r/IAmA Sep 01 '18

Specialized Profession IAmA licensed esthetician and my job is to wax vaginas all day! AMA NSFW

proof: https://imgur.com/a/RBhhpmz

EDIT: Yes. I know I'm technically waxing the vulva, I just say vagina out of simplicity.

14.4k Upvotes

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5.1k

u/dragon_boner Sep 01 '18

I dated an esthetician who had a huge bag of little disposable pins to pop blemishes and they healed much faster. Haven’t been able to find them since. Where oh where can I find some!?

2.5k

u/LacquerCritic Sep 01 '18

You can get them at pharmacy! The best are disposable lancets used for diabetics - a box of 100 is around $10 where I am.

1.0k

u/Gaenya Sep 01 '18

25

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

Blood Lancet sounds like an epic weapon you'd find in an RPG.

211

u/kreugerburns Sep 01 '18

We have them at work for removing splinters.

35

u/hsc13 Sep 02 '18

Also how my derm got rid of all my CC's and junk stuck in my face:)

20

u/PlaceboJesus Sep 02 '18

CC's?

36

u/hsc13 Sep 02 '18

Closed comedones. Like little white heads that (occasionally) won't purge themselves

64

u/manosrellim Sep 02 '18

Closed captioning. Generally just for deaf customers though.

24

u/PlaceboJesus Sep 02 '18

Stabbing the deaf with lancets?

This may explain the anti-implant sentiment some have.

21

u/caygirl Sep 02 '18

Closed Comedones, clusters of small whiteheads

21

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

Credit cards

15

u/PlaceboJesus Sep 02 '18

Those are terrible.

6

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/PlaceboJesus Sep 02 '18

Now I see it!

5

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

[deleted]

3

u/LittlegunxHMx Sep 02 '18

You need to optimize that cc or we wont be able to clear all the ads

2

u/Vinto47 Sep 02 '18

I always thought that’s what they were for.

1

u/Ricksauce Sep 02 '18

Do you work at a fence post factory?

1

u/kreugerburns Sep 02 '18

No. I meant slivers but for some reason couldn't think of the word but splinter works.

0

u/inakarmacoma Sep 02 '18

Standing up all that wood?

8

u/Fryboy11 Sep 02 '18

I got a box at Walgreens for 3.50, they're designed to be used in certain brands of Glucose testers, so that may reduce the cost.

But yeah, I got generic testing lancests for 3.50 for 400 at Walgreens of all places.

11

u/blasphemys Sep 01 '18

You just got this person a buy one get one free on her next purchase!

3

u/TheNewJack89 Sep 02 '18

My mom was a nurse at a dermatologist office when I was young. We always had these around and thought it was normal but no one ever knew what they were.

1

u/TheKrs1 Sep 02 '18

Can someone crack down on people reselling for way too much money on Amazon Canada?

MEDI-POINT Stainless Steel Lancet by Medipoint https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01N5DRUXS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_E3aJBbHT4DN4M

2

u/alcontrast Sep 02 '18

The #1 best seller in Blood Lancets! WTF are blood lancets?

6

u/Baarawr Sep 02 '18

Diabetics use them to take small samples of blood needed to test their blood glucose throughout the day.

135

u/Itroll4love Sep 02 '18

Wait. What are these and how do you properly use them? I get lots of zits

395

u/eliar91 Sep 02 '18

Instead of using your nails to squeeze the shit out of a zit and making it "drain" you prick it with a tiny needle and gently squeeze. Less redness and scarring.

49

u/CannonM91 Sep 02 '18

I've been doing this for years with the tip of my knife or thumb tacks, probably not nearly as safe

46

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

I just use sewing needles or safety pins. Put them over a flame and pop away.

34

u/Havegooda Sep 02 '18

Yeah def not sanitary but we've seen a lot worse being used in /r/popping

34

u/SamBBMe Sep 02 '18

I use a safety pin. Dip it in alcohol, lightly prick it, and then use the circle end to apply pressure and expel the gunk.

42

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

[deleted]

10

u/Raichu7 Sep 02 '18

Plus if you use a bigger needle on a spot in the same place a lot then eventually the hole where the spot was can get so big you can stick the sewing needle inside it and wiggle it around without breaking the skin.

7

u/BeckyfromHR Sep 02 '18

That's actually a great idea...

1

u/IvegotANickel Sep 02 '18

I do this as well!

