Clogged pores and blackheads are no match for the trained eyes and skillful hands of an esthetician, making licensed skincare professionals the rock stars of performing facial extraction services.
You can be sure that many of the facials you perform will include pore cleansing, which means that facial extraction will certainly play a big part in your esthetics business. It also means that your reputation for quality facials will largely depend on your skill at performing facial extractions.
What is Facial Extraction?
Facial extraction involves the process of clearing a clogged pore, either manually or through mechanical means. Clogged pores—clogged with excess sebum and dead skin cells—result in blackheads, pustules, and pimples, all of which can be removed through facial extraction, either manually or mechanically.
Manual extraction involves using the fingers wrapped in gauze or cotton, while mechanical extraction involves using a special metal tool called a pore extractor. A pore extractor is a stainless steel implement with a loop on either end. The loop is placed around the clogged pore and the tool is pressed against the skin, thus placing pressure around the pore and encouraging the extraction of anything that may be in the pore.
The Facial Extraction Process
A facial extraction involves performing the following steps:
- Cleanse the skin.
- Apply a fluid or enzyme and steam the face for a few minutes to soften the skin. The steaming process can be enhanced by adding essential oils to the water, including chamomile and lavender.
- Loosen the impacted pores using a skin scrubber, if desired.
- Using a magnifying lamp as a guide, apply gentle pressure around the pore to extract the pore’s contents.
- After performing the extractions, apply an antiseptic to clean the skin and prevent post-extraction breakouts and/or a mask to sooth the skin and reduce post-extraction redness.
Many estheticians also find that performing a facial massage after steaming the face loosens pores and better facilitates facial extractions.
Advanced Training Courses in Facials and Facial Extractions for Estheticians
For the trained esthetician, facial extractions are a simple and effective procedure often performed as part of a facial. But facial extractions performed improperly can cause more harm than good. This is because the pore wall can become damaged, thus spreading bacteria and resulting in more breakouts, as well as creating the potential for infection and inflammation.
An initial esthetics program that meets the requirements for state licensure includes being trained in the gentle art of facial extraction, both manually and mechanically.
You may choose to pursue training in advanced extraction techniques to increase your proficiency in this esthetics service as part of a one or two-day course on facials for estheticians available at your local beauty academy or esthetics spa.
Advanced techniques can involve using the fingers to manipulate the skin around the impacted follicle, which forces the plug to be expelled. Pressure is applied with the fingers at different angles around the impacted pore until the plug is expelled.
This type of extraction is often seen as more advanced than extraction using a pore extractor, as improper technique can result in bruised skin and/or inflamed capillaries. However, experienced estheticians often prefer manual extraction because its more precise and more focused and because it allows for easier extraction in close areas like the corners of the nose.