I finally figured out why my extractions were leaving marks

I was working on a regular last Thursday, and she pointed out a few red spots from her last visit that took days to fade. That got me thinking, so I watched a video from an esthetician in Austin who said to always press straight down and release, never drag the tool. I had been doing a little scoop motion for years, thinking it got more out. Has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.noah1mo agoTop Commenter

Man, that video is a game changer... I was doing the exact same scoop for ages and wondering why my clients had those little red dots. It felt more thorough to me, like I was really getting in there. Turns out I was just making tiny tears in the skin. Switching to a straight press and release felt weird at first, like I wasn't doing enough, but the results are so much cleaner now.

taylor.reese1mo ago

Yeah the "more pressure = better job" thing @tara642 mentioned is real, but sometimes you actually do need more force. Like with a really deep clog, a straight press just leaves stuff behind. I've found a tiny wiggle after the press, not a full scoop, breaks it up without tearing skin. It's about reading the pore. Some need that extra nudge.

tara6421mo ago

It's wild how often the "more pressure = better job" idea backfires, @davis.noah. You see it everywhere from cleaning to cooking.