Updated January, 2020
A lot of Tweets talk about how to get rid of blackheads. You would be surprised that this skin problem is the bane of many and has resulted to painful, face-scratching and squeezing sessions. A lot of people take comfort in doing that, but we all know the fact that picking your face is a no no!
Our skin is covered in hair. Some are too fine to be seen by the naked eye but hair covers every inch of our skin (excluding our palms and soles). It is evenly distributed all over our body even though it appears to be largely cramped to our head.
Why is this important?
We have to understand that blackheads (and whiteheads) start in every hair follicle. Each shaft of hair is confined in its own pore. Pores collect excess oil, sebum, dirt and it can trap bacteria too.
Because of that, a sebum plug will form. If the pore is closed, that clog forms a whitehead. If the pore is open, the sebum plug is oxidized and turns black, thus forming a blackhead. If you mix bacteria with this, you get an angry breakout!
So why is it difficult to keep blackheads away?
Number 1, it is difficult to prevent it because every square inch of our skin contains 650 sweat glands, approximately 95-100 oil glands, 9,500,000 cells, and 65 hairs.
That gives a big chance for us to get clogged pores and end up with whiteheads and blackheads. And that’s just 1 inch of skin.
Number 2, it is hard to control skin oiliness because it can be triggered by many factors. You may get oily skin because of the food that you eat. You may also have hormones firing up and messing with your skin.
The climate may also play a part, especially if you live in humid or tropical areas. You may be using a wrong facial cleanser for your skin type. Or, you may be washing your skin too often, causing it to overcompensate and produce more oils than necessary.
Number 3, makeup and pollution can contribute to forming plugs. It is important to strip your face off of makeup and dirt before sleeping to prevent blackheads and pimples from appearing in your immediate future.
Who wants to wake up to a new zit anyway?
Number 4, we get too complacent that once we are done having a facial or once we have used pore strips to get rid of blackheads, that it will permanently keep our skin bump-free.
We need to be constantly vigilant to prevent a new sebum plug from forming.
So yes, it is difficult to keep blackheads away. But it is not impossible.
The only way we can combat blackheads is to follow a routine and actually, sticking to it.
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Wash your face morning and night. Depending on your skin type, use a suitable facial wash. If you have oily or combination skin, use a gel-based cleanser. If you have dry skin, use a cream-based cleanser.
Facial washes with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide can dissolve blackheads. If you find that it doesn’t work for you, you may need to see your dermatologist to have prescription medication for it.
- After washing, use an oil-free moisturizer. Most people think that they do not need to moisturize because it will lead to breakouts but that is not true.
You have to nourish your skin and keep it well hydrated to prevent it from being too sensitive and also so that you can replenish the nutrients you have stripped from washing or scrubbing. - Depending on your skin type, exfoliate once or up to 3 times a week to keep skin debris from contributing to clogs. Some people have very thin and sensitive skin that they do not need to scrub more often than most people.
The key here is to figure out what your skin needs. If you feel that you can tolerate exfoliation 2-3 times a week, that’s fine. Do not overdo it. - Apply a face mask to draw out excess oil and dirt. Depending on your skin type, you may do it every day or less often to purify your skin and remove blackheads and whiteheads.
Trophy Skin has made preventing blackheads and whiteheads easier. Our line of microdermabrasion machines is great in exfoliating dead skin to prevent it from clogging the pores.
The suction also works great in decongesting clogged pores and sucking out excess oil. If you do not want to use the diamond tip, you may also use the Pore Extraction Tip and just focus on removing oil, sebum, whiteheads and blackheads.
To see a demonstration of how it is used, you may check this video:
Again, the key to removing blackheads from our lives is to work on them diligently. Follow the simple routine we have shared and if you have your own microdermabrasion at-home device, don’t let the dust get the better of it. Use it and blackheads may be just a thing of the past.
From Our Shelves:
It takes only 5 minutes, 1 to 3 times per week, to get back that smooth, glowing, and youthful looking skin that is just below the surface!
Younger, smoother skin all over.