Evening and weekend appointments available

Laser Acne Treatment in Brea & Orange County

A physician-guided approach to active acne and acne scarring that combines laser therapy with medical-grade skincare — addressing the root causes of acne, not just the surface. Available at Trinity Aesthetic Studio in Brea, CA.

alma hybrid co2 laser

Service Details

Duration:

Varies

Treating Acne at Its Source — Not Just the Surface

Acne is a multifactorial condition: excess sebum, clogged follicles, inflammation, and bacteria all contribute. Acne results from an interplay of follicular plugging, excess sebum production, increased activity of bacteria such as C. acnes, and inflammation. Treatments that address only one factor — or only the surface — tend to deliver only temporary results.

Trinity takes a multimodal, root-cause approach. For active acne, a 1570nm laser reduces the overactive sebaceous gland activity that drives breakouts. Medical-grade skincare is a necessary partner, calming inflammation and maintaining clear skin between and after treatments. And once active acne is controlled, CO2 laser resurfacing can address the scarring acne leaves behind.

For many patients, this combination offers a compelling alternative to aggressive systemic medications — addressing the causes of acne directly, with no downtime and minimal side effects.

A Multimodal Approach — Laser, Skincare & Scar Treatment

Acne and its aftermath require different tools at different stages. Trinity’s approach combines three complementary components, sequenced to your skin:

  • 1570nm Laser — For Active Acne — A non-ablative laser that delivers heat into the dermis to reduce the activity of overactive sebaceous glands, lowering the sebum production that fuels breakouts. Suitable for all skin types, with no downtime.
  • Medical-Grade Skincare — A Necessary Adjunct — A personalized regimen of medical-grade products that calms inflammation, regulates cell turnover, and maintains results. Not optional — an essential partner to in-office treatment.
  • CO2 Laser — For Acne Scarring — Once active acne is controlled, fractional CO2 laser resurfacing addresses the textural scarring acne leaves behind, rebuilding smooth, even skin.

How Does the 1570nm Laser Treat Active Acne?

Acne begins in the sebaceous gland. When these glands overproduce sebum, follicles clog, bacteria proliferate, and inflammation follows. The 1570nm laser addresses this at the root — rather than managing symptoms at the surface.

 

The 1570nm wavelength is absorbed by water in the dermis, delivering controlled heat to the deeper layers where the sebaceous glands sit, while leaving the surface skin intact. Mid-infrared lasers in this range cause heating of cutaneous structures including the sebaceous glands, which have shown measurable diminution in biopsied skin after treatment. By reducing overactive sebaceous gland activity and sebum output, the laser targets one of the fundamental drivers of acne rather than masking it. 

 

Because this approach reduces gland activity rather than simply clearing a current breakout, results can be meaningful and lasting. In our experience, a course of treatments delivers strong, consistent improvement as gland activity is progressively brought down.

What Our Acne Approach Can Help With

Trinity’s multimodal acne approach addresses the full arc of acne and its aftermath for patients throughout Orange County:

  • Active acne — Reduces sebaceous gland overactivity and sebum production that drive breakouts.
  • Oily, breakout-prone skin — Helps regulate the excess oil that clogs follicles.
  • Inflammatory acne — Calms the inflammation behind red, painful lesions, supported by medical-grade skincare.
  • Acne scarring — Once active acne is controlled, CO2 laser resurfacing rebuilds smooth, even skin texture.
  • Post-acne tone & texture — Improves overall skin quality and clarity through the combined regimen.
  • An alternative to systemic medication — A non-systemic, root-cause option for patients seeking to avoid the side effects of aggressive oral medications.

Why Medical-Grade Skincare Is Essential

Acne is also an inflammatory and follicular condition, and laser alone doesn’t address every factor. A medical-grade regimen regulates cell turnover to keep follicles clear, calms inflammation, and protects the skin — sustaining and extending your laser results. Skincare isn’t an add-on at Trinity; it’s a core part of the treatment. A complete regimen typically includes:

  • Cleanser — A medical-grade wash to clear excess oil and debris without stripping the skin.
  • Retinol — Regulates cell turnover to keep follicles clear and prevent new clogging.
  • Exfoliation — Removes the dead-cell buildup that contributes to clogged pores.
  • Antioxidant / Vitamin C serum — Combats inflammation and oxidative stress and supports healthy skin.
  • Moisturizer — Maintains the barrier function that healthy, balanced skin depends on.
  • Sunscreen — Essential daily protection, particularly during laser treatment.

The LMNT.one professional light-therapy device can further support treatment between sessions, using clinically validated wavelengths to calm inflammation and soothe the skin. Your provider will design a regimen specific to your skin at your consultation.

