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This series of videos taken from Operation Ouch! link to the statutory relationships and health education guidance, and the non-statutory PSHE programme of study.
As with all PSHE-related content,a safe teaching and learning environment should be established before class viewing. It is important to watch the video before viewing, to ensure it is suitable for your pupils and works within your curriculum planning.
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Spots
CHRIS: Just let me in.
XAND: No!
CHRIS: Look, Xand, whatever it is, it's gonna be okay.
XAND: It is not!
CHRIS: Right, I'm coming in.
XAND: No. I'm never going anywhere ever again.
CHRIS: Wh-Why?
XAND: Because… I have a great, big—
CHRIS: Pair of pincers?
XAND: No!
CHRIS: Er, lobster tail?
XAND: No!
CHRIS: Flip. Whatever it is, Xand, nobody at the Under-the-Sea Splash Spectacular is gonna care at all.
XAND: I've got a great, big… spot!
CHRIS: What, is that it?
XAND: Yes.
CHRIS: Xand, everyone gets spots at some point in their life. I'd hardly noticed it. Now look, you go and get changed and lets find out where that spot came from
XAND: Aw, thanks, Chris.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: We all get spots. They're completely normal. To show where they come from, I've got a fancy bit of kit.
CHRIS: This is a dermatoscope.
SKELETON: Fancy!
CHRIS: And it's something used by skin specialists – dermatologists – to have a closer look at skin. So I'm gonna put it on my skin here. And you can see on my chin there are very big hairs coming out of small holes.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: Those holes are called pores.
CHRIS: But if we go up onto my nose…
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: There are lots of holes or pores here. And the hairs coming out of them are really small.
CHRIS: The pore is the entrance to the hair follicle where hairs are made but it's also the entrance to the sebaceous gland.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: It produces sebum, an oily, waxy substance that moisturises and protects your skin.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: Unfortunately, the sebaceous gland is also where spots are made.But did you know there are two types of spots?Come out of the cupboard, Xand. We're gonna make them using potatoes.
CHRIS: You are gonna be making a whitehead, like the one on your face. And I am gonna be mak-ing a blackhead like the ones on my nose.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: Yeah, did you spot them? Those black dots in my pores are blackheads on my nose.
SKELETON: Spot-tastic!
CHRIS: The potato, Xand, is gonna represent a mixture of sebum and skin cells.
XAND: Why am I grating mine underwater?
CHRIS: Because whiteheads have a layer of skin sealing in the sebum, the skin cells, usually a few bacteria and sometimes a little bit of pus too.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: Grating your whitehead potato underwater seals it away from the air just like the layer of skin would.
CHRIS: Blackheads are open to the air which is why I'm grating mine in the air. And we may see that the air does the same thing to my potato as it does to the skin cells and sebum in a blackhead. There we go. Now—
XAND: Finished!
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: I'm putting my potato into a little dish representing a pore open to the air like a blackhead.Now, Xand, wrap your potato – which has been underwater the whole time – in eco-friendly cling film. This is like the layer of skin over a whitehead spot.We need to leave these for two hours.
SKELETON: What happens?
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: Wow! No prizes for guessing which spot is which.
CHRIS: The potato in mine has oxidised with the oxygen in the air and turned black, just like the melanin in a real blackhead.
XAND: Whereas the skin covering over my potato has stopped it oxidising and so it's still white, a bit like my whitehead. I tell you what, Chris, I wanna get under the skin of a spot and find out what's going on inside. I think we're gonna make a spot-cano for the Cupboard of Everything! I have the spot-cano ingredients.
SKELETON: Woo hoo!
CHRIS: Well, there we go, Xand, all the ingredients we need for a spot-cano!You need to ascend to the elevated sebum-dispensing area.
XAND: What, you mean climb that ladder?
CHRIS: Exactly.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: Remember, sebum is the oily substance secreted by the seba-ceous gland next to your pores and hair and it keeps your skin and hairs waterproof.
CHRIS: Now it's time to get the sebum into that pore.
XAND: Here we go.We need some bacteria. Send it up.
XAND: Now, sometimes bacteria can get into the sebum in your pores and they start to multiply and that is the beginning of an infected spot.That's good.Yes!
CHRIS: I got splattered, Xand.
XAND: Brilliant!
CHRIS: These are dead skin cells and they mix with the sebum and block the pore.
XAND: This spot-cano is just like a spot. This is really what happens.
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: Some of the flakes of dead skin are just flaking away. But some of the flakes get trapped and they block the pores.
XAND: The bacteria are multiplying. The sebum is still being produced. The pressure's going up. Chris, I think it's about to blow.
XAND & CHRIS: Spotcanoooooooo!
XAND: Three, two, one!
XAND & CHRIS: Aaaaah!
XAND: Chris, I'm covered in a mixture of bacteria, sebum and dead cells! This is brilliant!
CHRIS: I've got pus on my hi-vis!
VOICEOVER [CHRIS]: We've shown you there are two types of spot. They appear when your pores become clogged with dead skin cells resulting in a whitehead, or, if the dead skin cells are exposed to oxygen, a blackhead.And, as we saw, the inside of a spot is the perfect place for bacteria to multiply, leading to it get-ting infected and filled with pus.But spots are normal. We all get them. And tempting as it is, try not to squeeze them.
XAND: Do you know what, Chris, I've decided that I quite like my spot after all. And I am gonna go to the Mega-Splashy-Under-the-Sea-Spectacular Party. Come on, Mr G.
CHRIS: Have a good time.
Video summary – spots
In this video, Dr. Chris and Dr. Xand explain that spots are a normal part of growing up and something everyone experiences. Using a dermatoscope – a special magnifying tool – they take a close-up look at the skin to show how spots form in the sebaceous glands within pores.
To help students understand the process, they conduct practical experiments that demonstrate how both blackheads and whiteheads develop. This visual approach helps demystify skin changes and supports discussions around hygiene, puberty, and self-care.
Suggested activities
After viewing, ask pupils to summarise what they have learned about spots. Discussion points could include:
- What causes spots?
- What’s the difference between blackheads and whiteheads?
- Why are spots more common during puberty?
- How can we take care of our skin?
Gather some ideas about what someone could do if they start to get spots during puberty. Ask pupils to produce a ‘spots self-help guide’ to give information and tips for someone their age. These could include:
- Washing your face gently with mild soap
- Avoiding picking or squeezing spots
- Eating a balanced diet
- Getting enough sleep
- Talking to a trusted adult or doctor if spots become a concern
You can watch more Operation Ouch! on iPlayer.
More videos from this series
Grief. video
Dr. Chris and Dr. Xand discuss the topic of grief with a group of schoolchildren.
Anxiety. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris discuss anxiety with a group of schoolchildren.
Stress. video
Dr. Ronx tries out some stress-busting techniques with schoolchildren.
Immune system video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris investigate how our immune systems work.
Vomit. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris look at the biological process of vomiting.
Diarrhoea. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris look at the causes and symptoms of diarrhoea.
Food. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris test the energy values of different foods.
Healthy heart video
Dr. Ronx teams up with a group of schoolchildren to explore how to keep the heart healthy.
Sleep. video
Dr. Chris looks at why we need sleep and why children need more than adults.
