By Christine Preston, certified Holistic Skin Therapist and Founder of MySkinDiscovery.com, a virtual skin care consultancy, blog and shop dedicated to helping you achieve breakthrough skin care results at home.
If not properly extracted, blackheads will turn into acne breakouts. Get ahead of your acne by learning this professional blackhead removal technique that you can do at home and specific products to prevent blackheads.
In this article, you’ll learn:
How blackheads start the acne process
What products are best for treating blackheads
The professional blackhead removal technique you can do from home
A blackhead is a closed comedone, a plug of oil and dead skin cells trapped within a hair follicle. As air gets to it, it oxidizes and the surface of the plug turns black or grey in colour - hence the name “blackhead”.
It’s typical to spot these on or around the nose or t-zone where pores are larger. However, they can appear anywhere on the face, chest, back and even in your ears!
The acne process
Blackheads are created by excess oil production, lack of effective cleansing, exfoliating or skin care products that have clogged your pores.
If not extracted, your skin will start to grow over the plug and create a microcomedone, a blackhead trapped below the skin’s surface. This is often referred to as congested skin, where the surface feels bumpy to the touch.
Since your skin is producing oil, the follicle will eventually swell and a papule will begin to form. A papule is an inflamed acne breakout that is red and often tender to the touch.
The next stage of a papule is called a pustule - when you notice an acne breakout with an infection appearing as a red raised lesion with a white or yellow head filled with pus. This is where acne bacteria thrives.
The best exfoliants to treat blackheads
Blackheads are considered non-inflammatory acne, meaning it’s safe to use physical exfoliants that are typically too stimulating for inflamed types, like papules and pustules mentioned above.
Physical exfoliants immediately lift dead cells from the surface of the skin. With blackheads this is really important because flakes that are left on the skin can easily fall back into the follicle and create more blackheads.
Once or twice a week, consider using a dual exfoliant that acts as a physical and chemical scrub to detach and lift dead skin cell build up.
If your skin is on the oily side, try the Grapefruit Polishing Powder. You can buffer it with the gentle cream cleanser during the cooler months for increased results. If your skin is on the dry side, your skin will prefer the Mint Poppy Seed Polish.
In addition, consider adding one or two additional nights of a chemical based exfoliant to liquify the trapped oil inside your follicles. This is an important step if your blackheads are too deep or there are a lot of them.
The mandelic acid will work inside the follicle to soften the oil, lactic acid will lighten any hyperpigmentation while the other fruit acids refine your skin’s texture while you sleep.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to maintain your results by double cleansing every night. Your first cleanse should be with a gentle cream cleanser to effectively remove any sunscreen and makeup while your second cleanse can be with a gel or foaming cleanser using this super soft Konjac Facial Sponge.
Try this at-home blackhead removal technique
Step 1 - take a warm shower
Steam from your shower will soften your skin and open your pores to facilitate the extraction process. Depending on your unique skin, you may need 5 minutes or 10 minutes for your pores to open enough so that you can safely remove your blackheads.
Step 2 - apply a hydrator and moisturizer
If you have combination skin, your pores are smaller which will make your blackhead removal process more challenging. Prepare your skin with a hydrating serum like the HydrExtreme and an acne-safe moisturizing lotion like the Moisture Complex to soften your pores and lock in the heat from your shower to keep your pores dilated.
Step 3 - try this blackhead removal technique
There are two awesome tools you can use at home to make extractions easier. This blackhead extractor and tweezer set will help you isolate blackheads for removal and pull plugs out that are stuck in the follicle.
Start with the extractor. Isolate the blackhead in the middle of the thinner loop and gently press down to encourage the blackhead to surface. If that doesn’t work, switch to the thicker end. Isolate the blackhead in the thinnest area of the loop and gently glide the tool towards the blackhead. Try one more time on the other side.
When it comes to blackhead removal, it’s really important to know when to quit so that you don’t break a capillary vein or cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation marks that can be left on the skin for months!
Give it three times before moving on to the next one.
If you don’t have an extractor or tweezers at your disposal, you must cut your nails very short to prevent unnecessary damage while trying the following blackhead removal technique.
Wrap your index fingers with tissue paper. Isolate the blackhead with both fingers and position them at 3:00 and 9:00, then 5:00 and then 10:00, then 2:00 and 7:00. When you’re in position, gently pull, press and push the blackhead up and out of the skin.
Remember - three tries and move on!
Step 4 - cleanse your face and any tools
You may now see flakes and plugs of oil that are sitting on the surface of your skin. These can easily fall back into your pores so make sure to cleanse your skin using a gentle cleanser. Rinse with cool water to calm down your skin.
Always wash your tools after each use with soap and warm water. Better yet, sterilize using rubbing alcohol.
Step 5 - moisturize thoroughly Your skin may appear pink in the areas you tried to extract. Calm down the skin by applying ice wrapped in tissue paper in 10 second intervals if your skin is really red. Follow that up with a hydrating serum and the clarifying cream to prevent new blackheads from forming. Lastly, apply antioxidants like the Super Serum Advance + in the morning to prevent the oxidation process that hardens and traps the oil in the first place. Always apply your sunscreen over top to support this and protect your skin from photo aging - especially when you’re using exfoliants that cause your skin to become photosensitive! Blackheads can be persistent so get ahead of them by using the right products and techniques. Since your skin is constantly turning over, you can repeat this process as needed to maintain clear skin.
All Clean Beauty Forum posts are intended strictly for educational purposes. It is not intended to make any representations or warranties about the outcome of any product/service.
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