I’ve been in brief contact with Dr. Neal, from MidCity Medical which is a clinic in New York that is committed to treating acne. You heard it, it’s a clinic especially for acne sufferers. This makes me really happy to know that clinics like this are popping up, and hopefully MidCity Medical will be able to expand its clinics globally.
The videos from the clinic are absolutely amazing. And it’s all without oral medications! This one I was watching today actually made me cry because it’s a story that I’ve now heard over and over again from myself, my readers and on acne forums.
This one made me teary too because it seemed to give so much *hope* to chronic acne sufferers. Okay, I get teary really easily!!!
And here is another video of a patient which shows the before and after. Wait for the after shot, she looks AMAZING!
In my contact with Dr. Neal, he hasn’t given too much away as to what the treatments involve, but it does say there are no oral medications which is great. It appears as though the treatment is holistic, which is awesome. There may be some use of topical medications, but if it works this well and there are no oral medications I’m all for it.
If you’re in New York, then lucky you! you can give the clinic a call. If you’re a past or present patient I’d also love to hear from you. Here is the link to the clinic.
I’m moving to Canada in May and will be making a few trips to the US and New York so I’m going to organise a visit to the clinic. It will be great when the clinics products and information kits are available world wide.
There are a ton of YouTube videos which show the before and afters. Click here to take a look … Just get your box of tissues ready if you’re as emotional as me 
Fran
43 responses ↓
Do you have any idea about what is in the products that he’s using? A 6 week program seems to good to be true to me. I’m wondering how something like that could work if a person is dealing with hormonal acne? I would think the endocrine system would need to be balanced first and then the breakouts would stop.
I have been taking Maca, primrose oil and other EFA’s consistently for about 3 weeks now and am noticing a big difference. I am sticking with my face care products because they seem to be helping as well but am definately planning on giving the OCM a try when I’m finished them. I am seeing results so I think I will stick with my routine but seeing the results from these people in New York makes me think there’s something I’m missing. I want their clear skin!
Hi Carrie, I totally agree. I thought *wow*, 6 weeks, that’s amazing, and without the use of oral medications. This is why I plan on visiting the clinic when I’m over there hopefully some time this year.
I don’t know what products they’re using, but they will be made available for purchase online soon. It sounds like you’ll also be able to communicate with the clinic with some kind of distance program. I’m looking forward to that being made available. I think they also diagnose each patient individually, so they get to the actual casue of the symptom (acne). And then work on fixing the problem. It also sounded like from that video that what food you eat is involved a little bit too.
I’m going to keep checking and I’ll post on my blog if I find out more.
By the way, that’s really great that your noticing a difference with your skin. If everything is working, then definitely stick with it. Good idea about holding off on the OCM too, I’m a true believer in if it’s working then don’t vary it
I’d love to hear your maca story too. I’ve decided to take it again, but just between my cycle (as in when I don’t have PMT) because the only time I had a bad reaction to it was when I had PMT.
Hi there Fran!
Its been a lil while since i wrote about my experience on Benzoyl peroxide in your maca post.
Anyway…just wanted to update that my skin is better now when i use oils and stuff like that. Yes…its a bit more oily…but i dont care. As long as it looks healthy, luminous and with less acne…its ok
I have PCOS, and im a bodybuilder. Which equals to that watch very carefully my diet, i workout a lot, every single thing i eat…is low glycemic index or low glycemix load. Im a veggie junkie, and omega 3, 6 and 9 addict. But…apparently my hormones WONT stay stable. My gynecologist told me that probably never my hormones will be stable. And this makes a super hard task to be a bodybuilder, because i have to work like 10 times harder to achieve the same results of a person that has their hormonal levels stable.
Probably to lot of people the diet and exercise will help, but in my case, it doesnt.
And my acne…is 100% hormonal. Thats for sure. Why else would i get acnee in the back and sides of my neck while the skin is dry there? Bah…
Well…back to the comment for this treatment…he says its holistic, right? probably it must be some topical creams, and maybe some supplements? Im quite interested, but i live in spain…so going to NY for my acne is not really a thing i would do LOL.
