I have a pair of friends from Russia. One of them grew up in an apartment that his family shared with, among others, a cosmetologist. She trained him in the art of the “facial”–preventatively squeezing stuff out of one’s pores in order to prevent pimples and blackheads. There are little instruments that can be used for this, that look like loops of flat wire, but he says that these never work well and the experts use their fingernails, cushioned with bits of cotton. Both of this pair have apparently been doing this to the trouble spots on their faces every night, for decades. Their daughter has even found a place in New York that will do it for her. They claim that it does take some know-how, specifically where to squeeze so that all the pores give out at the same time. After experimentation, I agree that it is not something one can do well without training.
My question: what the heck? This American grew up hearing nothing but that one should never, ever squeeze a pore. Of course, this was advice for people who already have pimples and blackheads. This American has also never had a facial… so give me the straight dope… is this what a facial is all about?
I’ve been a pimple popper/blackhead beheader all my life. I got a great complexion. No scars, no acne, just occasional zits I miss for a day.
Lately I’ve been using this pimple/blackhead vacuum device, the Panasonic Pore Cleanser. Though it doesn’t do as good a job as fingernails, it beats the wire loops and other ‘facial’ devices.
I never got “acne,” like some kids did, so I can’t speak to doing the same with acne.
I use this facial scrub stuff that has little ground up seeds. Basically it’s like sandpaper paste, it digs down and cleans all that crap out, and removes all the dead skin. If that misses anything I use tweezers.
The wire instrument sounds like a blackhead remover. I’ve been told that technically you’re not supposed to do self-extractions because if you don’t know how to do it properly it might lead to scarring.
I get a facial every three weeks, and unless they’re frou frou aromatherapy facials, the beauty therapist will usually begin with extractions. I’m put under a bright light and my BT will check for potential pimples, then squeeze them out with her fingers and a tissue. Once I asked her how she could tell they were there, and she brought out a handheld mirror, and sure enough under the super bright light I could see that my skin was slightly inflamed in some areas. Sometimes my BT will use a sterilised needle to break the surface in order to get the core out. As far as I know, a lot of places will do extractions before doing a facial, so I think it’s quite a common procedure.
I have two very faint, fingernail shaped scars on my face because I used my nails instead of using an extractor. Those are why you’re told not to do that, an extractor keeps you from using too much pressur in the wrong place, and prevent scarring.
A facial deep cleans your face - it cleans out slightly clogged pores (vacuums them, or extracts them) to prevent blemishes, but then, it cleanses and exfoliates to remove the dead skin, and rehydrates the newly revealed skin. Worth having done.
Ah, so pore-squeezing is a legitimate part of a facial. But what about squeezing them all out? I mean, I rarely or never get pimples on my nose, but stuff always comes out of the pores…
And they always fill back up so you’ve answered your own question. It’s a popular hobby but it’s pointless. If you have acne, it won’t help matters. If you don’t have acne it’s not because you always remember to squeeze your blackheads out.
My knowledge of skin care would suggest that this is a bad idea - fiddling with your skin irritates it; irritated skin is more prone to breakouts. Furthermore, your fingertips are probably one of the most germ-covered parts of the body, so you’re working bacteria into your pores when you do this (and no matter how much you wash, your hands are never completely clean.) No doubt some people do this and have good skin, but I’d guess that they have good skin in spite of it, not because of it.
The pores are naturally filled with oil, and probably if you’re dedicated you can squeeze it out. But the oil is supposed to be there; it’s a natural part of your skin, and it’s only when the pore is blocked (by old skin cells) that acne results.
Use a hydroxy-acid product or a very fine facial scrub (baking soda mixed into facial cleanser works) to prevent the building of those skin cells, and your acne ought to improve. Don’t poke at your face.