with & within by skinsalvation Oakland

with & within, formerly skinSALVATION, opened in 2008 as an acne clinic founded by Kimberly Yap Tan. The clinic describes itself as the first holistic adult acne clinic in San Francisco. It now has in-person clinics in Oakland and San Francisco, and it sees clients virtually elsewhere. An online shop sells skincare formulated in-house, along with an acne-safe lifestyle guide written by the founder.

Visits begin with an initial consultation, which new clients seeking acne treatment must complete; buying products alone does not require one. An in-clinic consultation runs roughly 1.5 to 2 hours and covers cleansing and skin analysis, baseline photos, test extractions and product patch tests, but a full treatment is not included. Remote initial consultations of about an hour take place by Skype or phone, and a free 20-minute discovery call is offered through the Oakland location. The virtual acne consultation includes an intake form review and a hands-on skin analysis, and is priced at $250 in Oakland and $275 in San Francisco. The in-person consultation in Oakland is listed at $200.

Follow-up treatments are usually booked every two to three weeks until acne is under control. Treatments focus on extractions and may include steam, enzyme exfoliation or a mandelic acid chemical peel, a moisturizing healing step and optional LED light. The LED add-on is meant to reduce redness and inflammation, and clients who use it report faster healing by two to three days. An enzyme mask can replace the peel, and clients may exfoliate at home instead. Marked improvement is often seen in about two weeks, clearing usually takes about three months or six treatments, and it can take around six months where systemic imbalances are present. Many clients move to quarterly tune-ups once clear. The clinic says it has cleared more than 3,000 clients and reports an average success rate of 85 to 95 percent among adult clients. Clients should expect redness, dryness, peeling, scabs and bumps for a few days after treatment and should avoid parties or events the day of or the few days after. Acne rosacea is handled with a simpler version of the acne protocol.

Extra care applies in some situations. Clients who are pregnant or breastfeeding can be treated with adjustments, and topical retinoids, salicylic acid, chemical peels and high-frequency are avoided until after giving birth or nursing. Clients taking isotretinoin need a doctor's note listing permitted treatments and products, and peels and extractions are restricted during use. Full extractions and chemical peels can begin six months after stopping isotretinoin with written permission from a doctor. Teens under 18 are accepted with caveats, as results may be less successful, and no guarantees or refunds are offered. The clinic does not bill insurers directly, but clients may pay with FSA or HSA accounts, and the clinic states that corrective acne services and skincare products are covered by most of those plans. It does not offer microneedling, platelet rich plasma or lasers for textural scarring, and refers those to dermatology or medical aesthetics practices. For post-acne dark spots, it uses in-clinic treatments and at-home products and mentions IPL as an option for faster correction.

The Oakland clinic is at 431 30th Street, Suite 100A, in the Pill Hill District. Free street parking is available west of Telegraph Street, with metered street parking nearby and paid garages on Summit and 31st Street. MacArthur BART is the nearest station. The San Francisco clinic is at 1538 Pacific Avenue, Suite 110, inside Salon Village in the Russian Hill area. Metered street parking surrounds the building, and paid garages are at 1965 Polk Street and 1725 and 1727 Sacramento Street.

Combines in-clinic treatments, products and education on an acne-safe lifestyle, diet and skincare routine, with an emphasis on helping clients identify their triggers. The business describes itself as a holistic skincare practice rather than a medical one: estheticians evaluate and recommend, and do not diagnose or prescribe. It does not sell commission-based products and suggests outside practitioners only when it believes they will help.