As a sufferer of mild adult acne, I’ve learned many tips and tricks over the years from dermatologists and spa facial experts over the years resulting in not only a clearer face but I’ve been able to put most of their tricks to use in the privacy of my own home. This knowledge saves me about $70 a month.
Here are some products you should gather:
Comedone extractor for whiteheads and blackheads
Lancet (optional but handy)
Rubbing Alcohol for sterilization
Q-Tips
Gentle Facial cleanser such as Purpose Cleansing Gel by Johnson and Johnson
Toner if you live in a hardwater area
Face lotion even if you have oily skin – I’ll explain later
Face steamer
5X or 10X magnifying mirror
Before worrying about extractions, it’s a good idea to get a handle on your daily maintenance routine. It’s best to go to a professional at least one time to get a good reading on your skin type as this will determine which specific cleansers and lotions you should use. In this article I will focus on combination skin as it has the best and worst of both worlds.
Always start the morning with a gentle facial cleanser that does not contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Contrary to popular belief and some popular beauty magazines, these can be drying and should only be used sparingly. Daily use is only recommended for people with severe acne as they tend to benefit from the extra exfoliation from the medication. Plus it is contraindicated for sensitive skin.
Instead go with a professional line like Dermalogica as their products are only sold by spas and dermatologists and are very gentle. I’ve found that Purpose Gentle Cleansing Gel is just as good as Dermalogica gel cleanser and about $30 less expensive. Purpose can be found in most drug stores and grocery stores.
Use the cleanser and then a toner without alcohol to adjust your skin’s PH after washing in hard water. Lastly, always use a lotion even if you have oily skin. In most cases, the reason people have oily skin is because their skin is severely dehydrated after cleansing and your skin makes up for the lack of moisture by overproducing oil, so be sure to use a product such as Dermalogica’s Active Moist or a moisturizer from the Bioelements line, although I prefer Dermalogica because I’ve seen excellent results from their products.
Once your skin is properly cleansed you are ready for extractions. If you are a sufferer of deep cystic acne I don’t recommend home treatment as you could cause permanent scars. This advice is more for regular whitehead and blackheads.
Whiteheads, or closed comedones, reside at varying depths under the skin. The white you see are actually leukocytes, a type of white blood cell that fights bacteria. The best way to tackle these is to first let steam hit your face for at least 15 minutes, whether you take a hot shower or use a face steamer. This loosens up the openings of your pores and will make extractions easier. Next sterilize your comedone extractor and lancet with rubbing alcohol. With some whiteheads you can simply apply pressure with the looped end of the comedone extractor and roll over the whitehead. If they are a little deeper you can get it started by piercing it with a lancet but this takes great care. Use your magnifying mirror to pinpoint the pore opening in your whitehead. Without going too deep try to open that pore by gently inserting the lancet in vertically. Think prying open, not slashing the pimple open. Once you do that try the looped end of your comedone extractor and it should come out. You may have to go over it more than once. The extractor will lessen your chances of permanent scarring. Whatever you do, never squeeze with your fingers. If you don’t have access to a professional extractor use the ends of two Q-Tips to press the sides of the blemish together and roll it back and forth at the same time to help the debris ease out of the pore.
Blackheads, or closed comedones are usually easier to remove as the pore is already open. Blackheads are caused by buildup of dirt, oil and dead skin cells in your pores. It is black because the mixture oxidizes and turns from whitish-grey to black. Again steam up your face and sterilize your equipment. While most companies recommend using the flat end of the comedone extractor I find it is easier and less painful to use the looped end for blackheads as well. Other blackhead removers look like tiny melon balls scoopers with a hole in the middle. With those you simply press down. While the can work, I don’t like them because blackheads can vary in size and can be too big for the opening. If the blackhead is too big it won’t come out of the extractor’s hole properly – another good reason to use a loop end except with blackheads you do more pressing than rolling. Even pressure is key to avoid scarring.
One warning with blackheads. There are large types called giant comedones. They can be as big as a dime or bigger inside of one stretched-out pore. Sometimes this can be skin cancer and not your run of the mill blackhead. If you have one of these, please see your doctor before trying to extract it.
For spot treatments you can use plain white toothpaste on a whitehead to dry out the pimple, or try a commercial blemish removal cream. Just be sure not to spread it over uninfected areas. Also I like calming down the after effects of extractions, or even angry pimples with Visine. It takes most of the red away in just a few minutes although it isn’t long-lasting.
No matter what, always sterilize your extractors so you don’t re-contaminate your pores with bacteria and never ever squeeze your pimples with your fingers, even if they are clean and germ free as this can cause permanent scarring. If all else fails go see your dermatologist.
