Really wanna go all Austin Powers on it molé molé molé style with a stick
Can I at least exfoliate it daily until it has worn away?
If it’s already a whitehead then go for it. Just make sure everything is clean. I am not any kind of doctor health professional.
Thanks, doc!
I would say it depends and could be one of those questions you don’t trust the Internet to answer. With the caveat I’ll happily add my bit of wisdom. If it’s filled with white and relatively new, sure try to relieve it.
- try to see if there’s a pore clogged, do some gentle squeezing around it and see if you can find the offending pore. Also note if the bump is squishy or hard. If it’s full of fluid it might squirt right out along with a hair follicle or solidified oil
- If you find a pore but can’t squeeze anything out, sterilize a needle (wipe with rubbing alcohol and let it air dry) and try to clean out the pore if you can
- If you’re really stuck you could try to puncture the skin with the needle, but draining a cyst this way will likely only help temporarily and it will grow back
- If it’s too large and/or full of “hard cheese” you may need to surgically remove it, meaning cut it open with a scalpel, drain the cyst, remove the sac, and close it back up. I would not advise doing this on your own, particularly on your face/nose and if you try this and fail to remove the sac it will potentially get infected and likely grow back soon anyway
Also, I am not a doctor and this is my opinion
Safe? Nothing is safe. Grapes have killed people. Grab a razor blade, chop that sucker off, and deal with the consequences.
Best to err on the side of caution and remove the whole nose. From what I understand they grow back in 4-6 weeks.
I’d stick a pin in it and get all that mess out.
Well, lancing such things is ill advised. You’re just opening the spot for more bacteria to invade.
Generally, your best bet is patience and a product designed for speeding the process along. Most of the OTC remedies use salicylic acid to dry things up.
But, yes, you can exfoliate gently and it may help it go away. If you’re going hard, you might as well lance it, since you’ll be doing the same thing except tearing it open.
If the tissue around the white part is red and/or swollen, definitely don’t lance it. Let your immune system do its work.
If you can be patient, make a hot compress with a towel soaked in boiling water (but obviously don’t burn yourself).