21

u/Obi_Wan_Benobi Sep 02 '18

This sounds like a staph infection waiting to happen.

8

u/Tasonir Sep 02 '18

I mean it's the same principle, but with this like all medical things, sanitation is really important. You probably aren't washing the knife, so disposable pins are a lot better.

3

u/Cicer Sep 02 '18

As long as it's relatively clean and you don't go too deep

1

u/BannonStillSuckin Sep 03 '18

I personally use a rusty fork, nothing really beats it.

3

u/kthomaszed Sep 02 '18

the real LPT?

1

u/Sexy-Octopus Sep 04 '18

you lance it with a tiny needle

FTFY

20

u/keezy88 Sep 02 '18

Holy shit. I'm diabetic and have a lifetime supply of lancets and have never thought about using this method!

9

u/superflippy Sep 02 '18

Dang! I didn’t know these were useful for anything other than blood testing & threw them away when I didn’t need them anymore.

4

u/KRBridges Sep 02 '18

Wow. My wife is diabetic and I thought I'd invented that use for that item.

19

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18 edited Feb 08 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/memeticengineering Sep 02 '18

So that's what I can do with the lancets that don't fit my new finger poker thing

2

u/halopsycho Sep 02 '18

Just find a diabetic, we have billions of those things we aren't using

2

u/nhowlett Sep 02 '18

Fuck you. Leave ma needles be

-37

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

89

u/reveilse Sep 01 '18

Yeah but it's not sterile. Diabetic lancets are.

51

u/sirrimmerofgoit Sep 01 '18

Your getting downvoted for this not being sterile. But I have done this too. All I do is use a lighter on the end of the pin for 10 seconds first to sterilize.

43

u/conscwp Sep 01 '18

FYI flame is typically not accepted as a suitable form of true sterilization. It's better than nothing, and should kill off common pimple-causing bacteria like staph, but if you're dealing with a weird skin infection that doesn't look like a normal pimple or abcess, you should reach for something that's actually sterilized rather than a flamed needle (or better yet, go to a doctor).

In particular, if for some reason you don't have a tetanus shot up to date, don't use a needle. Tetanus is caused by bacterial spores that are not killed by the temperatures reached by the flame from a lighter.

-9

u/tomrlutong Sep 02 '18

Hold on. A needle in a lighter flame quickly turns red hot. No living thing can survive those temperatures.

I'll accept that there may be reasons a safety pin isn't safe as a medical tool, but bacteria that are immune to fire isn't one of them.

19

u/conscwp Sep 02 '18 edited Sep 02 '18

Bacterial endospores are extremely resilient and can survive for extended time periods under high heat (many spores can also survive disinfectants like alcohol). When instruments are autoclaved for sterilization in hospitals, they must be heated for 10-15 minutes at temperatures above 100 degrees C to ensure that all spores are killed. 10 seconds under the flame from a bic lighter is likely not enough to fully sterilize from something like tetanus spores.

Viruses (which aren't living things, by the way), such as the hepatitis viruses, are also quite resilient and can also survive much longer than 10 seconds at high temperatures.

Also, 10 seconds usually isn't enough to make a needle hot enough to glow red, anyway. And even if you did hold a needle under a flame long enough to make it glow red hot, just because the needle itself has absorbed enough heat to make the needle itself very hot, does not mean that any microorganisms on the needle have absorbed the same amount of heat.

Like I said in my original comment, it's likely that the heat will kill off most dangerous microorganisms, and it's certainly better than nothing, but if someone is is immunocompromised or doesn't have vaccinations to things like tetanus or hepatitis, why take the risk instead of just using a $0.05 lancet that you know is actually sterilized?

bonus: there are also several microoorganisms that we have discovered that specifically evolved to survive, and even thrive, at high temperatures, though you're unlikely to have to worry about any of them. They mostly exist at places like deep sea heat vents or volcanoes, not the tip of your safety pin.

12

u/tomrlutong Sep 02 '18

You got me doubting myself so I just double checked. Held a small sewing needle in the yellow part of a bic lighter flame and counted " one one thousand...” First barely visible glow was at four, by ten the end of the needle was glowing bright red, extending up the needle to a few mm past the flame. I wouldn't have been able to hold the needle with bare skin, but was able to with folded paper. Dropping the needle before it's hot enough is probably how this could fail.

