(Part 2) Best products from r/popping

Gosh, I'm so sorry. If it really is a pilonidal cyst, you need to have the whole area removed. They should have taken the whole thing out the first time. If it is a PC, the recovery may be uncomfortable for a few months, but if you don't take care of it now it will get more painful, and can become infected causing more painful and expensive surgeries.

Here's my free advice (lengthy but worth every penny lol)

-Make sure your surgeon understands what they are talking about, and are current with what these cysts are and treatment. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion. Ask about the length of hospital stay and post op wound care. If they want to suture it closed, get out of there. That's a good way to have a reoccurrence and infection. Which I'm guessing you don't want.

-The wound is basically like taking an ice cream scoop out of your back. It may go to the bone. It will need to be left open and will heal from the inside out. Your body will create 'granular tissue' that fills it in. In a couple of months, skin will grow to cover it. You will NOT have a lasting scar at all!

-They may offer you either 'packing' or a wound Vac. Go for the Wound Vac. It gently pulls your tissue up, and in recent studies it's been shown that the wound will heal the granular tissue faster and with less pain and trauma to that area. They will have them at the hospital, and will give you a portable one for at home. My daughter carried it in a backpack so it wasn't really noticeable. But it does make a farting sound every so often. Not awesome for a 14 y/o shy freshman :/ )

-My husband had his wound packed with gauze (back in 1983). He had to have his mom change it twice a day for 6 weeks. If this is your only option make sure you get strong pain meds. I suggest for the first month or two go to the wound care clinic and have them do it.

While at the hospital:

-Get as much information as you can. Bring someone who can be your advocate. Obviously, in our case, as her mom that was me. It has to be someone who has a cool head and can listen to the care team to process what they are saying to help you. If you don't have a person to help, keep some note cards or a journal next to you and write down all of your questions as they come to you. Make sure they are answered in a way you understand. Don't be afraid to ask more than once or twice. My thoughts on hospital staff- If you're nice, ask the nurses about their families and don't yell at them you'll get much better care. Be assertive but not aggressive.

-Take any and all pain meds you need. It might start with (most likely) morphine, but they have everything available. Don't be afraid to ask. If you have a history of abuse, they can help monitor so you don't get on fragile ground. They gave my daughter an rx for morphine patches, Vicodin and Xanax for wound changes. Because they caused her severe pain but also anxiety. She never needed the patches and she stopped needing the others after two months. She takes a Tylenol or Motrin every few weeks now. Her granular tissue is healed, her skin is getting thicker, but it's still a bit tender.

Post surgery:
You won't be able to sit on your bottom or lie on your back for a few weeks. Get this body pillow - called the Snoogle was recommended by her Physical Therapist while in the hospital. You could get one now, it might help release the pain in your lower back before surgery. It was VERY helpful and worth the trip to the baby store on the way home. These inflatable waffle pads are also great for when you can lay on your back without putting pressure on the coccyx -- and far better than the inflatable doughnuts they give to some people.

You won't be able to get it wet, so get some dry spray shampoo, and you can use these disposable wash cloths to bathe yourself as needed. Showering wasn't too hard, the wound Vac is sealed and I just set it outside the shower while she was in it. Once she was done with the wound Vac and able to shower again the wound care team recommended this tea tree body wash from Trader Joe's .

I have a list of post op necessities, I can post if want (even more) information lol. I figure knowledge is power, so if you go in knowing what you want, what to ask about, and knowing what's coming up, you'll feel more in charge and have control/agency over your own care.

Best of luck, let me know how it goes! Maybe it's not this at all :) 🤞

Not a stye.

Do you pluck or wax your gorgeous lashes?

Whichever you do; clean the area well with a gentle cleanser. I love this. It is gentle soothing. I love everything I’ve used from this line. Available at Sprouts and Whole Foods or other natural markets.

Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Cleansing Foam, 5.5 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JEMR8UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1NdBDbY15EVDF

Apply a vitamin c serum every night.

For break outs DON’T pick. Cortisone cream will help a lot.

And, it feels bigger than it is. Use a little concealer and don’t apply shimmer eye shadow.

Be confident. Pimples etc happen. Rock the interview! Focus on your skill set and when they ask the stupid questions they are looking to see if you’re a thinker. Pause, then answer. Ask questions. Know the company.

