Among those who deal with acne regularly, and even those with fewer such issues every now and then, blackheads are a well-known and common occurrence. So named for their color and appearance on the face or other skin areas, blackheads are unpleasant to look at and can be uncomfortable to deal with as well.
At Skintherapy, our acne treatment services include the prevention and removal of blackheads among several other skin treatment areas. Let’s go over exactly what blackheads are, what gives them their appearance, and how you can limit and remove them.
Known medically as an “open comedo,” a blackhead is a clogged pore on the skin caused by inflammation, bacteria, excess sebum and excess proliferation in the pore. Blackheads, unlike other forms of acne, have a wide opening at the surface, allowing you to see the actual contents of the blockage directly underneath the skin.
Blackheads can take place on anyone’s skin, even people who don’t normally have major acne breakouts. They can form anywhere on the face, but are most common in the “T-zone” that makes up the center of the face – this is because this area is most oily and promotes blackhead formation most easily.
Blackheads take on their color due to oil, dead skin cells and other debris that are packed into them – debris that oxidizes and turns black over time. This, combined with the large opening we mentioned above, makes them perhaps the most unsightly form of acne out there.
A couple general areas to keep an eye on when it comes to blackheads:
If you are dealing with blackheads, your esthetician can be a major assist here. They can perform professional-quality extractions, the kind that – unlike many home extractions, which can actually be detrimental to the effort – do not spread any bacteria or cause additional inflammation by moving debris around to other areas of the skin. These extractions involve compressing the pores and slowly squeezing the debris out, then sanitizing the area and using proper products to prevent future blackhead issues.
For more on blackheads and how to remove and prevent them, or for information on any of our acne treatments, speak to the staff at Skintherapy today.
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