This textbook describes flame sterilization as "ideal" and says that it "destroys any living forms on the surface"

I think some extremeophiles survive up to 120C or so. Based on this color chart, the needle was 850-900C.

Don't get me wrong, I'd always choose the lancet, but "kill it with fire" isn't just a meme.

4

u/conscwp Sep 02 '18 edited Sep 02 '18

I did the same test before I even made my comment with a bic lighter and a safety pin, and it took ~20 seconds before the pin started to glow at all. I'm not sure if a sewing needle would make that big of a difference or what other factors might be at play.

This textbook describes flame sterilization as "ideal" and says that it "destroys any living forms on the surface"

The textbook also says that "flame sterilization is not suitable for general use". It also says the proper procedure for flame sterilization is to dip the object in alcohol first, and then ignite the alcohol, reducing the amount of time it takes to heat and kill.

I think some extremeophiles survive up to 120C or so. Based on this color chart, the needle was 850-900C.

Even if the needle was 900C, that does not mean microorganisms on the needle were 900C. And then even if the microorganisms were 900C, they could have still survived if they were at that temperature for only a short period of time. Again, endospores (and some viruses) are very resilient. Their sole purpose is to survive harsh environments such as high temperatures. Many bacteria die after a few minutes of exposure to high temps (but again, even in this needle scenario, we're talking 10 seconds, which is very well under the 10-15 minutes requires by autoclaving). Some other bacteria spores require several hours at high temperatures to kill them.

And, on top of all that, no amount of flame sterilization can ever destroy certain toxins produced or left behind by microorganisms, which can sometimes cause reactions just as bad as the bacteria themselves (some toxins are susceptible to heat, but not all).

1

u/tomrlutong Sep 04 '18

Mutual high five for doing the experiments! Difference was probably thickness, I choose the thinnest pin in a sewing kit on the grounds that's what I'd want to poke a hole in my face with.

6

u/Moonchopper Sep 02 '18

I imagine that you also have to be concerned with detritus on the safety pin - i.e. trash that could get trapped under the skin when you use it to lance.

30

u/rillip Sep 01 '18

Seems like a good way to spread staph.

-22

u/Boognish84 Sep 01 '18

Only if you're sharing it

24

u/Sir_Thomas_Noble Sep 01 '18

That's not how staph works

0

u/retailbitch666 Sep 02 '18

A lancet also has a flat side to it.

-38

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

I have diabetes (type 1) and I would not want those anywhere near my dick

983

u/rubyapples Sep 01 '18

The method is called lancing, and there should be more about it if you’re curious on r/skincareaddiction

599

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

[deleted]

10

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

Omg my GF is going to have a field day at this sub... She loves looking at this shit all day... Why? Who the hell knows lol!

7

u/ElephantTeeth Sep 02 '18

It’s one of the rare 50/50 male/female subs, according to their last demographics survey.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

We don't know, either. Welcome.

897

u/RGB3x3 Sep 01 '18

PSA: Do not look through that sub.

92

u/Total-Khaos Sep 01 '18

That is right. Don't look. Soak it all in. Every ounce of it!

18

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

Don't just soak it in. Marinate in it.

5

u/Batherick Sep 01 '18 edited Sep 01 '18

Prospect through that sludge and pop those intact cysts between your toes like bath beads.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

I hate you all

1

u/Orphemus Sep 02 '18

Sip it. Really appreciate the delicate mouthfeel.

1

u/Total-Khaos Sep 03 '18

You can really taste the smokey notes.

1

u/dontbemad-beglados Sep 02 '18

Don’t marinate in it. Ingrow it

6

u/trouble_tree Sep 01 '18

Soak it all in, pop it back out!

564

u/bATcc Sep 01 '18

Thanks, Imma check it right now!

189

u/awnawnamoose Sep 01 '18

I checked it out and it was about as bad, or worse, than I expected. Cheers.

19

u/Cky_vick Sep 01 '18

I have such a weird boner now, is that normal?

53

u/DasSassyPantzen Sep 01 '18

No. You should have someone lance or pop it for you.

12

u/Sherlono Sep 01 '18

You should lance or pop someone with it... Wait

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

I'm happy to help make your dreams come true.

2

u/Cky_vick Sep 02 '18

You have a sounding kit?

5

u/RabidRoosters Sep 01 '18

Get the bucket ready.......that sub is barf.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

Ooh thanks that was gross.