I love love love your blog. If you dont mind, i would like to contribute
(im a aromatherapist, phytotherapist, nutrition specialist, personal trainer, and im studying a degree in molecular science). 
Sooo, i would love love love to contribute.
BTW: i found something that works wonders for me, i dont know if for others it works, but it makes my skin sooo smooth and bump-free, plus my pores are now almost invisible: 10% glycolic acid and 2% Lactic acid. Here we have it in a cream blend named Boreade 12. I apply it once per day, it doesnt dry out the skin (i use other stuff too, ofcourse). Its an AHA combination. I just LOOOOOVE it.
N.
Wow! A body builder, that’s awesome, and also great that your skin is better.
Low GI diets are so good for skin. That’s too bad that balancing your hormones is really difficult. I guess that’s one of the symptoms of PCOS. Have you seen the PCOS and acne message boards? There are a few around.
I’m definitely going to look into Boreade 12. It sounds great, I’m on the lookout for something that will help my pores
Wow, that program seems like a miracle. But I live in Toronto, and I don’t know if i’ll be able to go to New York. Do you know if the products are going to be available in Canada anytime soon? And are there ANY side effects to that program?
Hi Renee, I’m actually talking to Dr Neil about his products now, I’ll let you know when I found out more
I bought the program and I’ve been on it for about 3 weeks now. I will let you know how it turns out on my 6th week.
The Acne practice website seems extremely sketchy to me. Doesn’t give Dr. Neal’s first name or history, and one cannot view product ingredients, or purchase products individually. Package price seems to be over $200.00. Yikes.
fran, Dr.Neal has updated his youtube and website w/ more info, do you think you can investigate a lil more and tell us if its worth it or not…for all i know what if his products are just high doses of benzoyl peroxide along with sulfer and zinc?…… he’s not releasing the ingredients and its really good that there are no oral medications involved, but similar results have been show in those proactive commercials and murad commercials. Cherry- do you have an update on how your treatment is going?
Hey Sarah, I’m actually trialling one of his products now so I’ll let you know how it goes. He’s given me a list of the ingredients and there’s no BP in it
fran, that IS good news, thanks so much and please keep me updated on your progress. Besides BP, if theres any ingredients in his products that is potentially harmful and not good for long term use on the skin, please let me know. Also, do you have any opinions on the skincare line obagi? they contain high doses of hydroquoine but is suppose to do wonders for acne and acne scarring and pigmentation.
Hey sarah, I’ll let you know everything when I do the review. I don’t know anything about obagi unfortunately ..have you looked it up on MUA?
This practice seems slimy. The Dr. Neal was actually banned from the acne.org forums for refusing to follow rules. Besides that, there’s a laundry list of how shady his practice is:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Acne-Practice-t201017.html&pid=2327716
In response to the comments on Dr. Neal’s Acne Practice…..Actually I have been using his products since November 2008 and I honestly say that these are the best products I have ever used for my acne and I’ve had acne since I was 13 ( I am now 25). My skin looks sooo much better and you can really keep in touch w/ him to ask questions about any problems you may be having. I would recommend his products to anybody that is having an acne problem. Feel free to ask me any questions
hey cherry, I was just wondering how much did it clear your skin? like completely? or just mostly w/ still a few breakouts. also, if you don’t mind telling me, how severe was your acne to begin with? I’m 20 right now and i have persistent mild/moderate acne. you said you said you’ve been using the products since november, did you keep buying the whole kits or just certain products. thanksss
Mike, I spoke to Dr Neal about this on the phone when I was in Toronto. I also had trouble with acne.org and chose not to use their forum because I found it so insular and I wasn’t allowed to link to any of the information I’ve written.
Dr Neal is quite blunt which is why I think people have problems with him, but he sounded genuine to me and his videos just show the amazing work he’s done. yes his products are expensive but in my opinion the results and the service are worth it. I would have easily paid that if it meant getting rid of my acne in 1 month instead of the year that it took me.
