Vent: Found out I was wrecking my extraction technique for 2 years

Saw a senior esthetician at a conference in Austin last month. She watched me do a few extractions on a model. Then she pulled me aside. She said I was pressing straight down instead of scooping upward. My mind blew. I had been smashing the skin trying to push stuff out from directly above. That's why some clients had those tiny bruises the next day. I thought I was just unlucky. Now I angle my tools at 45 degrees and glide up. So much less pressure needed. Has anyone else had a basic move they did backwards for ages?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryanprice1mo ago

Smashed the skin trying to push stuff out from directly above" - that part hit me. I feel like a lot of us start with that push-down method because it seems more direct, like you're forcing the gunk out. But once you realize you're basically just mashing the pore walls together instead of lifting the buildup out, it makes total sense why you'd get bruising. How did you figure out the 45 degree angle thing just from her telling you? Like was it an instant click or did it take a few practice runs on models to feel the difference?

the_vera1mo ago

It took a few practice runs honestly, like the first time I tried to angle it I just ended up twisting the tool wrong and barely got anything out. She had to physically put her hand over mine and guide the motion before it clicked that it's more of a scoop than a push. Once you feel that pop of the gunk sliding out sideways instead of getting crushed, you can't go back to the old way.

the_piper1mo ago

It took me a while to unlearn the push down method after seeing how much smoother stuff comes out at an angle.