Extractions are one of those things I always avoid. The downtime, the scarring, and I’ve had previous bad experiences of ending up with worse skin than what I started with. Personally, I went through a tough time with my skin this summer – an allergic reaction with congestion and irritation left with unhappy skin. Rebecca Treston’s team and anti biotics definitely helped with my recovery. I had an area that the breakouts would just not disappear so Orse at Euromed told me to see her for extractions on that specific area, and I won’t lie – after the extraction, it did clear out the constant breakouts in that area. I spoke to Rebecca, my skin guru from Euromed clinic on her thoughts – and what she really thinks of extractions.

Extractions are a controversial topic that has often divided experts in skincare and aesthetics. For some, extractions play a crucial role in practice of skin treatments whereas for others, this practice is unnecessarily painful.

So what is this treatment that causes so much debate? Well, the basic explanation of extractions is that it is the removal of the build-up of oil that is trapped in the pores of our skin. After a thorough cleansing and steaming, a professional skincare specialist will use their hands to squeeze, or extract, the black and white heads that form within our skin’s pores. Those in favour of this treatment believe that this is the only way to completely cleanse the skin, and to achieve its full radiance potential.

The benefit of extraction can be noted immediately, and it often leaves skin clear and glowing. The demand is very high for this divisive treatment, with many facialists performing extractions as a part of every facial treatment. In spite of the seemingly positive outcomes of extractions, it is very important to limit the use of this treatment.

As well as being painful, extractions have the capability to leave long-lasting scarring. Although when performed by a skincare specialist the risks of this are low, extractions can still cause broken blood vessels and leave skin looking red and blotchy. A further long-term effect is the loss of the skin’s elasticity and strength (the opposite of what we want with ageing skin!). Continued use of the extraction treatment can seriously damage the collagen and elastin in skin, and the frequent pulling and pressing can weaken the pores. What’s more, extractions can cause an over stimulation of the sebaceous glands in skin, which will result in an overproduction of sebum. This can result in oily skin, blocked pores, and acne flare-ups due to the nourishment of the bacteria found upon the skin.

Although extractions can provide the benefit of clear and radiant skin in the short-term, this is not a treatment to consider for regular use. As an occasional cleanser and purifier extractions can offer visibly clearer skin, however in the long-term this treatment can cause more harm than good. When caring for our skin, it is important to look beyond the immediate benefits and find treatments are safe for our skin, and that will provide beautiful and long lasting results.