In my pre-beauty school experience with facials, I always dreaded extractions but thought they were necessary. Because I’ve been prone to cystic acne since my early 20’s, I always tried to schedule facials during the times I either had no acne or very few breakouts. All the steamy relaxation usually found me drifting off to sleep only to awake to the painful twist of my nostril and I knew what time it was. Not the best way to wake up in a spa.
Steam helps to soften & expand tissue making the process of extracting blackheads easier but what about other types of acne? During beauty school, we were taught to only extract a pimple if it’s “ready” and to treat it otherwise. This makes perfect sense to me because you can cause the infection to spread by attempting to extract a papule or cystic nodule that should be treated by a dermatologist. Knowing when to refer clients for medical treatment is extremely important. While I believe skin can truly benefit from a deep cleanse, the goal is NOT to exacerbate any existing skin condition and to properly educate clients on preventive measures and effective treatments. Likewise, it’s equally as important to know our limits as skin care professionals. If your client gets off the bed bruised or scabs later form where extractions were performed, you’re not doing an effective job.
Catya was probably the only one in my class who attacked pimples like she was on the front line and the outcome of the war rested solely on her shoulders. She was serious about extracting and despite our best efforts to convince her there was no prize involved, she persisted in her aggressive methods so we steered clear of partnering with her for facials. She was the first to get hired right out of school so here’s hoping she adjusted her technique somewhat.
I’d like to know how other esty’s feel about the extraction process? Do you feel it’s best to extract what’s ready and topically treat the breakouts that aren’t or need medical treatment? Or do you get everything regardless of what’s ready or not?
beautyschooldropn 