Facial Acne Extraction

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When most people think of acne treatments, they envision the sea of products at the drugstore including cleansers, toners and creams. And while these products can be effective, they're not always enough. In some cases, larger pimples or blackheads leave your skin at risk for scarring, according to AcneNet. Dermatological intervention by means of acne extraction is essential in these instances to prevent scarring and to ensure speedy healing.

What is Acne Extraction?

Acne extraction is actually a straightforward procedure. It is performed by a dermatologist and involves the use of a sterile device to pop out the hard material or fluid within a pimple, be it a whitehead or blackhead. This allows medication to be applied to the opened pore and to encourage healing.

Undergoing an Extraction

The process of undergoing an acne extraction isn't as traumatizing as it sounds. According to AcneNet, when you go to your dermatologist's office, the skin around the blemish will be pulled tight and then a sterile, pen-like device is placed over the pimple to pop out the material inside. Once completed, an antibiotic cream is applied. The procedure may need to be repeated should the material within the blemish form once again.

Benefits

Facial acne extraction is a good way to essentially pop a pimple. While it may be tempting to do this at home in front of the mirror, doing so could worsen the pimple, cause infection or scarring. Having acne extracted by a professional also carries the benefit of preventing scarring.

Considerations

Before you have acne extracted, there are a few things you should consider, the first of which is the chance of reoccurrence. Even if you take care of the opened pore perfectly following treatment, there's still the chance of the material accumulating once again in the pore. Likewise, this can be costly, especially if you suffer from breakouts often. Going to the dermatologist's office over and over again can be beyond the budget of many people. This procedure can only be performed on non-inflamed acne as well, which leaves many people and many blemish types out of contention.

Outcome and Warnings

According to PubMed Central, this procedure is typically successful. However, there is the chance that oil, dead skin cells and bacteria will form once again to clog the pore. Those who are ill, elderly or who have used topical steroids shouldn't undergo this treatment since the skin is thin and may be permanently damaged or scarred because of it.