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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, being warm and airtight, so you want to get rid of the blockage before infection sets in. Blemishes are not only isolated to the face: 60% of people will also suffer acne on their backs and 15% get blemishes on their chests. Men's larger pores and more oily skin makes them more susceptible to blackheads than women. Wherever sebum can build up, blackheads can form. This can be your chin, your forehead, the sides of your nostrils, anywhere. Very oily skin may also develop blackheads on the cheeks and the tip of the nose, as well as chest and back. The brown or black dot which you can see is a small lump of congealed oil that blocks up your pore and creates a blemish. If left alone 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. It is essential to take care of blackheads as soon as they develop. There are ways and means to tackle blackheads. If a blackhead is large, uninfected and fairly close to the surface of the skin you can engage in some DIY skincare and extract it yourself: - Have a hot shower or hold your face over a bowl of steaming water in order to soften the skin and open up your pores.
- Now here's the best 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.
- This treatment should form part of a regular skincare regime. Use a facial wash every day and twice a week use a facial scrub to shift anything that might be clogging up your pores.
Be careful not to get too enthusiastic 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. Too much cleaning can be counterproductive to say the least. Women are told to avoid wearing too much make up as it can cause their pores to become clogged. 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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