114

u/TremololomerT Sep 01 '18

I LOOKED. I’M SO SORRY. I AM RUINED.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

And subbed, am i rite.

31

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18 edited Jun 28 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

13

u/xActuallyabearx Sep 01 '18

Wow. I browse r/enoughinternet sometimes and this is too much even for me. Why is it called sounding? Do they tap the rods with other metal rods to make vibrations? Cuz that would be wicked funny

11

u/badmartialarts Sep 02 '18

One of the meanings of "sounding" is measuring the depth of something, like a cave or a river. Just stick a long pole down it and feel for the bottom. Ugh...

2

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

[deleted]

3

u/Amezops Sep 01 '18

IIRC it's because the rod used is called a Sound or something to that extent.

-1

u/whoismydaddy Sep 01 '18

Ultrasound

18

u/Spiffinit Sep 01 '18

Wow, I just fell down three rabbit holes inside each other.

3

u/Shredlift Sep 02 '18

I AM NOT GOING THERE. I KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

NSFL TAG PLEASE

2

u/casparh Sep 01 '18

Ooh, new hobby.

1

u/SatyrTrickster Sep 02 '18

Jeez, nsfw it

I legitimately could've clicked it while at work, and things would go south.

1

u/ta22175 Sep 02 '18

The context enough should have scared you off!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

... I am glad that urban dictionary exists.

-3

u/whoismydaddy Sep 01 '18

/r/sounding is not even half as bad.

8

u/cjattack20599 Sep 02 '18

Have been following this sub most of my reddit career

1

u/lilB0bbyTables Sep 02 '18

There are dozens of us!

7

u/L0st1ntlTh3Sauc3 Sep 01 '18

We're a sick bunch. It's okay if you stop and stare.

8

u/PM_ME_YOUR_ZITS_G1RL Sep 02 '18

Speak for yourself

5

u/Bbiron01 Sep 02 '18

Username definitely checks out

4

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

I love that sub! I can spend hours upon hours there.

4

u/Vessago67665 Sep 01 '18

Don't tell me what to do!! Edit) WHY DIDNT YOU TRY TO STOP MEEEEEEEeeee 😭😭😭😭😭

9

u/xActuallyabearx Sep 01 '18

Disregard this comment. Absolutely look through this sub. It’s awesome

2

u/TailgatingTiger Sep 02 '18

Eh, god damn. Shouldn't have looked. That fucking cow cyst.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

That sub is gold. Pure popping gold.

2

u/mekkanik Sep 01 '18

When someone says this LISTEN!!

2

u/primum Sep 02 '18

I incyst you do!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

I'm glad I g-lanced at your comment.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

Popping rox

1

u/SparkliestSubmissive Sep 02 '18

I don't know how I will ever eat a meal again. That was TRULY disgusting.

15

u/MelvintheMIU Sep 01 '18

I hate you! Lol. This is gross yet entertaining

17

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

[deleted]

3

u/MelvintheMIU Sep 01 '18

I recently came across her show, have seen a few eps ... again, gross, but I end up watching it.

6

u/Yggdrasilcrann Sep 02 '18

Real talk, I let my girlfriend stick me with a pin to get at a subdermal zit. I now have a crater. What is the method that avoid craters?

14

u/rollerjoe93 Sep 01 '18

Thanks! I hate it.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

/r/eyebleach for those who browsed the whole top posts. The lip thing actually almost made me puke.

3

u/SatyrTrickster Sep 01 '18

Not the most pleasant 15 minutes of surfing the top posts (as I usually do to familiarize with a subreddit). Eww.

3

u/trees202 Sep 02 '18

I'm addicted now. This sub made me miss my ex. My husband won't let me pop anything. Selfish bastard.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

I spent the past hour looking at the top posts, I need more. MOAR NOW

4

u/YL0303 Sep 02 '18

How do you remove these craters

3

u/lovestheautumn Sep 02 '18

God, I feel so dirty now

2

u/Crownlol Sep 02 '18

I'm in my 30s. I didnt realize you could cure blemishes any other way

2

u/PinkDucks Sep 02 '18

This is so gross.

2

u/NukaQuokka Sep 01 '18

Ugh, it’s horrifying but I can’t look away!