Best of luck!!!

Well, finally my time to contribute! I've dealt with cold sores since as young as I can remember but it's been over 3 years since I've had one. First off a few tips when you actually get a cold sore....

1. Pop it with a sterilized needle and gently press the contents out with a tissue.
   
2. Clean the surrounding area with alcohol to prevent it from spreading.
   
3. This sounds crazy, but put hand sanitizer on the cold sore! It dries the cold sore and continue to place sanitizer on it until it starts to form a "yellowish" scab. ( I put the sanitizer on a q tip and put it on the cold sore). Don't peel the scab and let it be and when you shower do not get the sore wet.
   
4. Clean your hands vigorously after getting anywhere near the cold sore.
   
   I've had amazing success with my method and hope it helps others!
   
   

• Abreva and all those ointments are garbage. They keep the sore moist and I've never had any luck. I've tried every "home remedy" under the sun from salt, to bleach, to green tea bags on the sore. The ointments may work for you, but from my experience the best method is hand sanitizer. I've done hundreds of hours of research on cold sores. Being ridiculed in middle school and high school forced me to do my research. The only way to really prevent cold sores is to minimize stress and use chapstick with spf. Cole sores are thought to be triggered by the the amino acid l-arginine, which are present in nuts and chocolate.
  
  Now for my prevention tips:
  

1. Get a prescription for Valtrex 1000 mg and split the pill in half and take 1/2 pill every night. (I did this to save on cost).
   
2. Buy a product called Super Lysine on Amazon. Lysine has been proven to decrease the growth of cold sores. (https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Super-Lysine-Tabs-Bottle/dp/B001CMZB4U?th=1).
   
3. Take one pill of Bee Propolis nightly, it's basically bee pollen which has natural antiviral properties. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ANORXA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
   
4. Chapstick with SPF is extremely important!
   
5. Exercise to keep immune system healthy.
   
6. Stress is a big trigger, but that can be a hard thing to control

Yummy.

Periodically I have a TON of stuff like this come out of my ears. It used to be a lot worse.

Here's a fun story (with some useful info): I needed ear canal impressions for custom earplugs recently. Upon checking my ears, the audiologist immediately declared that one of my ears was almost completely blocked with impacted earwax and I'd have to get it cleared before I could get the impressions.

Like most people these days, it's doubtless partly due to high decibel listening - particularly using my closed cup headphones - and general assault from noisy life in general. The earwax overproduction is partly your ear defending itself, and also possibly overproduction due to irritation or environmental factors.

Apparently my eardrum was almost completely covered -- just the tiniest gap through which I was hearing (yet I heard no difference in sound whatsoever between ears, and I'm a sound engineer!).

So, in order to take the impressions you need clear ear canals. To accomplish this within a week, I used the following:

• medical grade olive oil: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Georges-Medical-Olive-Oil-Drops/dp/B002AEWSF4
  
• chemical based solution (active ingredient Urea Hydrogen Peroxide): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Otex-Express-Ear-Drops-10ml/dp/B001LK8BRW/
  
  and this MAGICAL ear syringe:
  
  
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/AcuLife-Ear-Wax-Removal-Syringe/dp/B000SOJXGA
  
  DON'T use any products that involve suction or curettess / earpicks / q-tips. You should avoid touching the incredibly sensitive eardrum at all costs.
  
  Alternating between olive oil and the chemical product I found worked well.
  
  This part is slightly messy. If you are able to sleep on your side without moving, the simplest way to loosen up the earwax is to tilt your head right over, drop olive oil right into the ear until it feels completely blocked, massage in vigorously and leave overnight. Sleep with your head on a towel.
  
  In the morning, you'll find some will have seeped out but the rest will be absorbed into the hardened earwax. Later that day, use the urea hydrogen peroxide based product for some more aggressive breakdown. Tilt your head and apply the drops, listen for the bubbling/popping as the solution produces oxygen and breaks down the earwax. Keep your head tilted for a few minutes after.
  
  A stock of paper tissues will come in useful to daub up the overflow.
  
