How to Get Rid of Blackheads
ACNE rears its ugly head in oh so many different ways. There are papules and pustules, cysts and whiteheads, and the focus of today’s article – blackheads. We will explain what these dark skin demons are exactly and what you can do to defeat them.
What Is a Blackhead, Anyway?
Blackheads are one type of acne classified as non-inflammatory. It starts the same way all acne does, with a lesion called a comedo. This is the term for a hair follicle (a pore) that is plugged up with oil, bacteria and dead skin cells. From this humble start do all pimples spring. Blackheads appear when the plugged up pore opens to skin’s surface, thus the other name they are known by – open comedones. The gunk inside the pore, now exposed to the air, oxidizes, turning dark brown or black. So despite the way it looks, blackheads are not dirt. But that’s a small comfort when they are sprinkled across your face like so much black pepper.
How to Get Rid of Blackheads
Getting rid of blackheads is much like popping a pimple.
- Prep your skin by applying a damp, hot compress to the area for at least 15 minutes. This will help loosen up the plugs. If desired, wash with a mild exfoliant cleanser to slough off dead skin cells first.
- With facial tissues covering the tips of your index fingers, apply even but gentle pressure in a downward angle to either side of the blackhead, then up. What you are trying to do is get under the blackhead with your fingertips to prod that nasty little sucker out.
- But if it refuses to come out, stop! Do not force it, and just move on to the next one. As with popping pimples, trying to tease out a blackhead can damage your skin if you do it wrong.
You can also try to coax out these comedones without digital stimulation. (That is, no squeezing.)
- Wash your face with an acne fighting cleanser appropriate for your skin type.
- Follow it up with the hot compress for 15 minutes every night.
- Apply a facial product containing retinol, salicylic acid or alpha hydroxyl acids.
- Once a week, use a clay mask, which is great for drawing out impurities from skin.
Blackhead Removers
There are small, inexpensive metal instruments designed to get rid of blackheads. For those of us who get them infrequently or have just one or two, these extractors seem like a good option. But many experts frown on their use, saying they can lead to scarring or infection. And that is true.
If you do want to give a blackhead remover a try, warm up your skin as described above to try to loosen the plug and by all means be gentle. If it doesn’t budge with your gentle prodding, continuing to go at it with a metal object is only going to make things worse! For stuck-in blackheads, consider seeing a dermatologist, who can remove it safely and put you on the path to clearer, acne free skin.
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