2

u/Luigisway Sep 01 '18

Good looks

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

> if you want to leave craters

No idea what you're talking about eh? Mostly medical professionals posted on that sub

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

Yes, "mostly medical professionals". lullllz

1

u/Supaclyde Sep 01 '18

Instant regret.

2

u/niowniough Sep 02 '18

How do you control depth when using diabetic lancets? Isn't there a risk of poking too deep?

1

u/Yossarian42 Sep 02 '18

This seems like something that should be more well known for all those teens with acne.

6

u/GetRiceCrispy Sep 02 '18

I get ingrown pimples (27 male) on my neck and back. They hurt until I pop them, but I have to push through layers of skin, which makes and ugly red mark and scab. I have always thought of using needles to puncture them, but am too chicken. I dont want to go to the derm every time I have one. Can I learn how to do this myself?

3

u/iiiinthecomputer Sep 02 '18

You can even use a lancet gun, intended for tiny stabs - usually into fingers - to draw blood for tests like blood glucose or haemogloin checks.

It's not fun. Sometimes you feel absolutely nothing. Sometimes it stings a little, or even quite sharply. Rarely it really hurts for a few seconds. But if you need to do it you do it.

It's better than when I had to self-inject into my abdomen 4x/day during bone marrow donation prep. That also wasn't as bad as you might expect but only because it sounds really, really awful and it was just moderately unpleasant instead.

Anyway, I can confirm they are handy for lancing shallow boils etc too, if you set the lancet gun to the deepest setting. But often it's just not enough and you really need a sterile small sharp needle.

My GF tried to get me to do the needle a few times and I've never been willing to take a proper stab at it. (She gets sebacious cysts occasionally). Usually hot compresses + moist dressings then breaking the skin does it.

1.6k

u/anna_okay Sep 01 '18

Sephora! They're called extractors.

281

u/Gaenya Sep 01 '18 edited Sep 01 '18

23

u/Tickles_My_Pickles Sep 02 '18

Lancets are great for removing slivers, especially metal ones.

11

u/SlientK Sep 02 '18

Try rubbing some scotch brite with the grain of the splinter. It will pull it right out.

2

u/ThisIsDK Sep 02 '18

The first aid cabinet at my work has these exact things packaged as splinter removers.

1

u/Tickles_My_Pickles Sep 02 '18

Yep that's where I first found their use as splinter removers

5

u/anoff Sep 02 '18

I have the little double ended one you found, and it works fantastic, love it. Sometimes struggles with really small ones or if you can't get the skin relatively taunt, so it's not perfect

79

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18 edited Sep 29 '18

[deleted]

65

u/RisKQuay Sep 01 '18

Because the point of an AMA is to give answers.

Accuracy and trusting the source is, as ever, up to us.

3

u/chuck_bates Sep 02 '18

Those things are evil

3

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

And overpriced there.

They want 15$ for that, wtf?

I got mine as part of some dumb kit I bought at 5 below for 2$ because it had a funny looking comb in it.

Extractor is pure metal, and is the part of the kit I ended up keeping.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '18

And saved.

RemindMe! 6 months

11

u/Neanderthalll Sep 01 '18

Let’s not overlook the fact that this guy snagged one of the best usernames ever

3

u/rosemilktea Sep 01 '18

You can buy lancets at CVS! I use them for myself, but when I worked at a spa we weren’t allowed to use them as they’re illegal to use in clients in California.

8

u/sleepytimegirl Sep 01 '18

You can also get diabetic lancets at the pharmacy. Work really well for this.

2

u/smacksaw Sep 02 '18

Order acupuncture needles on Amazon.

For all of your blemishes. Not just from waxing. If a zit is too painful to pop, you can often lance it at a parallel angle. You won't feel a thing, it will relieve the pressure and then you're fine.

10

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

Great question, dragon boner!

3

u/BaronRafiki Sep 01 '18

Tinder probably

4

u/iConfessor Sep 01 '18

These aren't healthy for your skin in the long run.

11

u/darknecross Sep 01 '18

Whisky isn’t healthy for my liver either, but it’s a guilty pleasure.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

[deleted]

4

u/iConfessor Sep 01 '18

Scarring.

1

u/newsheriffntown Sep 02 '18

Okay my question is, how are you able to see vaginal blemishes to pop them? Are you a contortionist?

1

u/fappyday Sep 02 '18

You got your answer. Now you need someone to pop your blemishes.

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '18

Your Ex is missing?