Blackheads- they look just as unattractive as the name sounds. They can appear suddenly overnight without warning and once they do make an appearance, they don’t ever seem to want to disappear. Blackheads are not painful, however their appearance is a clear indication that the pores of your skin desperately need to be cared for. When blackheads are left untreated, they can spread quite rapidly. The most common places for them to appear are on the chin, around the nose and on the nose.
What Causes Blackheads?
In medical terms a blackhead is referred to as an open comedo. It is a non-inflamed mark of acne that is black or dark brown in color on the pore’s surface. They are frequently mistaken for dirt that you can scrub off. However, that isn’t possible. What they are really are is a combination of acne-causing bacteria, sebum (excess oil) and dead skin that becomes dark in color when it comes into contact with the air. Blackheads are the first stage of the acne formation process. If they are not treated, they can spread and also form pimples, which are also referred to as pustules or papules.
Acne and blackheads typically develop during puberty as hormones rise up to the skin’s surface. This then causes more sebum (oil) to be produced by the sebaceous glands, which causes the skin’s surface to have an excessive amount of oil on it, which makes the skin oily and clogs the pores with acne-causing bacteria and sebum. The pores turn dark in color or black after these substances that are clogging the pores get exposed to air.
How To Treat And Minimize Blackheads
1. Wash your skin two times a day using a gentle cleanser, once in the morning and then again at night. This will remove acne-causing bacteria, residue and oil buildup that if left unwashed would tend to cause acne.
2. Exfoliate your skin a minimum of 3 times per week in order to remove any dead skin cells that may contribute to clogging the pores of your skin. When you remove dead skin cells, acne-causing bacteria, oil and dead skin are removed from the pores. After the skin has been gently exfoliated, rejuvenated and new skin can surface, which will minimize formation of acne, oily skin and blackheads.
3. Try using a topical treatment that either your dermatologist has prescribed or an over-the-counter product. Topical treatments that are either benzoyl peroxide gel or salicylic acid cream fight blackheads from the pore root. The topical treatment should be applied after you have washed and moisturized your skin. Both ingredients are contained in the three-step skincare system from Proactive. Although it has mixed reviews, some people have had a lot of success using it.
4. Always moisturize after cleansing. It is absolutely essential to do this. An oil-free moisturizer should be used so that you don’t get more acne, clog your pores or so your skin doesn’t get more oily or greasy. If you don’t moisturize on a regular basis, your skin will be more oily and you will break out more because more oil will be pulled to the surface of your skin, as you skin attempts to balance its pH levels. This will clog your pores with acne-causing bacteria and oil.