Treating Acne Scarring

Active acne and acne scarring are different problems requiring different tools, and treating scars while acne is still active is counterproductive. Once breakouts are controlled, fractional CO2 laser resurfacing addresses the textural scarring acne leaves behind, stimulating collagen to rebuild smoother skin. Learn more on our CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing page.

Are You a Good Candidate for Laser Acne Treatment in Orange County?

Trinity’s acne approach is well suited for adults and adolescents with active acne, oily and breakout-prone skin, or acne scarring — and for anyone seeking an effective alternative to aggressive systemic medications. The 1570nm laser is suitable for all skin types.

A complimentary consultation will assess your acne, skin type, and history, and design a personalized plan — which may combine laser, skincare, and, once active acne is controlled, scar treatment. Some patients experience a temporary purge early in treatment as the skin adjusts; this is normal, and we’ll guide you through what to expect.

What to Expect at Trinity Aesthetic Studio

Every acne treatment plan begins with a complimentary consultation to evaluate your skin and design a personalized, multimodal plan. Here’s what to expect for the 1570nm laser:

  • Protocol — A standard course is 6 sessions, spaced about 2 weeks apart.
  • The experience — Each treatment takes about 15–20 minutes. No numbing is required, and there’s no downtime — you can return to normal activities immediately.
  • Purging — Some patients notice a temporary increase in breakouts early in the course as the skin adjusts. This is a normal part of the process and typically settles as treatment continues.
  • Results — Improvement is progressive across the series, with continued benefit as sebaceous gland activity is reduced. A consistent skincare regimen sustains results.
  • Scar treatment — If acne scarring is a concern, CO2 laser resurfacing is planned separately, once active acne is controlled.

lunchtime laser

Why Choose Trinity for Acne Treatment in Orange County

Acne is rarely solved by a single product or a single device. Trinity’s strength is a multimodal, root-cause approach — combining the right laser for active acne, a medical-grade skincare regimen that’s a genuine part of the treatment, and CO2 resurfacing for scarring once breakouts are controlled.

This is a meaningful alternative to aggressive systemic medications for many patients — addressing the causes of acne directly, with no downtime and minimal side effects, all guided by physicians who design the plan around your skin rather than a one-size-fits-all protocol.

Begin with a complimentary consultation at Trinity Aesthetic Studio in Brea, CA.

 

Disclaimer: Acne is a medical condition, and treatment plans and results vary by individual. The information on this page is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for medical evaluation. For severe, persistent, or scarring acne, consult a physician. Acne treatments at Trinity are cash pay.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the 1570nm laser treat acne?

The 1570nm laser delivers controlled heat into the dermis, where the sebaceous glands sit, while leaving the surface skin intact. By reducing the activity of overactive sebaceous glands, it lowers the excess sebum production that drives breakouts — addressing one of the root causes of acne rather than just clearing the surface. It’s suitable for all skin types and requires no downtime.

A standard course is 6 sessions, spaced about 2 weeks apart. Improvement is progressive across the series. Because acne is a chronic condition, a consistent medical-grade skincare regimen is essential to maintaining results, and some patients benefit from occasional maintenance treatments over time. We’ll recommend the right plan for your skin at your complimentary consultation.

Treatment is comfortable and quick — each session takes about 15–20 minutes, and no numbing is required. There’s no downtime; you can return to normal activities immediately. Most patients tolerate the treatment very well.

Some patients notice a temporary increase in breakouts early in their treatment course as the skin adjusts. This is a normal part of the process and typically settles as treatment continues. We’ll explain what to expect so you’re not caught off guard.

Acne is multifactorial — sebum, clogged follicles, inflammation, and bacteria all play a role — and laser addresses some of these factors but not all. A medical-grade skincare regimen keeps follicles clear, calms inflammation, and protects the skin, sustaining and extending your laser results. We consider it a core part of the treatment, not an optional add-on, and we’ll design a regimen specific to your skin.

Yes — but timing matters. Active acne and acne scarring are different problems, and treating scars while acne is still active is counterproductive. Once your active acne is controlled, fractional CO2 laser resurfacing can address the textural scarring acne leaves behind, stimulating collagen to rebuild smoother skin. We’ll plan scar treatment as a separate phase when the time is right.

For many patients, yes. Aggressive oral medications can be effective but carry significant potential side effects and monitoring requirements. Trinity’s multimodal approach — laser plus medical-grade skincare — addresses the root causes of acne without systemic medication, with no downtime and minimal side effects. Whether it’s the right choice depends on your specific acne and history, which we’ll assess at your consultation. For severe or scarring acne, we’ll always give you an honest recommendation, including when a referral to a dermatologist for systemic treatment may be appropriate.

