Smackdown Mini-Update: Why You Should Leave Extractions to the Professionals
A few weeks ago, for Mother’s Day, I went and got a spa facial and the world’s most thorough and painful eyebrow wax (riiiiip, pluck pluck pluck, riiiiiiiip, pluck pluck pluck). Afterwards, while attempting to regain presentability in the bathroom, I remembered our talk about blackhead extractions.
My bright-red face and furious skin was clear evidence to support two of my working theories about spa facials and extractions: 1) don’t regularly put your skin through this at home, but leave the pore-gouging to a professional eye and hand; and 2) don’t ever, ever get a facial on the same day as any event like your wedding, prom or scheduled c-section, for YOU will LOOK like ASS.
(My camera phone was completely unable to capture the true angry shades of red I was sporting, but I think we can all agree: this is not a good look, and there is no recovering from this in time for a 5 pm cocktail reception.)
I was advised not to wear any foundation for about 12 to 24 hours, and by that time my skin had indeed returned to a more normal shade of flesh. My pores WERE clear and my eyebrows fantastic, and all-in-all the extraction process kept me blackhead-free for a little over two weeks, which is when I noticed a little clogging again in my super-mega-problem areas (my chin and the corners of my nose). Of course, I was also on a skincare kick during those weeks, having vowed to the spa technician to turn over a new leaf and remember to use the Microdelivery Peel more regularly, and I was indeed using the deep peel/exfoliator two to three times a week.
Then I got lazy. Like I ALWAYS do when it comes to masks and peels and regular deep treatments that require more than 30 seconds of effort. Eh. It’s nothing the Dr. Brandt Pores No More primer/concealer/miracle mattifier can’t hide, and besides, I like to think that everyone is staring at my still-perfectly-shaped eyebrows instead. Right?
