00:00It's really critical that you're using excellent technique. If you don't have
00:04even pressure you can cause inflammation as well. You can encourage bacteria into
00:08the area which can also cause scarring, cause hyperpigmentation.
00:12Hey my name is Faleemi and I'm getting an extreme blackhead removal procedure. My
00:16skin is very oily. I shine like a disco ball sometimes. I've never had acne
00:22throughout high school. It's really been within the last two years that I've
00:26started to notice that I've had acne. I want to get my blackheads removed
00:30because I know that's the first step in being able to clear up my skin and making
00:35my complexion even. When we have those deep blackheads medications can help.
00:40Sometimes if they're quite deep you really have to manually extract them to
00:43get good results. Hi my name is Dr. Michelle Henry. I'm a board-certified
00:47dermatologist practicing in Manhattan, New York. So this is a really
00:51comfortable procedure. I think a big part of pain is actually anxiety. We get so
00:55worked up about what's coming and what I do is I really talk my patient through
00:59the procedure because I think if you can expect what's coming next it really
01:02reduces your perception of the pain. Hi, I'm Dr. Henry. Nice to meet you. Nice to
01:06meet you. My name is Fola. Nice to meet you, Fola. So what we're going to do
01:09today is blackhead extraction. Very simple procedure. Sounds far more
01:14dramatic than it is. So I take two approaches and we'll do both on you and
01:18I'm interested to hear how it feels to you. Okay. Sound good? Yes, thank you so much.
01:21Any questions for me? No, I'm excited. Perfect. I'm very excited to work with Dr.
01:26Henry most importantly because she is a black woman. I'm a black woman and who
01:31else is more qualified than her than to do this procedure on me and tell me what
01:35it is that's causing my acne. So Fola's skin is a little bit oily which is what we
01:40expect. So I think she's going to be very happy with the procedure. She's going to
01:44tolerate it well and I'm excited about doing this for her.
01:51The first step is to cleanse the skin. So we know that bacteria plays a role in acne
01:56and what we don't want to do is reintroduce more acne into the clogged pore.
02:02I used an 18 gauge needle. I'll introduce it into the pore.
02:14So I use two approaches. I'll use two cotton-tipped applicators to evenly apply
02:18pressure and encourage that clog to be removed or I will use what we call a
02:31comedo extractor. So the comedo extractor also allows for even pressure around the
02:37pore to allow that clog to come out easily and gently.
02:47Another reason that I nick the pore first is because I want to reduce the amount of
02:52pressure that is required to get this out to reduce any trauma to the area so
02:57that we don't damage the pore and cause enlarged pores or scarring or
03:01hyperpigmentation. That's why I always encourage my patients not to do this at
03:05home because it is very difficult to make sure that you have even pressure and if
03:10you don't have even pressure, what can happen is that that clog can actually go
03:13backwards and that can cause more inflammation.
03:25Actually puncturing this, the pore, I use a tiny needle and you barely feel it
03:29because it's so superficial. What's probably the most uncomfortable is
03:34actually the squeezing. It's mild discomfort, nothing extreme and most
03:39tolerate it really well.
03:44It doesn't take a long time so we don't have to numb the skin because it's very
03:47comfortable. So you walk into the office, within five or ten minutes you're all done
03:51in your home to enjoy your new blackhead-free skin.
04:00So you're gonna be a little puffy. We have some areas that are a little bit red. That's going to
04:04subside slowly, even in the next few minutes, definitely by tomorrow. I can tell
04:08already that you're a little bit smoother. We're not seeing as many of those open
04:11pores. Even with a little bit of puffiness, I can see that you're gonna look
04:14really good. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. It's my pleasure. So the
04:19procedure is over and I'm really happy about it because my face is numb but that's
04:23okay because I know I'm going to see the results in a few days. I'm really
04:26appreciative of Dr. Henry for what she did and I'm just hoping that, you know, my
04:31skin will get better after this. So the good thing about the blackhead removal is
04:35that there are minimal side effects of, if any, and really very little potential for
04:40any long-term consequences. So really lots of upside and very little downside. For
04:45anyone who's afraid of getting an extreme blackhead removal, I would just say try
04:50it. Especially if you care about your skin and you want it to get it better and you
04:55want the best optimal health you can, I'd say just do it. Suck it up. It's five to ten minutes.