Well I had started to get a lot of those cystic acne bumps along my jaw and cheeks. I also had breakouts on my forehead and chin and little bumps in my nose. It cleared up all my cystic acne and I will get an occassional bump, i cand deal with that. I still have little bumps in my nose, but i just recently asked him how to go about clearing those pesky little things. It pesonally took my skin longer than advertised to clear up, but i knew it was coming and it did work. Ive tried everything b4 i used his products. U name it I’ve tried it. obagi, proactiv, murad, drugs from the doctor (never accutane), birthcontrol, estheticians (can’t spell lol)drugstore products, sulfur, and other crap that i can not think of right now….Next question I actually bought the entire kit at first and it lasted me until this month so frm nov–march (I just ordered a couple of the individual products last week) So I got my moneys worth. When they say use a pea size amount….thats what i use and thats all it takes. So now my next battle is trying to rid these drk spots
oh yea ….i had moderate to moderate/severe skin
I regret dragging his name through the mud. This was a knee-jerk reaction to the price and the miracle product marketing. The advertising is “too good to be true”, and of course that’s the reality, BUT it might still be a very good product. Anyway, what happens if his product goes out of business? The practice fosters dependency on the products, which seem irreplaceable.
fran, when will you be doing the review on the acne practice, are his products at all similar to therapeutix?
—> http://www.therapeutix.com/three_steps.php?cid=tx011005aa&sid=419285
fran, I have a few more questions, what product from dr.neil did you try because you said there was no BP in it. so did you try the sunblock or something? because I ordered a moderate acne kit and to my surprise the active ingredient was indeed 5% benzoyl peroxide…….. along with sulfur and other common ingredients found in all acne fighting skin care lines. I actually thought he found some natural way to battle your skin like he had a special formulation of tea tree oil and natural antispetics or something….im disappointed to say that I was wrong, and Im even more surprised that your sort of endorsing a product whos active ingredient is BP, something you warned about in an earlier post about long term usage of BP on the skin. Since i ordered the kit, I will use it and I’m positive that it will clear my skin but even so, Im not sure I will continue using it because its pretty much a given that this product will clear my skin because its just going to dry everything out, however I’m sadly disappointed that i piad 265 for a kit that has the same ingredients as proactice which is only 39.99
Hi Sarah, I’m getting a couple of people to try an exfoliant from him at the moment, that’s all I’ve received so far ..this one has no BP in it but it seems to be quite strong. And it’s working well on mild adult acne.
I’m sad that his other products contain BP
I was going to be an affiliate but I don’t want to promote a BP product. Thank you for letting me know!
Are there any updates on this? I see someone here ordered his products. Did it work? I am desperate for something and have tried basically all the advice on this forum and others. I can’t control my acne. I want to hear from someone before purchasing a $280 kit.
I’ve just ordered the starting kit from NY. It should be here soon. I’ll keep you updated.
Sorry everybody, no updates yet. I got family emergency and had to postpone the protocole for a few weeks. I’ll be in touch soon. Ta-ta
i got the acne practice moderate kit on the 15 oct 09. my skin is plagued with non-inflammed acne — clog pores, blackheads, oily skin — dear god it’s disgusting. i did it for 7 days and it dried my skin out quite badly, so i stopped the products for 1 week or so to give my skin a chance to calm down, which it did. 2 days ago i started the regime again and i can already see my skin is starting to dry again — f*#k!!!. anyway, i will let you readers know how it goes.
Hi Fran,
I’m interested to purchase the starter kit. But from what I see, the kits ranging from minimal acne up to severe acne has the same products (in the product description such as cleanser etc) in the kit. They differ in price. So I’m wondering what are we paying extra for actually?
I think different kits have different concentration and proportion of the ingredients. They are all the same steps, but have various degrees of strength.
By the way, I am restarting the programme tomorrow. I am very excited and scared at the same time. I really hope it will be at least somewhat pleasant ride and I won’t break out too bad at the beginning!