  After a while, use the ear irrigation tool. You need to be fairly forceful depressing the plunger, and the silicone end of the syringe needs to be properly inserted all the way into your ear canal for maximum effect. To get a good angle, use your other arm, reach behind your head and pull your earlobe directly out and away from your head - that should straighten up the ear canal a bit (also works well for inserting earplugs).
  
  I suggest you use warm (not hot) water as it does feel weird to start with. It feels GREAT after a while though, and the bonus of this syringe tool with the channels on it is that you can see the earwax come out.
  
  Don't stop after you see a few flakes, there's probably 10x as much inside your ear which you just can't see. You'll feel it start to come out before you see it. Once you're making headway on flushing it out, just keep going for five or ten minutes. Repeat this process for a week and it should be all out.
  
  
  I followed these steps, along with some reading on the Internet for technique and such, and when I went to my next audiologist's appointment he complimented me that I'd done a much better job than if I'd gone to hospital to get it done. He also recommended I periodically repeat the process to keep the ears clean... Which of course I've not done. I should probably do that.

If you're too grossed out by these videos you might want to check out these pimple popping stories.

Pimple pleasure without the grossness.

Here is an excerpt:

Boy am I in for a treat. The very moment I give a serious dose of pressure to the cyst, fluid erupts from the puncture point, splashing heavily in my cupped hand. Thank god for precautions. Now blood starts to leak from the opening. Unfortunately, I’ve left myself in a precarious situation. I’ve no free hand to wipe the blood away. Of course, it was too much to expect I could see even a single patient without a mess. No choice now. I’ve got to get the rest out and wipe it all down later. Taking quick action, I give the cyst another squeeze. More fluid shoots from the opening. My cupped hand feels like it’s been shot at by a water pistol; the force is immense.

See full story on Amazon at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Popaholic-doctor-will-see-you-ebook/dp/B01D6YFN7G
FREE for Kindle unlimited users.
FREE for everyone on Mar 21

That's really weird. :s If you're able to order online but want to save some money, here are some suggestions.

Double tapers from 16g-00g. ~21 USD.

This one you can get in acrylic, if you insist, for cheaper.

Whole starter kit, including tapers and tunnels. ~32 USD.

The problem with both of these is you're paying for two tapers of each size, which is really unnecessary unless you plan on wearing the tapers (again, up to you.)

It's a bit more expensive than you really need if you're not going to stretch up very far. You can always either seek out specific, singular 16g/14g/12g etc either online, or I'm sure if you asked your piercer would order a "small" bulk pack of the smaller tapers you need. They'd be able to sell the the extras.

Good luck and safe stretching! :) If you need more help just ask, or I'm positive there's a subreddit specifically for this. (Sorry, on my phone or I'd find one for you.)

Edit: wrong word.

Surgery. Sorry. After dealing with them for ten years I had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy which pretty much resurfaced the sides of my throat, the theory being that without any holes there'd be nowhere for stones to develop. It has completely cured one side, but the holes on the other side must've been too deep because I've had a few stones in the past few years. Over all, though, it's a zillion percent improvement.

If you enjoy fishing for them, a stainless steel zit popper tool like this is the best tool for digging them out proactively. As someone that adores ickies, picking them out was the only redeeming factor of the affliction.

Hey mama! Yeah cracked feet are THE WORST and I've always had to stay on top of it. These things feel fucking weird but they are amazing for healing your heels.

https://smile.amazon.com/Bememo-Ventilate-Cracked-Moisturizing-Turquoise/dp/B072MDVGYS

I've had the bleeding cracks, the whole shebang, and it's miserable. Try these (you can wear them under regular socks if you need to). And try not to walk in bare feet much at home. Get 3-packs of cheap short socks at the dollar store and toss them when they get holes. Bare feet (and flip-flops count, they're just as bad) dry your feet out really really fast, even if it feels better in summer. :( Even just thin socks will help keep the dust from sucking all the moisture from your feet and keep it in your skin where it belongs.

Good luck! 💖

Whoa I thought this was more of a thing! Sorry for less explanation. That's the tool I use, got it off of Amazon, it's cheap and works kind of like a shaving razor except it has a thick edge - so it just scrapes along the skin, without cutting it. It scrapes up dead skin - it's extremely satisfying! I find that if I heavily lotion/oil my legs/arms that morning then have a hot soak, makes everything slough off that much easier. Your skin is nice and soft underneath.

