Blackhead extraction-help me, please!

[Petit Basque]

Good afternoon gorgeous geeks...I am hoping someone might be able to offer me some advice.

I currently have a young lady with severe acne on her face which I have just started treating. She came to me this morning for a sort of "back facial" as her back is very congested.

I started with a brush cleanse using a purifying wash, a back scrub, an enzyme peel and a good old steam. You would think the blackheads would just be sliding out at this point but no....I managed to get quite a few out but the majority would just NOT BUDGE! I use gloved hands with tissue paper wrapped around my fingers and usually this works just fine. I own a galavanic machine and would normally like to desincrust first but due to the age of the girl (13), my insurance company isn't keen.

I do have a stainless steel comedone extractor but I'm not keen on using it as I always worry about damaging the skin. I don't own an autoclave and am worried that I would not be able to sterilise it correctly. I scrub all my tools in antibacterial washing liquid with hot water, boil in a pan of water for 20 minutes and then immerse in barbicide but still don't know if this is sufficient.

The poor girl was finding it all rather painful and I gave up in the end. On my advice, her mum has bought her a soft bristled, long handled brush to use daily on her back in shower which may help to gently exfoliate and discourage blackheads.

Has anyone any other suggestions?

Many thanks
PB
x

 

[Lynne Baker]

You could try a green clay mask for home use - it should help to draw out any comedones.

 

[Petit Basque]

You could try a green clay mask for home use - it should help to draw out any comedones.

Forgot to mention that I also applied a purifying clay mask. I also used a bit of vacuum suction but nothing, nada, zilch.....feel very despondent :sad:

Green clay mask sounds interesting.....can you recommend any??

Thanks
PB
x

 

[Lynne Baker]

If you're coming to the show this weekend come and see us on stand P60; I can show you our lovely Bio and Green Clay Masks!

 

[essentia]

These blackheads are old and need a few treatments to loosen them up. Do not attempt then for a while until the skin has had a few treatments. I presume that she has also seen her GP? What grade of acne is it as some need medical treatment.

 

[squidgernetball]

The only other suggestion is to wash her back last if she washes her hair in the shower, as conditioner residue is often a problem with spotty backs. Just a thought x

 

[gillian w]

These blackheads are old and need a few treatments to loosen them up. Do not attempt then for a while until the skin has had a few treatments. I presume that she has also seen her GP? What grade of acne is it as some need medical treatment.

I totally agree trying too vigorously to remove hardened blackheads can often leave holes in the skin leading to ice pick scarring.

 

[shelldavis]

If her skin is very dehydrated the black heads won't budge no matter how much you steam you might need to do hydrating masks first to rehydrate & soften the skin

 

[Topsi]

Not wishing to play devils advocate here but you say her acne is 'severe'. Personally I would want her to seek medical attention first to get the acne under control before performing any cosmetic treatments in this case.

 

[Petit Basque]

Thanks all for your replies...

The young lady in question has already tried anti-biotics which she finds these difficult to swallow. I suggested to her mum that she opens the capsules and maybe puts the contents into a drink but her mum said that she was informed by the pharmacist that will make the medication less effective. She has also tried a topical anti-biotic lotion with little success. I suggested the contraceptive pill but due to the clients' mother having breast cancer a few years ago, she is not keen to take her daughter down this route.

Far from "cosmetic" treatments, I have been concentrating on offering deep cleansing, skin conditioning and extractions and the skin on her face has significantly improved after one treatment and many of the spots are drying up nicely and she is very pleased.

It's just the stubborn blackheads on her back which are proving difficult to remove and yes, it makes sense that these are "old" in that congested skin on your back gets far less attention and stimulation than congested skin on your face and therefore the blackheads get "locked in". Many thanks for this insight Essentia and GillianW, it's been very useful.

I will talk to the mother about a specific skincare regime for her back for a few weeks and then may have another go at a deep cleansing treatment for that area.

Thanks again everyone
PB
x

 

[ukbeauty]

I was looking on the Bio Therapeutic stand at Excel and a lady was demonstrating their Ultrasound peeling machine. She claimed the metal plate would remove blackheads with the use of their desincrustation liquid, after using the machine first as a general peel, then ionisation, after which the blocked pores would be ready to 'pop out'.
Hope this makes sense! Might be worth further investigation?