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  • 5 months ago
On this week’s Macro Beauty, we head to see a dermatologist for professional blackhead extractions. When done by a professional, this procedure can aid the skin in healing. Watch this week’s episode of Macro Beauty to see how this works up close.

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Transcript
00:00It's really critical that you're using excellent technique.
00:03If you don't have even pressure,
00:05you can cause inflammation as well.
00:06You can encourage bacteria into the area,
00:08which can also cause scarring, cause hyperpigmentation.
00:12Hey, my name is Fala Yemi,
00:14and I'm getting an extreme blackhead removal procedure.
00:16But before we get into that, subscribe down below.
00:19My skin is very oily.
00:21I shine like a disco ball sometimes.
00:23I've never had acne throughout high school.
00:26It's really been within the last two years
00:28that I've started to notice that I've had acne.
00:31I want to get my blackheads removed
00:33because I know that's the first step
00:35in being able to clear up my skin
00:37and making my complexion even.
00:40When we have those deep blackheads,
00:42medications can help.
00:43Sometimes if they're quite deep,
00:44you really have to manually extract them to get good results.
00:47Hi, my name is Dr. Michelle Henry.
00:49I'm a board-certified dermatologist
00:51practicing in Manhattan, New York.
00:53So this is a really comfortable procedure.
00:55I think a big part of pain is actually anxiety.
00:57We get so worked up about what's coming,
00:59and what I do is I really talk my patient
01:01through the procedure
01:02because I think if you can expect what's coming next,
01:05it really reduces your perception of the pain.
01:07Hi, I'm Dr. Henry. Nice to meet you.
01:08Nice to meet you. My name is Fola.
01:10Nice to meet you, Fola.
01:11So what we're going to do today is blackhead extraction.
01:15Very simple procedure.
01:16Sounds far more dramatic than it is.
01:18So I take two approaches, and we'll do both on you,
01:20and I'm interested to hear how it feels to you.
01:22Okay.
01:23Sound good?
01:23Yes. Thank you so much.
01:24Any questions for me?
01:25No, I'm excited.
01:26Perfect.
01:27I'm very excited to work with Dr. Henry,
01:30most importantly because she is a black woman.
01:32I'm a black woman, and who else is more qualified than her
01:36than to do this procedure on me and tell me
01:38what it is that's causing my acne?
01:40So Fola's skin is a little bit oily,
01:42which is what we expect.
01:43So I think she's going to be very happy with the procedure.
01:46She's going to tolerate it well,
01:47and I'm excited about doing this for her.
01:53The first step is to cleanse the skin.
01:56So we know that bacteria plays a role in acne,
01:59and what we don't want to do is reintroduce more acne
02:01into the clogged pore.
02:04I used an 18-gauge needle.
02:06I'll introduce it into the pore.
02:16So I used two approaches.
02:18I'll use two cotton-tipped applicators to evenly apply pressure
02:22and encourage that clog to be removed.
02:32Or I will use what we call a comedo extractor.
02:35So the comedo extractor also allows for even pressure around the pore
02:40to allow that clog to come out easily and gently.
02:50Another reason that I nick the pore first is because
02:53I want to reduce the amount of pressure that is required to get this out,
02:58to reduce any trauma to the area so that we don't damage the pore
03:01and cause enlarged pores or scarring or hyperpigmentation.
03:05And that's why I always encourage my patients not to do this at home
03:08because it is very difficult to make sure that you have even pressure.
03:12And if you don't have even pressure,
03:13what can happen is that that clog can actually go backwards
03:16and that can cause more inflammation.
03:27Actually puncturing the pore, I use a tiny needle and you barely feel it
03:32because it's so superficial.
03:35What's probably the most uncomfortable is actually the squeezing.
03:39It's mild discomfort, nothing extreme, and most tolerate it really well.
03:46It doesn't take a long time.
03:48So we don't have to numb the skin because it's very comfortable.
03:50So you walk into the office, within five or ten minutes,
03:53you're all done and you're home to enjoy your new blackhead-free skin.
04:03So you're going to be a little puffy.
04:04We have some areas that are a little bit red.
04:06That's going to subside slowly, even in the next few minutes, definitely by tomorrow.
04:10I can tell already that you're a little bit smoother.
04:12We're not seeing as many of those open pores.
04:14Even with a little bit of puffiness, I can see that you're going to look really good.
04:18Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
04:20It was my pleasure.
04:21So the procedure is over and I'm really happy about it because my face is numb,
04:25but that's okay because I know I'm going to see the results in a few days.
04:28I'm really appreciative of Dr. Henry for what she did,
04:31and I'm just hoping that, you know, my skin will get better after this.
04:35So the good thing about the blackhead removal is that there are minimal side effects of,
04:39if any, and really very little potential for any long-term consequences.
04:44So really, lots of upside and very little downside.
04:47For anyone who's afraid of getting an extreme blackhead removal,
04:51I would just say try it, especially if you care about your skin and you want it to get it
04:57better,
04:58and you want the best optimal health you can, I'd say just do it.
05:02Suck it up. It's five to 10 minutes.
05:10Thanks so much for watching my procedure.
05:11If you want to watch more videos, click here and subscribe here.
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