An effective extraction technique for the treatment of closed macrocomedones.

Abstract

Closed macrocomedones are unsightly lesions that may be resistant to medical treatments and comedone extractors. Light cautery has been used to treat macrocomedones, which are 1 to 3 mm in size; however, its success in larger and chronic lesions is limited. To introduce an alternative treatment technique for this neglected problem. We treated these lesions by using cautery and standard dissecting forceps. After puncturing the macrocomedones in the center using the sharp-tipped cautery point, we grasped the base of the comedone using standard dissecting forceps and squeezed and pulled out the contents. Twelve patients were treated with this technique, all of whom tolerated the procedure well and judged the cosmetics results as very good. We recommend this procedure for patients who have closed macrocomedones larger than 3 mm in size, although it is an effective treatment for macrocomedones of any size.