Blackheads start appearing during puberty, when hormonal activity (particularly the overproduction of testosterone) can encourage excess production of sebum, the body’s naturally occurring moisturiser. Though sebum has an important part to play in the natural regulation of your body’s chemistry, in excess it can block up your pores, trap dead cells and lead to acne and blemishes. A blocked pore is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow - warm and airtight - so it's a good idea to get rid of the blockage before infection sets in. Blemishes are not only isolated to the face, either: 60% of people will also suffer acne on their backs and 15% get blemishes on their chests. Men are more susceptible than women because our skin is more oily and our pores are larger. Blackheads (or "open comedones" as doctors call them) are found on any area of the skin where sebum can build up, particularly the chin, forehead and sides of the nostrils. Very oily skin may also develop blackheads on the cheeks and the tip of the nose, as well as chest and back. The black-ish dot is a small lump of solidified sebum that blocking your pore and causing a blemish. If untreated the blackhead will build up until it stretches the pore permanently. Blackheads become whiteheads once infection sets in and white blood cells - the pus which gives the whitehead its name - rush in tackle it. As you can see, taking care of blackheads is essential as soon as they develop. So what can you do? If a blackhead is large, uninfected and fairly close to the surface of the skin you can engage extract it yourself: - Soften the skin by taking a hot (but not scalding) shower or by holding your face over a bowl of steaming water to open up your pores.
- Now here's the good bit. Push gently around the blackhead until it pops out. Placing tissue around your fingers can prevent your fingernails digging it and make it more comfortable. Don't overdo it though, as too much pushing can damage the skin and lead to permanent blemishes and scarring.
- After that’s done apply an antiseptic soothing cream or cooling moisturiser to kill any bacteria on the surface of the skin before they enter the open pore.
- After that it’s simply a case of regular skincare and daily cleansing with the right facial wash and twice-weekly use of a facial scrub to help shift pore clogging debris and dead cells.
Be careful not to get too carried away when it comes to the cleaning, though. Scrubbing your face too often can also cause all sorts of problems: not least an increased risk of blackheads and blemishes as your body produces more sebum to replace that which you have removed. It isn’t true that removing a blackhead causes more to develop, but excessive poking and prodding of the epidermis can lead to increased sebum production and thus an even greater risk of blemishes and blackheads forming. Over enthusiastic squeezing can be counterproductive to say the least. Oil based make-ups are a common cause of acne, blemishes and blackheads in women. While that obviously isn’t such an issue amongst men, any New Romantics, professional clowns or cross dressers should take note. Extra vigilance in skincare is advised.
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