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Blackheads are basically small bumps that tend to appear on our skin due to several clogged hair follicles. These tiny little bumps are called blackheads because their surface turns dark or black due to contact with the oxygen outside. They can be perceived as a mild type of acne that is usually formed on the face, but they might also appear on the back, neck, chest, arms, and shoulders. There are various ways to remove blackheads; some of the easy ones are mentioned in this article.
How To Remove Blackheads?
Well, there are various methods available and to our astonishment, even several home remedies are available which I have listed down below. To know more about them, stay tuned to the article.
1. Over-the-counter treatments
Several acne medications are made available to us, at drug and even online stores without a prescription. They can be either in cream, pad or even gel forms and can be directly applied on our skin. These drugs generally contain various ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and resorcinol. They work by killing most of the bacteria, drying out excess oil, and forces our skin to shed dead skin cells. I have personally tried some of these, and they can prove to be of great help if regularly applied for three months.
2. Prescribed medications
If over the counter ointments do not work for you, then I would suggest you see a dermatologist, the doctor might suggest you with medicines that contain vitamin A to prevent the plugs from forming in our hair follicles and promote sudden and rapid turnover of our skin cells. These ointments might include tazarotene, tretinoin, or adapalene.
Your sin doctor can also prescribe other types of topical medications that might contain antibiotics and benzoyl peroxide. If you are a person suffering from pimples or even acne cysts in accompanying your blackheads, then this type of medication can be really helpful.
3. Manual removal
Many a time, things turn extreme. As a result, skin care professionals and dermatologists might recommend you to use a special skincare instrument called a Round Loop Extractor. This is usually made to remove the plug in our skin causing the blackhead. In the process, after a small opening is made in that plug, the doctor methodically applies pressure with the extractor to remove the clogs.
4. Microdermabrasion
During this operative process, your doctor or skin care professional would use a special instrument which would contain a very rough surface to sand the exposed and unexposed top layers of your skin. Sanding the skin will remove the clogs that tend to cause blackheads.
5. Chemical peels
Chemical peels also aim to remove clogs and actually get rid of the dead skins cells that contribute to our blackheads. During a peel session, a strong chemical solution is initially applied to our skin. Over the time or a certain duration, the top layers of our skin peel off, revealing the smoother skin beneath. Mild peels are generally available over the counter, while stronger peel therapies are performed by doctors and other skincare professionals.
6. Laser and light therapy
The main objective of Laser and light therapy is to kill the bacteria in our skin or decrease the oil production. The therapists use tiny beams of quite intense light which reach below the surface of our skin to treat the blackheads and all kinds of acne without particularly damaging the top layer of our skin.
Though these are proven methods of blackheads removal, as an aware consumer, I would suggest you try the home remedies first. They are painless yet effective up to some levels. Few are explained below-
Home Remedies to Treat Blackheads
1. Egg Whites-
Due to their potential to minimize pores and tighten skin, using egg whites as a home remedy is specifically good for people with oily skin and definitely reduces the chances of recurrence of blackheads while removing current nasty blackheads simultaneously. This method promises to draw out sebum and pulls out any kind of gunk stuck deep inside the pores.
Firstly, gather an egg, some tissue or toilet paper, a clean towel, and a small bowl. Now separate the yolk from the white. then, rinse your face and pat it dry. Following that, apply a thin layer of egg white all over your face, especially over your nose, where the blackheads tend to appear more and then place a strip of facial tissue or toilet paper over it, pressing it swiftly yet gently onto your face. Now, allow it to dry.
After one minute, place a second layer of the egg white liquid over the tissue. You can now dip your fingers in the egg white itself and then over the tissue to make the process quicker and easier. Allow that layer to dry as well. Once the mask dries, for after around 10-15 minutes, peel the tissue off quickly, in a whack and then rinse with cold water to remove any residue. Lastly, pat dry and moisturize your skin with a good, hydrating moisturizer.
2. Lemon Juice
Lemon Juice basically contains some kind of alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) citric acid which works wonders as a natural astringent to remove the dead skin, making it very perfect for unstopping the clogged pores. It is even rich in vitamin C which is chiefly an antioxidant that helps in stimulating collagen production to improve our skin health and reduce the scarring from acne.
Start with this remedy by first washing your face with some gentle and natural cleanser. Now, squeeze about one teaspoon of its juice from a lemon into a bowl. Dip a cotton ball into the extracted juice and dab it onto any kind of blackheads that you have. Allow it to dry, for at least 7 minutes before rinsing with some cold water. You can even leave it for overnight, for a better and effective treatment and then rinse your face off in the morning.
3. Baking Soda
The antiseptic quality of baking soda makes it a wonderful product for our skin. It works as an amazing exfoliant to scrub away all the dead skin cells, leaving our skin soft and smooth. No doubt, it is my favorite remedy for the pesky blackheads. Not only does it cure, but it also prevents them by neutralizing the skin’s pH, and encouraging our skin to produce less oil.
To use baking soda as an effective home remedy, in a bowl, mix about 1 tbsp. of baking soda with an appropriate amount of water to form a thick paste. Now, apply the paste to the annoying blackheads and allow it to dry for about 10-15 minutes. then, rinse with lukewarm water.
For best results, repeat the remedy almost once or twice a week to remove the debris from your pores that can result into blackheads.
Remedies used in Beauty Salons-
4. Facial Extraction-
Generally during, facials and cleanups, as a part of the process, the extraction of blackheads takes place, through a specific extraction tool that the estheticians use in parlors. This removes the blackheads temporarily and provides you with a clean skin. Even though it pains a bit, but the results are very effective.
5. Brazilian Wax-
Well, this is a little weird but works really well. A strip of Brazilian wax is placed on your nose or other body parts affected by blackheads, whiteheads, and other acne. This leaves the area extremely clean and prevents blackheads until few months.
Thus, the above mentioned are some of the remedies for removing blackheads and ensuring that they are on a vacation until a few months, every time you treat your skin with a remedy.
What are the factors causing blackheads?
Blackheads generally get formed when clogs or plugs develop in the opening of our hair follicles. Each follicle contains one hair and a sebaceous gland which produces oil. This oil is specifically called sebum and helps us keep our skin soft. Very often, oils and dead skin cells tend to get collected in the small opening to our skin follicle, producing a bump, which is scientifically known as a comedo. Now, if the skin over the bumps stays closed, it becomes a white head. incidentally, when the skin over our bump opens, exposure to the oxygenated air causes it to turn black and a blackhead is formed.
Some factors might definitely increase our chances of developing blackheads and acne. They include:
- Production of too much body oil
- Irritation caused to the hair follicles when the dead skins cells do not shed on a regular basis
- The buildup of certain kinds of bacteria on the skin
- Taking certain drugs, such as lithium, androgens or corticosteroids
- Undergoing certain hormonal changes that tend to increase the oil production during our teen years, during PCOD or menstruation and even while consuming birth control pills
As a matter of fact, even some foods tend to increase the acne. Caffeine, dairy products, artificial sweeteners, and carbohydrates, might play a part in triggering the acne.
Symptoms of Blackheads?
They are dark in color, and thus very easy to spot on the skin. Either dark brown or black in shade, blackheads are slightly raised, even though they are not painful because technically they are not inflamed like the pimples.
