Wow, CycleFish, that sounds horrible! Good luck with the surgery--and thanks for the info. The asphalt under the skin sounds like what I have in my leg. It was just too deep (and too painful) for the nurses to clean it out any more than they did. But it's my leg, and above my skirt line even, so it only shows when I'm wearing a bathing suit. I would definitely want to do something about it if it was on my face. Hope it all goes well for you.