Expert Advice | Acne Accreditation

What is the ARA UK?

The ARA UK is a charity created by Professor Tony Chu, to educate aesthetic practitioners and dermatologists about acne and rosacea in terms of the development, complications and how to effectively treat the many different cases.

Acne and rosacea are skin conditions which millions of people in the UK face. 1 in 10 people have rosacea and 85% of people will have acne at some point in their lives – the statistics are staggering.

Professor Tony Chu teaches cutting-edge techniques for treating acne and rosacea. By utilising these techniques, we are more able to accurately assess and treat each patient.

Acne and rosacea can have a profound impact on the quality of life of sufferers but are sometimes poorly treated and can be trivialised by health professionals. This charity aims to improve the management of these diseases by training Doctors, nurses and pharmacists on the best ways of treating them and solutions to various pitfalls that can be encountered. We aim to provide sufferers with information, help and support in achieving the best results in their treatment.

The ARA UK provides a training program for doctors, clinics, nurses and pharmacists in the modern management of acne and rosacea and treatment of long term sequelae including scarring, telangiectasia and rhinophyma.

Who is Professor Tony Chu?

Professor Tony Chu, FRCP.

Prof Chu trained at Guys Hospital, London, qualifying in 1975. He started his dermatology training at Guy’s Hospital and after a research sabbatical year at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York in 1980, he completed has dermatology training at St John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin in London. In 1982, he was awarded a Welcome Senior Research Fellowship and was appointed as a Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant Dermatologist at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital and Consultant Dermatologist at Ealing Hospital. He retired from the NHS in 2017 having pioneered the NLite laser treatment for acne and percutaneous collagen production for acne scarring. He is currently Professor of Dermatologic Oncology, University of Buckingham.

In addition to running a busy clinical service, Professor Chu ran an investigative laboratory studying skin carcinogenesisis, the immunobiology of acne and the Langerhans cell in physiological states and in the disease Langerhans cell histiocytosis. He was the founder of the Acne Support Group which was the first UK charity for acne and rosacea but stepped down as chairman of the charity in 1999 when his wife presented him with triplets. The ASG unfortunately folded and approaching retirement he saw the real need for a charity for acne and rosacea sufferers to provide information and support for the sufferers and education for doctors and pharmacists and started the Acne and Rosacea Association UK.

What it means to be accredited?

The Acne and Rosacea Association UK (ARA UK) accreditation consists of completing a series of webinars and exams on acne, acne scarring and rosacea. Once complete these are then marked by Professor Chu and the results are sent back. Any questions that are answered incorrectly are highlighted and resources are given to make sure the knowledge is improved to the highest standard.

Throughout the webinars, Professor Chu shares his experience from over the years, diagnosing some of the more difficult and rare cases of acne and rosacea, what to avoid and how to treat each case with precision.

With there being many different possible acne cases and also scarring which is especially hard to treat, it’s so important to accurately diagnose the patient and provide the correct treatment for the solution – there is no such thing as ‘one product suits all’.

We are beyond proud to have this accreditation!