Blackheads suck.
Yeah, I said it. They can be painful and make your face look like it’s dirty. They certainly aren’t as bad as their closed top counterparts (whiteheads), but they are still a pain. Getting rid of them is pretty easy too. You can either push them out or change your face wash.
Blackheads are very similar to whiteheads, except they are open at the tip. The pore that they grow in makes too much sebum, and this excess mixes with dead skin cells, bacteria, and other grime on your face to form the blackhead. Where one blackhead is, more are likely to pop up in the area. They also have the ability to grow on any part of your body, this makes knowing how blackhead removal works all the more important.
There are essentially two methods for blackhead removal; pushing them out or using an exfoliating face wash. Let’s examine both of these.
Blackhead Removal – Push Them Out
For minor blackheads, pushing them out is probably the best method for removal. You must keep a few things in mind though. Most importantly is that you must be sanitary while doing this. Having an open wound on your face is an open door for infection, namely staph infection. Wash your face first, then your hands before starting. After the blackhead has been removed, use a cotton swab with alcohol to sterilize it. It’ll sting a little bit, but that’s better than dealing with an infection later on.
Also, it’s super important to be very careful while pushing the blackhead out. If you push down on your face too hard you will damage the tissue underneath the surface of the skin. Tissue damage below the skin level will contribute to scarring if a major breakout happens in that same area. It also hurts to push hard on your face! If it hurts, you’re probably doing it wrong! Do your best to push sideways to get the blackhead out.
Blackhead Removal – Exfoliate
Depending on your skin’s level of sensitivity, changing your face wash to an exfoliator is the best way to clear up blackheads. If your skin is very sensitive or dry, this may be out of the question. Also, if you are using other acne treatments or acne medications from your doctor adding another solution to the mix will aggravate your skin further. Be sure to read the labels on every product you use to make sure you aren’t going to make the problem worse.
Using an exfoliating face wash helps clear the crap off your face and prevent the pores from clogging up. It will remove the dead skin cells and dirt before they get stuck in your skin’s follicles. Most exfoliating face washes also have acne-treating medication as well (usually salicylic acid) that helps treat your whiteheads and blemishes as well.