With a thorough understanding of my skin history, Betsy began to apply three layers of 20% salicylic acid on my skin, loosening sebum and providing gentle exfoliation. She made sure there was no excessive tingling, common in chemical peels, before applying each layer. (I was also given a squeeze ball and hand fan for added comfort and tingle-busting.) After the peel was wiped away, La Roche-Posay moisturizer was massaged across my face. Supergoop! SPF followed. 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. Med spas seem to exist on every street corner—there are over 50 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side alone. But while Spotless has med spa vibes, it stands out from the pack—and not only because it truly focuses on a single concern (you won’t find any neuromodulator or filler injections offered on the side). For one, it’s run by a board-certified dermatologist—many med spas have supervising physicians who are specialized in, say, radiology or internal medicine not the skin and aesthetics. And as licensed nurse practitioners and physician assistants, the employees following Dr. Wechsler’s curriculum at Spotless are higher level practitioners than you will find at some med spas. Spotless doesn’t require a membership or subscription—in fact, the clinic 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!)
Because Spotless’ providers are NPs and PAs they can 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 acne-treatment 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. Dr. Wechsler abides by the principle that, when it comes to Accutane, 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, noting a full course of isotretinoin has an 80% chance of curing a patient.
Beyond the demand noticed by Zoe and the volume of folks struggling with acne but unable to see a dermatologist, 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.
“I had horrible acne as a teenager, [and] I have so few pictures of those years because I avoided the camera—luckily they weren’t around as much then,” Dr. Wechsler said. “[I’m] taking my psychiatry background—compassion and empathy—and infusing it into Spotless. This space is stigma-free.” Compassion and empathy for patients, plus an unrelenting and fierce (and walk-in!) ass-kicking for pimples? We salute you, Dr. Wechsler.