I also was hoping to hear from a British girl who found Acne Practice through this web site and did the home version of the treatment. Please, respond if you read this post. I am very interested in getting in touch with such a brave and inspiring person! Thanks for letting them show your before and after pictures! You did a huge favour to all the “freshmen” out there!
Dyme, any updates yet?
A question to Fran — do you have any idea why videos of Joel Small were removed from YouTube? I would really want to see his case, but seems like all the videos are gone…
I am using Dr. Neal’s program. The difference is with the ingredients and concentration as already stated. For example, the medium lotion has 5% BP and sulfur. The strong lotion has 10% BP. I would assume that the gentle lotion does not have any BP and is sulfur based??
Someone said I hope I do not break out in the beginning. I communicate frequently with Dr. Neal, and you are not supposed to break out when you start. If you are, you are doing something wrong and need to contact him.
The program works well, I just sometimes get dryness, which Dr. Neal reminds me is because of something I am doing, not the products, which I do believe but not completely. I mean, the products are meant to take the oil out of your skin. You just have to do other things as to minimize the effect – shorten your shower, steam less, minimize time or steps. But you should not be breaking out.
I would highly recommend buying this program. I am not breaking out and have not had one inflamed blemish after the 2 wk. mark. I have little pimples that pop up but once I apply spot treatment are gone. Also, I only started getting little ones after coming off BCP, so that could be a factor. I did have 2 weeks straight with nothing before coming off the BCP. I will keep you updated.
I think it’s a great program though, and I feel in control. I know what to do when I feel a bump coming on, and it never becomes a problem.
Dr. Neal indeed told me than I am not supposed to get IB, but I might break out if I have clogged pores and all that dirt needs to come out. That’s why he tells people to take proper ‘inventory’ count, so when new pimple appers, we don’t freak out knowing that in reality it’s just the old one that needed to come out. That’s what I meant in my last post.
By the way, ML, how severe was your original condition and what kit did you start with? I am starting with moderate-severe. Thanks.
PS. I am happy for you ML, although I don’t even know you:) It’s a nice feeling to find out that one more acne sufferer found a relief!
update: i have been using the regime only on the t-zone which is my worst affected area. the dryness has calmed right down, it’s still a little dryer than usual, but nothing for me to be concerned over.
i am slowly seeing results, which is good. it is taking longer than what i expected, however the fact that it is working, even if at a slow pace, gives me hope.
nadine, how’s it working for you? have u been hit with excessive dryness at all?
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!
Nice to hear from you, Dyme.
I tried the products only for 5 days the first time. Then I had family emergency, and a week later I got very sick, so I couldn’t continue the treatment.
Now I am back to the regimen, but it has only been a week. I got really dry one day when I used super hot shower and all three steps together, but now I am using combination of any two, warm water, and step 2 or 3 as a touch-up.
After face washes my skin looks pretty flaky and dry, but then I get some oil back throughout the day, so sometimes, I even have to touch up.
See, I had VERY oily skin to start with, maybe that’s why I am not drying out as much… I have a feeling of stinging around the driest areas though(((
Good to know you are doing better, hope to share the same soon!!!
So, is it really worth it? I’m thinking of ordering my own kit but the thing is, I’m scared to do so because there are barely any reviews or feedback on this product. Most of the comments I see are positive but I’m still not sure…
ok… have regathered and assessed where i am at since doing the dr neal prog. i have to say now, that what i thought was progress wasnt. the only progress is dry skin issues. doh! for me, another failed regime. how sad, to bad! back to the drawing board i guess. dear god, i wish u all the success in the world nadine.
Sorry to hear about that, Dyme. Another reason why I’m not sure that I should get this program…
sorry dyme. that’s too bad.
i’m still using the kit, and things are good. i def feel in control. however, i thought about your situation (reading your post above), and i notice that for me the big change was not getting pimples or cysts (inflamed acne), i still have blackheads on my nose and chin. maybe the program works great for inflamed acne but not as great for non-inflamed…dr. neal told me to get blackheads extracted, but i haven’t…i have been on the program for 2 and a half months…and i bought the moderate-severe kit. i would highly recommend the program to anyone, give it a shot, esp if you have inflamed acne, w hether it’s mild or mod or severe!
