a consultation. Dr Gerard Ee is the Medical Director of The Clifford Clinic, a private clinic in Singapore, and treatments discussed on this site are provided commercially.
