If dermatologists say oil cleansing to get plugs out doesn't work, what is happening here?

For a couple of years every 2-4 weeks I’ve been using a clay mask followed by massaging my face for 10 minutes with a facial oil. I am seeing the content of clogged pores and blackheads and sebaceous filaments on top of my skin and my hands as I do it. It’s hard to see in the picture, but the black specks have a sebum root. Yet all major licensed dermatologists who use TikTok say this doesn’t work. What happens if this doesn’t work? I’m clearly seeing progress, so how do I get progress from something they say doesn’t work?

Anecdotally, I think it works sometimes on enlarged & plugged pores, but also dead skin, oil & product particles ball up like that

Yes, it’s all dead skin. Not sebaceous filaments

To be fair, it doesn’t work for everyone. But there was once when I had this massive hard pimple that came to a head while I was oil cleansing and I squeezed it ever so slightly and it just slid right out so beautifully… and that keeps me doing it still once a week. Haha

You do need to be sure that you’re using the right oil for your skin type though, and I know there are a few videos on YouTube to help with that.

I’d be chasing that high for years tbh

Yes, the satisfaction from pulling out plugs. You never know when they will just slide out, but that’s honestly why I keep doing it. Nothing else has helped anyway.

I’m still chasing the high I felt when I was in high school and a full blackhead/plug came out on a biore strip (I haven’t used Biore strips in 15 years)

I think dermatologists are weary to recommend anything as a fix for clogged pores other than actives since everyone will have different results with oil cleansing. I find it makes my T zone noticeably cleaner, even if I don’t get any whole “plugs” coming out like others do

I admit I haven’t watched many videos on this. But the couple I’ve seen are more like ‘this is only a temporary fix’. Which - yeah? Pretty much all skincare is a ‘repeat regularly till you die’. But I guess some people expect a magic cure that you do once and then it doesn’t come back. Are they warning against how it’s only temporary and nothing removes sebaceous filaments because they’re a part of your skin?

Oil cleansing was a game-changer for me. It lets me thoroughly cleanse my pores without destroying my moisture barrier and flaring up my rosacea. The key to oil cleansing is to find the right type of formulation for your skin and use enough oil so that your fingertips slip easily over your skin without pulling, tugging, or causing too much friction.