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How to Get Rid of Blackheads

How to Get Rid of Blackheads

Do you have blackheads? Want to learn how to get rid of blackheads?

Treating blackheads requires that you understand what a blackhead is. What causes a blackhead? How does it differ from a whitehead, pimple or zit? When you understand the causes of a break out, you can treat it.

Then, when we know what it is, and what the underlying causes are, we can eliminate the source of the problem. This will eliminate the blackheads themselves.

So, what is a blackhead?

What is a Blackhead?

A blackhead begins with a clogged hair follicle. A hair follicle consists of a hair and a sebaceous gland.

The sebaceous gland is responsible for producing sebum oil. This lubricates both the hair and the skin. Without the sebum oil, both the the skin and hair would become dry. The oil is waxy and aids in waterproofing the skin. The reason your hair feels greasy is sebum oil.

A normal hair follicle and sebaceous gland are pictured here.

Whiteheads

The hair follicle can become blocked. This happens when skin cells are shed and fall into the follicle. The amount of skin cells shed in a day is staggering. Dust in your house is mostly skin cells. Eventually some of the dead cells fall into hair follicles.

The oil from the sebaceous gland can't escape past the blockage. It becomes trapped within the follicle. The oil continues to build up until it is visible on the skin. The light colored sebum oil appears white, and creates a whitehead.

Blackheads

A blackhead is very similar to a whitehead. Both are clogged hair follicles. The source of the blockage is usually dead skin cells. Both a re the result of the sebum oil trapped with the skin.

The difference between the two is exposure to the air. In a blackhead, the pore is not completely blocked. There is enough of an obstacle to prevent the sebum oil from escaping. But air can circulate and expose the oil to oxygen.

Oxygen will react with most compounds. This process is called oxidation. The oxygen molecule attempts to fill its out shell with electrons by reacting with other molecules. The byproducts of oxidation are often carbon dioxide and water.

The sebum oil will darken due to exposure to oxygen. The white color becomes black, and the result is called a blackhead.

Pimples

The next stage is a pimple or zit. Bacteria living on the skin consume the sebum oil. The oil trapped in the pore is a feast for this bacteria. Furthermore, the bacterial growth rate is aided by the lack of air inside the pore. These conditions allow the bacteria to multiply. This triggers an immune response from your body.

The immune response consists of white blood cells. They attack the bacteria. As the white blood cells gather at the pore, the result is inflammation and redness. These factors create the raised bump of a pimple.

How to Treat Blackheads

There is a great variety of treatments for blackheads. Treating your blackhead problem is a matter of finding the proper solution or combination of treatments for your skin.

•? You can chemically exfoliate your skin to penetrate and remove existing blockages and prevent new ones.
•? You can scrub away the dead skin cells.
•? You can chemically kill the bacteria living on the surface of the skin.
•? You can control the oil on your skin.
•? You can physically remove blackheads after they have formed.

We will explore the various methods of treating blackheads.

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Do you already have blackheads? If so you can physically remove them from your pores. Biore Pore Perfect Deep Cleansing Pore Strips adhere to your skin briefly, and then you pull them off. The blackheads are pulled from your skin and remain in the strip.

These strips are the perfect blackhead treatment. You simply will not believe the stuff visibly extracted from your skin. I highly recommnd these to anyone who suffers from blackheads.


The Derma Micro Needle Roller (540 Needles) is a surprising way to treat scars and promote skin health. The needles penetrate the skin just a bit as you roll it. This causes the skin to increase collagen to heal the skin. The result is scar healing and healthier skin. It also also be absorption of products apply on the surface of the skin. The 540 needles are important because there is less discomfort with smaller needles, and the sheer number of needles gives you better coverage.


The Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System is a exfoliating brush. This means it gently srubs away the dead skin cells before they clog your pores. The brush and granules will remove the old dead skin and reveal the fresh young skin underneath.

But the most amazing thing about this brush is the price. Similar products on TV charge ten times as much. This brush is simply a steal.


This roller may look like it is painful. However, it doesn't hurt very much at all. The 1.0mm Micro Needle Roller Skin Care Therapy Dermatology System will make your skin softer and smoother. It will also shrink the size of your pores.

Lemon Juice

Lemons are a natural source of Salicylic Acid. Salicylic Acid is an exfoliant for your skin. It will penetrate clogged pores and remove the blockages, both treating and preventing blackheads.

Salicylic Acid is so effective, it is used in many commercial products. For example, salicylic acid is main ingredient in both products below.

But why spend money on expensive peels and other products containing salicylic acid when you you can easily get cheap lemons at the supermarket. Lemons contain all the salicylic acid you need. Click here for simple instructions for how to use lemon juice for acne.


Everyone knows about the Proactiv Solution Micro-Crystal Acne Kit. This product has been endorsed by celebrities like Jessica Simpson. You have probably seen her TV commercial. She describes some pretty dramatic results with Proactiv. Based on the amount of good results using this system, it is definitely worth trying.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It is an exfoliant, similar to a brush. The gritty feel of the baking soda can scrub away the skin cells. You massage the baking soda on the skin. It unclogs pores and allows the sebum oil out.

Baking soda actively scrubs off the top layer of skin. It is gentle, and should not damage the skin too much. But you can over exfoliate. Scrubbing beyond a certain point may affect the skin below the surface. You may experience tenderness, inflamation and potentially more acne.


The Neutrogena Complete Therapy System is Neutrogenas answer to Proactiv. They are both comphrensive systems and regimens. Some people have discovered the Neutrogena is less drying than Proactive. It is a good alternative to Proactiv.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste has been a long recommend home remedy for acne. Toothpaste contains hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and alcohol. The hydrogen peroxide will increase oxygen levels and kill bacteria. Alcohol will also kill bacteria. Baking soda is an exfoliant. Thus toothpaste combine both treatment types.

Toothpaste can dry out the skin and a pimple. However it is likely to irritate the skin and cause redness and peeling. The skin can become burned by toothpaste.