

Blackheads are a mild type of acne that usually form on the face, but they can also appear on the following body parts:Īcne affects nearly 50 million Americans and is the most common skin disorder in the United States, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.īlackheads form when a clog or plug develops in the opening of hair follicles in your skin. These bumps are called blackheads because the surface looks dark or black. This build-up will act like an occlusive shield stopping the skin from performing optimally, leading your skin down the path to congestion, oil imbalance, and resulting in lethargic skin that doesn’t work at its’ best.Blackheads are small bumps that appear on your skin due to clogged hair follicles. Toxins, make up, and chemicals staying in the skin and preventing natural cell regeneration from taking place. ‘Secondarily, the overuse of aggressive products, not exfoliating enough, and sometimes poor hygiene will result in more oil accumulation and subsequent stretching of the pore. They do not have voluntary muscles! The size and location of pores are genetically determined (thanks, mum and dad!). ‘Remember, pores are not doors they can’t open and close. Not to worry! A customised skincare routine, including a deep cleanser with an alpha hydroxy acid, will be sufficient to maintain clean pores and balance oil production. ‘However, someone with oilier skin might have larger pores due to the skin naturally excreting more oil. Chronic squeezing of pores can result in slackened elasticity which can make the pore appear more prominent. For the reasons outlined above, these hydration-helpers should be left alone to perform their function.

‘If a tan/creamy substance is excreted when a pore is squeezed, it is not a blackhead it is, in fact, a sebaceous filament. ‘If you have used the trendy charcoal masks or pore strips this is more than likely what you are seeing. This is a normal and necessary function of the skin and how the skin naturally hydrates! This is done via sebaceous filaments, which are tiny hairs that act like a bridge and help transport the oil to the surface of the skin. ‘The purpose of the pore is to contain oil and hydrate the skin. That is why it’s vital to cleanse the skin in the am and pm. During the course of the day, makeup, oil, and pollution will settle there. ‘Pores will have an even, consistent pattern on the skin. ‘Very simply, pores are the opening into the skin. So what exactly are pores and what’s the gunk that we keep mistaking for blackheads?
Massive blackheads how to#
I asked Michelle to explain exactly what many of us are dealing with and how to treat our non-blackhead-y skin. The problem, she says, is that we’re in the midst of an ‘anti-blackhead epidemic’, with the buzz of charcoal peel-off masks and nose strips leading people to think that they’re drowning in blackheads.

That’s where I come in to educate them, knowing the difference is vital for a bespoke effective facial.’ ‘I turn on my magi lamp and perform a consultation, peel at their skin and low and behold – they do not have blackheads they have pore or sebaceous filaments. Michelle is a senior dermal therapist and she says that time and time again, she sees ‘clients coming in for a facial and proclaiming “I have so many blackheads on my nose”’.