Yes — the 1570nm laser is suitable for all skin types, from the lightest to the darkest complexions. We’ll assess your skin thoroughly and calibrate treatment to your skin type at your complimentary consultation.

Acne treatments at Trinity are cash pay. We’ll provide transparent pricing and discuss payment options — including flexible plans through Cherry — at your consultation.

Pricing varies depending on the number of laser sessions, the skincare regimen, and whether scar treatment is part of your plan. Trinity offers competitive pricing for acne treatment in Orange County, with flexible payment plans available through Cherry. Contact us or book a complimentary consultation for a personalized quote.

Ready for Clear, Healthy Skin?

Book Your Complimentary Acne Consultation Today

dave oliak


Co-Founder, Medical Director

David Oliak, MD

Dr. Oliak has spent his career drawn to fields of medicine that are genuinely transformational for patients — the kind of transformation that changes not just health, but how people feel about their lives.

 

That journey began with bariatric surgery. Over a 20-year surgical career, Dr. Oliak performed more than 3,500 operations — including as one of Orange County’s first surgeons to offer laparoscopic weight loss surgery — helping patients achieve outcomes that rippled across every dimension of their lives: physical, medical, and emotional. The benefit came not from the surgery itself, but from what the body achieved once the conditions for change were in place.

 

That insight shaped everything that followed. In 2023, Dr. Oliak founded MD Total Wellness on a simple but powerful conviction: that the body has a remarkable capacity to heal, rejuvenate, and restore — and that when given the right signals and raw materials, it does this better than anything we can artificially impose. Hormone therapy restores what aging takes away. Peptide therapy stimulates the body’s own pathways to achieve meaningful outcomes. The body, properly supported, does things better than we can artificially replicate.

 

Aesthetics became the natural next chapter. The same technology-driven, root-cause philosophy applies — advanced energy-based technologies and regenerative skincare stimulate the body’s natural processes to address the underlying causes of aging at every layer — from the structural foundation to collagen and skin surface. At Trinity, that means starting with the foundation — rebuilding muscle and connective tissue — before addressing collagen, and refining the surface last. Achieving results that are compelling precisely because they are natural. Everyone wants to look and feel their best — Dr. Oliak believes the body can get us there on its own terms.

 

At Trinity, Dr. Oliak brings a rare combination of surgical precision, deep scientific grounding, and a genuine passion for patient transformation — helping people not just look better, but feel better about who they are.

Dr Gail Ann Krishnan resting on her chair, smiling, next to tthe emface machine

Co-Founder

Gail Ann Krishnan, DDS, MS

In Dr. Krishnan’s own words:

 

My work has always been shaped by a simple but profound conviction: that the face is not a surface to be perfected — it is a living system to be understood, respected, and supported.

 

Over more than 20 years of full mouth rehabilitation and restorative dentistry, I have come to see every smile as something far more than an aesthetic outcome. A smile is connected to the face, the muscles, the way a person moves, communicates, and expresses who they are. That understanding — of the head, neck, and facial system as a whole — is the foundation of everything I do, both in dentistry and at Trinity.

 

My clinical training at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry gave me a rigorous foundation in precision, proportion, and restorative excellence. But what has defined my work over the years goes beyond technical standards. It is a commitment to pushing past them — through innovation grounded in science, not trends. Every decision I make — shape, proportion, occlusion, material, treatment — is guided by one question: will this harmonize with the body’s natural expressions, preserve its integrity, and support its long-term health?

 

I have a deep resistance to the idea that aesthetics should depend on masking or on creating dependency. There is a meaningful difference between treatments that simply change how someone looks and treatments that restore and enhance the body’s own capacity to function and heal. That distinction matters to me. It is why I am drawn to biocompatible, structurally sound approaches — treatments that work with the body’s biochemical and physiologic processes, not against them. Because if someone is investing in looking better, it should also mean becoming healthier.

 

I feel strongly about muscle. Not as an obstacle to smooth away, but as something essential — to movement, to expression, to identity. We speak with our muscles. We smile, connect, and live fully through them. Treatments that diminish natural movement work against the very systems that make us human. Preserving muscle function is not just an aesthetic choice — it is a commitment to longevity and vitality.

 

Trends in beauty come and go, driven by marketing cycles that shift and disappear. But timeless beauty operates differently. It is rooted in confidence, authenticity, and the ability to fully express yourself. That is what I am committed to — for every patient, in every treatment decision.

 

This philosophy is what brought me to co-found Trinity with Dr. Oliak. In aesthetics, as in dentistry, the goal has never been to override nature. It has always been to support it — using the best available science and technology to help the body do what it already knows how to do, only better. Because an exceptional result isn’t just seen. It’s felt — by you, and by everyone around you.

 

I would love to be part of your journey.

 

— Gail Ann Krishnan, DDS, MS