Here's an after pic:
http://m.imgur.com/xhKcSe7
My before pic /u/mostlytolerable posted ;)

I originally got it to help with some ingrown hairs on my legs from waxing - and I found if I would do it before waxing, it would make the hairs come out more easily. But I got hooked when I saw all the gross dead I'd scrape off... I am an odd breed, but at least I'm among my people :)

Oh and I have zero idea why Amazon is now selling it for $60?? It is not worth that, but was a good value when it was like $15-20. Search for "skin scraper" - I'm sure there's a more technical name, but the internet will still know what you're talking about. Link to Amazon tool: Le Edge Full Body Exfoliator - Pink https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056JVQ8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MlFvzbEPFAJZ4

I agree, if you like that sort of thing it's a great excuse to get your nails done. A family friend would to this to help with dermatillomania, because the length and texture of fake nails made it physically harder to pick at her skin. I imagine it would be more difficult to pick at the actual nails as well.

I don't bite my nails but I do mess with acne or pull at my eyebrows if my nails get too long, so I just keep them really short. Cutting them short with a few coats of thick polish (so you can't bite or tear at them) may be as helpful as fake nails.

Kind of the same but not really - my husband tends to take off his left shoe and sock when he drives and pick at the sock (why I have no idea). We bought him some nice, super comfy socks and an infinity cube to mess with instead. So far it's seemed to help.

Idk. Unsolicited advice, but I wanted to throw that out there in case something was helpful. :)

Happy to help! If you get one while this thread is still active, give us all a review if you can!

Fyi, it will also probably work best with a disincrustation solution.
https://www.amazon.com/Desincrustation-blackheads-extractions-professionals-Estheticians/dp/B01HSE2W1K

It'll be back... trust me.

I've dealt with it for nearly 10 years on my hands.

You may have moments of relief, it can disappear for a year or two at a time. However it'll come back.

After years of searching the thing I found that works the best at keeping it at bay is witch hazel and I've provided a link for the stuff I use.

I rub it into my hands as well as I can before bed, and if I get an outbreak I'll do it when I wake up too.

Good luck.

I'm pretty sure a wifi connection isn't a substitute for a medical degree.

Now, in the meantime: To help you deal with the compulsiveness try something like these. Just put them on when you get into bed or whenever you're idle and you start to pick.

They're cheap, they're not uncomfortable, and they're really lightweight, so they won't bother you if you fall asleep with them on. Just look around on there to find the right size for you.

Good luck. Hang in there. (And go see the God damn doctor.)

The ones you linked are meant to manipulate small and delicate hardware parts - notice the one guy saying he's building a model plane. I doubt they would have the gripping strength for plucking a hair.

I would suggest http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HDFZNN4, or the "newer" one linked on that page. According to my amazon account, I bought the second one, but my actual tweezers look like the first one. Fortunately they are down to $18, which is less unreasonable.

The gripping surface is excellent - but small. I can easily grab an ingrown or single isolated hair, but if I try to grab a 1/2" long mutant hair in the thatch of my eyebrow, I miss, lol.

It is suggested to get a slant tip as well as these pointy ones, to cover all contingencies.

Please please please remember me if you find out what the deal is. I've had this all my life.

My most recent cleaning regimen has been the most effective and has almost gotten rid of it, but I'm 31 so it's been decades since having a clear scalp. For starters, I have a buzz cut so it helps that I can get to my scalp in the shower. I use Irish Spring Original first (other Irish Springs aren't has harsh). Then I come in with Selsun Blue Deep Cleansing - It's the one with Salicylic Acid as the active ingredient. After a month, I'm almost totally clear. I did start with also using a blackhead scrub for a week or so between the soap and shampoo, but I stopped using that (expensive) and it doesn't seem to have had any change in the effectiveness. It did possibly help at the start though. It was the Garnier Skinactive Blackhead erasing scrub charcoal.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WPZNRG/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

Body Toolz Deluxe Skin Care Kit

I got mine on amazon for $11
(Just kidding now its $13)

http://www.amazon.com/Body-Toolz-Deluxe-Skin-Care/dp/B002WPZNRG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374637500&sr=8-2&keywords=body+toolz

Amazon, on the link that u/userphan provided in his post last week.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WPZNRG/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1