The Art Of Squeezing A
Pimple: How To Properly
Get The Gunk Out Of Your
Pores
By: Tasha Nelson
So, we have all had those big juicy pimples that just seem to
appear out of nowhere and scream, “Pop me!” So what do we
do?...we go to town on that sucker determined to squeeze
everything out, thinking we are helping things along. If you are
like most people who squeeze and apply all kinds of crazy
pressure determined to pop that zit, you are probably not using
the right technique.
Why Extractions Are Important
If you’ve never heard the term ‘extractions’ it’s just a fancy word
for manually unclogging the pores.
We cleanse our face to remove dirt, oil, and make-up which is the
most important step in any good skin care regimen… but
cleansing is not enough.
The start of a pimple begins deep down in the pore where oil and
skin cells collect forming a plug. These plugs can be sticky and
embedded in the pore so much so that simple cleansing is not
sufficient. This is where manual extractions come in.
Ideally, extractions should be performed by an esthetician. I
realize telling people to not squeeze their pimples is like talking to
the wall. We all do it. No one wants to go around with a huge
“mount fuji” on their face for everyone to stare at, right?
With that said, if the proper technique is used you can safely do
manual extractions on yourself.
Using the proper technique is extremely important because if you
don’t extract in the right way or apply too much pressure you can
dump the contents of the pore into the surrounding area. This can
lead to infection and more blemishes. You can also damage the
tissue, which can lead to scarring 
So, if you just can’t resist the urge to squeeze that pimple—
please do it the right way! I am going to walk you through step
by step how to do proper extractions on yourself.
You will need the following items:
-Facial cleanser
-Tissues or gauze pads
-Toner
-Cotton Balls
-Small facial steamer. (Don’t worry if you don’t have a steamer
you can fill your bathroom sink with steaming hot water and put
a towel over your head to trap the steam and let the steam cover
your face)
-Magnifying mirror
-Clean Towel
Step One
Cleanse your face and neck with a good cleanser preferably one
that contains sulfur or salicylic or alpha hydroxy acid to unclog
the pores and thoroughly wash away dirt and surface oil.
Step Two
After cleansing you’ll want to prepare the skin by steaming to
soften the impacted debris inside the pores.
Use your facial steamer or covered head over your bathroom sink
to allow your face to soak up the steam for 10-15 minutes.
Pat your skin dry with your clean towel.
Step Three
Using either your two index fingers or your two middle fingers
wrap the fingers with tissue or gauze pads.
While looking into your magnifying mirror, assess your skin and
look for any obvious blackheads where the head is clearly visible.
Also look for reddened raised blemishes with or without a ‘white
cap’.
You’re going to be using the sides of either your index fingers or
middle fingers to apply gentle rolling pressure. Never use your
nails!
With the sides of your fingers on both sides of the blackhead or
blemish, apply a gentle, rolling pressure almost like you are
scooping the plug out from the skin. Repeat 2-3 times if nothing
comes out then the area is not ready and should be left alone.
Do not keep picking or squeezing!
If you are successful and the plug is removed you may see some
blood. That’s ok. At this point you want to continue the gentle
rolling and scooping motion until the blood turns clear. This will
ensure that everything is out.
Step Four
Once you are done with the extractions, with a cottonball apply
your toner to your entire face and neck and continue with the
next steps in your skin care regimen.
It is best to do extractions before bed because you will
experience some redness and swelling. This is normal and will
subside while you sleep.
If you are doing this during the day you can apply ice for 5-10
minutes after the toner. The ice will help reduce redness and
swelling.
Manual extractions can be performed every 3-4 weeks depending
on how congested your skin is. If you are using an effective skin
care regimen you should not have as many extractions to do.
For help with choosing a customized skin care regimen for acne
prone skin visit my site http://www.whoistashanelson.com
If you have any questions about extractions or any other
skin care question or comment go to my Facebook page
http://facebook.com/whoistashanelson, where we can
chat. I’d love to hear from you!