Blackheads
Blackheads are one of the most common types of pimples that can affect
acne sufferers. While blackheads can be unattractive and even
embarrassing, for the most part they are harmless and easily treatable.
Following is some information on what a blackhead is, what causes
blackheads and how to remove them from your face.
How do Blackheads Form
In order to understand how blackheads form, it is important to
understand how acne in general forms. Acne is usually the result of
several different things which include hormones, sebaceous glands,
sebum, bacteria and clogged pores.
Acne occurs within your skins pores and causes lesions at the
skin s surface. Each pore of your skin includes a sebaceous gland,
sebum (oil) and a long tube like hair follicle. Hormones are chemical
messengers that can activate your sebaceous gland in order to produce
sebum. Sometimes our hormones activate the sebaceous glands too much,
causing the sebaceous gland to over produce sebum. Sebum is oil that is
required to moisturize the hair follicle and the surface of the skin,
however sometimes sebum gets trapped within the pore of the skin due to
clogging. This usually occurs when an over production of sebum has
taken place. Besides these components, everyone has bacteria within
their skin and on the surface of their skin. One of the most common
bacteria found is P. acne. P. acne bacteria love to feed off of sebum
and when sebum is trapped inside a clogged pore, it will feed off the
sebum infecting the pore. When an infection occurs, your skin will
become red, inflamed and sometimes painful (what we call a pimple),
your body sends out white blood cells to kill the bacteria, ultimately
the wall of the pore collapses and lots of material oozes out of the
pimple. This material includes sebum, white blood cells and P. acne
bacteria.
What is a Blackhead?
A blackhead is a pore that
is partially clogged with sebum. Blackheads are not infected, but do
have a black tip. The color black is not from dirt or dust, it is in
fact melanin (your skin s pigment). You can easily remove a blackhead
by gently popping the remaining contents and removing the clogged tip.
It should be noted that since blackheads only have a small opening, it
can take a while for it to heal by itself. Most blackheads are
relatively small and are most commonly found on the face, chest and
back.
How to Pop a Blackhead
Blackheads are usually
very easy to pop and since most blackheads are not infected or inflamed
they are usually safe to pop. You can easily pop a blackhead after you
take a shower or bath when your skin is moist and soft. You can also
soften the skin up with warm water. Make sure that you cleaned your
entire face before popping pimples. You don t want to have make up or
dirt on your face. You should also wash your hands with soap and water
before touching the affected area.
When popping a blackhead, squeeze the tip of the blackhead or use a zit
popper. You should see an immediate discharge. Make sure that
everything has been discharged from the blackhead. If the blackhead tip
is still attached to the skin, you can gently exfoliate it.