What are Blackheads and How To Treat Them?

Blackheads. The tiny, ugly bumps trailing side by side on the surface of our noses, cheeks and foreheads. A true cause of frustration to growing teenagers and acne plagued adults. One’s biggest nightmare when they go untreated and are left alone for too long.

In light of the recent pandemic that has forced the world into a corner, it is mandatory to wear masks almost 24/7. Our skin is inevitably subject to constant irritation resulting in bad blockages of the pores on the face.

With the conditions suited for it to multiply, blackheads growth would escalate to three to four times faster than before. Many people scour high and low for solutions, be it professional or home remedies, searching for a paved way for perfect flawless skin. Skin totally ridden of blackheads and blockages. These tiny black spots look unpleasant for a true sure fact, but what exactly are they? How should we rid ourselves of these little buggers?

Causes of Blackheads

To put it simply, blackheads are pigments consisting of dried oil and dead skin cells. Our skin is made up of many openings called pores, that allow it to breathe. Its porous nature gives way to blockages, which form when the hair follicles on our face accumulate and clog with pigmentations. These are formed from produced oil, combined with dried skin cells. These blockages – blackheads, also called Comedones, are tiny bumps that commonly appear on our face’s T-zone area, especially on the sides of the nose, where oil is produced more often.

The surface of a blackhead is what gives it its name – it appears dark or black. The clogged particles appear on the surface of the skin with a black head, as its name literally suggests. They are different from pimples, since they don’t inflame nor irritate the skin. It stays slightly raised in the form of a tiny bump, and can stubbornly last over weeks or months if not for proper removal or treatment. Its colour comes from exposure to air, when the oil and cells harden to form growths on the skin.

What’s the Difference Between Blackheads and Whiteheads?

As it is so obviously inferrable, blackheads and whiteheads differ based on colour. One’s white, the other’s black. But other than their distinct difference in colour, the two are exceptionally similar. Both are formed when pores are clogged up with dead skin cells and dried facial oil produced by the skin (sebum).

The only difference between these two, is how exposed the pore is. Blackheads are exposed to the air, whilst whiteheads tend to be closed and sealed. With exposure to the air, the chemical Melanin in the clogged pores filled with dried oil and dead skin cells oxidise upon contact with the air, and turn black. Whiteheads, on the other hand are sealed, and hence the pigments maintain their white colour due to the lack of exposure to oxygen in the air. They are pores that have yet to rupture, and thus remain sealed.

Blackheads

Whiteheads:

However, every pore has limited space, and if whiteheads aren’t properly removed and are left alone for too long, the accumulation of dead skin cells and dried oil would escalate, causing the skin to rupture. The whitehead will turn into a blackhead when the pigments oxidise.

Why Should You NOT Remove Blackheads By Yourself?

Can’t control your itching fingers and hands from squeezing your hideous blackheads away? Can’t stand the sight of the ant-like black pigments flooding your nose? Join the club of tens of thousands of people who think removing their own blackheads are the best solution. However, think twice, think thrice, before committing this blunder. Here are some reasons why you should stay away from removing them on your own.

May Not Be Removable

Frantically squeezing them out may not only cause them to remain in your skin, but may also damage the surface of your skin. Skin irritation and enlarged pores may also cause more bacteria to enter your skin, to worsen your skin condition. Inflammation of your pores and the formation of cysts in your skin can result in greater complications.

More Oil on Your Face, More Blackheads

Upon successfully squeezing out a blackhead, bacteria from within the pore is released as well. This bacteria can land on the surrounding pores of the blackhead and result in even more blackheads growing in the surrounding vicinity of the squeezed pore.

Bacteria on our hands

Without the proper tools and professional aid in squeezing blackheads, we resort to using our hands and fingers. More often than not, we do not wash our hands before touching our blackheads, and germs, oil, grease, dirt would gather at our facial pores. This causes even more pigmentation problems than before, rather than solving the blackhead problem in the first place.

How Should You Treat Blackheads?

So the big question: How do we deal with stubborn, irritating blackheads that don’t seem to vanish away, if we can’t grapple with them by ourselves? Here are some remedies, professional and home-based, you can resort to.

Professional Facial Extraction

Make an appointment with our professional facial consultants, who will attend to your skin’s concerns with utmost consideration. Every case is different, every skin type varies. After a detailed analysis of your skin, the extraction process begins, without causing over-irritation to your skin. Using the right tools to deep cleanse your skin from blackheads can definitely allow your skin to clear.

Known for Best Extraction Facial, we specialise in our gentle and relatively less painful extraction treatment, giving you clear and clarified skin! Under the skilful hands of our professional internationally-certified therapists with at least 8 years of experience, you can achieve effective and visible results with minimal pain and redness!

Cleansing your Face

Day to day, our face constantly exposed to pollutants in the air, coupled with oil, dirt and grease. It is crucial to keep your pores clean by cleansing your face twice a day: Once in the morning when you wake up, another time before you hit the sack. The type of cleanser you use is crucial. For oily and sensitive skin, it is important to use a gel-based cleanser, whereas people with dry skin types should use oil-based cleansers to nourish and enrich their skin. It is important not to over-cleanse. Overcleansing may result in your skin drying too fast, and cause even more dried oil and dead skin to accumulate, causing more blackheads.

My Cozy Room also believes in the effectiveness of double cleansing, and practises it with BABOR’s bi-phase cleansing system. It uses the BABOR HY-OL and Phytoactive Cleanser, a duo that is effective for oily and sensitive skin types.

Source: BABOR

Skin Exfoliation

Buy a good exfoliator. Use it once a week. Exfoliation of the skin peels away dead skin particles caking your skin, which clog the pores and prevents nutrients and products you supply to your face from properly absorbed.

Masking

It is important to nurture and pamper your skin after a long, tiring day. Invest in good masks that enrich and hydrate your skin. They dissolve pigments in the pores of your skin and can solve your potential blackhead problem.

Known for the Best Extraction Facial in Singapore, My Cozy Room has attained several prestigious awards, including the latest Women’s Weekly Spa Awards Winner 2020 and Daily Vanity Spa & Hair Awards 2020.

Try out our Premium Pore Extraction Facial at 50% off (U.P $288, 120 min) now!

*Valid for first-time customers residing in Singapore only)

The results of our targeted treatments are immediate and long lasting, creating the foundation for achieving clear and radiant skin!

WhatsApp: 8666 0030