Question: Hi,

I have a very severe case of whiteheads all over my face, but mostly on the sides of my face and along my jawline. They seem to appear in clusters under my jawline and on my sides of my face, but more spaced out on the rest of my face. They seem to literally appear in one day. If I squeeze them, usually a "silly string" thick white substance comes out. Sometimes nothing comes out and the whitehead is still there under the skin. I know popping and squeezing pimples is bad, but if I don't, some of them will turn into big red pimples or else they will just stay there as whiteheads. Mostly they just stay there under the skin rather than turning into big pimples, but maybe because I squeeze them so much am I keeping them from becoming inflamed? I do not understand how, even when I squeeze all the gunk out, the whiteheads will appear again in a couple of days. Also, a few of them don't even really look like regular whiteheads (more like large flat whiteheads if that makes any sense), but I can feel something under my skin and if I squeeze it, a lot of the white silly string comes out. Is this pus? Because I read that whiteheads are just dead skin cells and oil, but how is it possible to have SO MUCH in the pore it comes out like silly string? I have tried EVERYTHING to clear this up, and have had no success. I think exfoliation, which the internet always stresses for whiteheads, has made it worse., Makeup doesn't help because you can still see all the bumps. Now I have scars and my face is always inflamed and red and lumpy from having to squeeze it so much to get all the gunk out. Please help me!!! I went to a dermatologist who suggested salicylic acid (wash and then Aveeno clear complexion lotion), but it did not help at all. I saw another dermatologist who prescribed me retin-a, but it irritated my skin so much that I couldn't use it. I've also tried the Clarisonic with Cetaphil wash, sulfur soap, clay masks, steaming my pores, and going to an esthetician (but I can't afford to go every couple of days to have her do extractions because I have such badly congested skin). I actually don't understand if I have oily skin or dry skin because it seems like I have dry skin, but if the "silly string" coming out of my pores is oil, then I have a ton of oil in my very congested skin. But it seems like everything I've tried has dried my skin out without solving the congested skin problem. I am so frustrated! Please help me!