People Are Going Crazy Over This Woman’s Blackhead Removal Advice

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: There’s nothing as convincing as a great before-and-after. There’s something about the concrete, proof-positive results that a routine works and works well. It’s infomercial logic—a new, improved, better life, right this way with a few simple steps. Luckily, these days you don’t have to stay up until 2:00 A.M. to find a miracle game changer (but Snuggies/Slankets, we’ll love you forever). Instead, clicking around beauty Reddit brings us a new thing to try ASAP. Now, from the website that brought us the foundation that covers redness like a boss and the curl routine that transforms frizz to curls, we give you a routine that clears blackheads from your nose like a Photoshop click.

It’s a big claim, but the before-and-after is just that good. Reddit user Yoofka posted her photos and routine to the subreddit r/SkincareAddiction, and people have been obsessing over the results ever since. In the before picture, she has those little black spots on her nose that we all know and love. Some commenters pointed out that they could be sebaceous filaments, which are the natural oils that collect in our glands and are supposed to be there. Dermatologist David J. Goldberg, M.D., explains that sebaceous filaments show up most on your nose and forehead, where they work to bring oil into your skin. The difference between them and blackheads is, they’re not squeezable, and nothing will come out if you try.

But dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., does think it looks like blackheads in Yoofka’s photo. Since our noses have the highest amount of sebaceous glands on our faces, it makes blackheads there super common. So how can you tell which is which? “Blackheads tend to be darker and larger than sebaceous filaments,” Zeichner says. “The prominence of the dark dots on the nose in the photo look more like blackheads, compared with the very fine appearance of sebaceous filaments.”

Here’s the deal. Yoofka writes that she takes off her makeup with Lancôme’s Energie de Vie cleansing oil, then follows it with Neogen’s Green Tea Dermalogy Bio-Peel Gauze, which gets rid of dead skin and adds green tea and tea tree extract to calm down inflammation. She cleanses again with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, then dries off her face and puts on Differin gel, an over-the-counter version of the retinol that dermatologists swear by.

Yoofka slathers on Aquaphor Healing Ointment to moisturize. That might seem weird—it’s so thick—but it strengthens your skin barrier, which is crucial for clear skin. Then she tones with Akaran Moisture Lotion, which includes collagen and four hyaluronic acids to lock moisture in for good. All told, Yoofka says that her skin’s never been more supple or untextured in her life. She points to the combination of the exfoliating Neogen pads, Differin, and Aquaphor for making the biggest difference. We’re promptly stocking up—her skin looks seriously amazing.

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