Hey guys, I don’t want to comment too early, but so far my face has been looking and feeling much better. I have two little bumps now probably due to hormonal change. I am surprised that you are having a problem with the balckheads. My pores stay pretty clean, I didn’t even expect that kind of effect after watching the videos in HD.
Here is what I do. After I “steam” my face, I use dry towel to exfoliate a few times a week. I don’t rub too hard, but I am not gentle either — I apply just enough pressure to remove the layer of dead skin. That prevents blackheads from forming, at least in my case.
The only one part I am still working on is oiliness. My skin produces soooo much freaking sebum, unbelievable!!! I will contact doc in a few days, maybe I need to get a “severe” kit instead of moderate-severe, cause I am still shiny(((
Sorry Dyme that you are still struggling. Did Dr. Neal gave you any suggestions? Maybe you should see him in person. It is expensive, but sometimes home version doesn’t give the desired results, especially in stubborn and chronic cases…. Good luck with everything, I cross my fingers for you!!!
i think you might be correct ML, this protocol seems to be great for inflammed acne as you say. non-inflammed acne however is a stubborn SOB and i don’t hold much hope for the acne bootcamp working to heal it. anon and tim, i say go for it if you have inflammed skin. if you have the other type though, think carefully about throwing a substantial amount of coin at something that might not work for you.
great to hear its working for you nadine and thanks for wishing me luck!
Hi, Guys,
I have been on theacnepractice.com (Dr Neal’s) products for 6 months. I started July 8, 2009 and by about August 31, 2009, my acne was pretty much completely under control (but for a few little ones here and there).
I have to say, I was VERY skeptical to begin with and I kept going and Dr Neal is VERY VERY tough on you if you doubt him but he guides you through. I kept saying “this isn’t working, or I’m going to continue doing this,” and he’d be like “don’t say continue, what are you going to change, please try this instead,” and through VERY VERY deep struggles, I found the right amount of product and the right combination of products I needed (he included both gentle, medium, and strong in the initial kit – and it lasts too – I just started using my 2nd batch about 2 months ago, so it’s lasted me 3 months on one shipment).
I’m not some sales guy, I’m not an ad-bot, I’m a real person… check me out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IwSocgDuWM&feature=PlayList&p=26FED4A52E17657C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=26
Also go to my website to view my contact info. It’s all real. I’m putting all my contact info out here, so please respect it and don’t blow up my phone! Email me please!
Hello there!!! I am also using the products currently. I definitely see the difference. Those of you who still are doubting — at least try it — it’s not gonna hurt. I understand that $300 can be a bit chunck of money you don’t want to waist, but even I (a yesterday’s immigrant and a current student) could save some buck and fix my face!!! My skin is still not PERFECT, but it is free of red pimples!!!
Good luck to everybody!
I dont like the fact that the website really doesn’t tell you what the program is. I called to inquire and they didn’t even bother to call me back – perhaps because I was long distance. lol. From what I can see from the posts, looks like the products are similar to most acne kits – intended to dry out your skin which not only wont work well for those with sensitive skin but in the long run, is not a holistic treatment that will cure the underlying problem.
You are right in that it does LOOK like a lot of other programs because it’s topical and it does contain BP. However, the results I’ve attained are very, very astounding. I basically don’t even worry about acne anymore at all and people I’ve met since I’ve been clear would never have even known I had acne at all ever… I’m not even joking, this stuff really works. Thing is, you have to hang in there for a few weeks to see results and you have to be careful not too apply too much or it will dry you out… a lot of trial and error and eventually you’ll figure out how much is right for you to use. All the while, Dr Neal will guide you through with emails. These aren’t once in a while emails I had, these were emails daily. The most personalized treatment I’ve ever received. Please believe me people, this stuff works! (www.facebook.com/roberteleenyc) – go to my Facebook to see some more good results in my photos page!
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