6 replies to this topic

[Lange]

Hey,

Has anyone pulled sebum plugs out that are the better part of a centimeter in length, like 5-8mm long?

Is this...normal?

Not sure if mine are really bad or if this is average? The SA peels I'm doing are at least attempting to bring them out.

[AlexLWJ]

AND IM SURE YOU ARE HAPPY TO SEE THAT JUNK OUT YEA, HAHA!

I sometime do squeeze out these hardened plugs and THEY ARE SO LONG and it gives me a sense of satisfaction and the bump diminished.

What SA peels are you using? Do you mind to share?

[Lange]

I'm using one from Skin Beauty Solutions 30% SA peel. I also use Paula's Choice BHA lotion, but I think I'm going to order her 2% SA gel or liquid.

I can tell that the SA is loosening up the plugs a lot. My breakouts use to turn into huge cysts and take forever to push out the plug but now it takes a lot less time, they're less freuqent, and they push out really easily and quickly, but I guess I'm still purging after awhile so it sort of sucks.

And yes, it's good to see them go...but it sucks because you know when you peel you are going to break out. Short-run pain for long run solution

[enjoy]

I'm using one from Skin Beauty Solutions 30% SA peel.

May I ask how much "downtime" is needed when recovering from something that strong? I've seen it on amazon but never ordered it because I don't think I could find the time to stay home and not be seen at all while healing from it. Do you just get pinkish like a sunburn or does it make you look like a burn victim for a few days?

I guess it depends on the amount of time you leave the stuff on your face?

[Lange]

For me, there wasn't much down time.

For a 1-3 minute peel, there was very, very little peeling and the redness was gone after an hour or so.

For 4-5 minute peels, the redness was gone by morning and the skin looked normal the day after. But after that, for the next 2-3 days the skin takes on an unhealthy look--it makes my skin look a dark, flaky brown. If you have hyperpigmentation, these areas look horrible and darken significantly before peeling. For myself, this occurs on days 3-6.

In actualy downtime, there was none. I don't have time for it. I just deal with the fact that yeah, I look unhealthy for a few days but the results are worth it for me. My face also broke out quite a bit as I was using the peels up until the last peel that was 5min in length.

I did 5 peels over a period of 20 days. The 1min, 2min, and 3min peels were done in fairly quick succession, like a week and a half. As the peels get longer, more time is required to let the skin peel. After this, it may take a week or so, but I think I'm going to stop at 5min for now.

Edit - When I say that the skin looks unhealthy and the hyperpigmentation looks bad, I mean it too. I did feel pretty self-concious walking around school like that, and the PIH areas were a few shades from black. Some cover and makeup, if you are a girl, might be enough to help hide this, though.

Edited by Lange, 14 February 2012 - 02:48 PM.

[Bamsny]

I just posted a new post about this very condition, I found Tinactin cream (anti-fungal cream of any type) disolved the sebum/keratin plugs You can read my full explanation that I posted today. Don't mutilize your skin by pulling these things out, you're just making permanent holes in your skin.

[Bamsny]

Now don't judge!!!..lmao it was a moment of shear desperation that I found the answer to this prob one night at 2AM!!!! I scavenged through my med cabinet where I found an old tube of the Tinactin cream for JOCK ITCH of my husbands!...LMAO As I said, just like hemmoroidal cream has positive effects on the face, why not JOCK ITCH CREAM????!!! Made perfect sense at the time and still does since finding it was THE ANSWER. The tube says Tinactin Antifungal. Brand of Tolnaftat 1%. Jock itch Cream. Cures jock itch soothes ad relieves itching, chafing,rash. it's a 20 g tube (smaller than a Bic pen). Rub on the area and just leave it over night, by morning you should see some reduction of puffiness. I found that the morning/night regimine works eventually to dry the Sebum bumps (which is the sourse of the puffiness). Depending on the severity of your condition, stop it when you see the surface of that area smooth. Don't continue it if you've noticed the area becomes smooth & clear, you'll just dry out your skin and cause another problem you'll have to solve I found this stuff, unlike acne med, goes THROUGH the skin to penetrate the real problem below without burning the skins surface. Hope this helped, good luck and enjoy your skin again!!!