Probably every second woman and every first man had to deal with them. As ancient as humanity itself, blackheads are nothing more than open comedones. When the mouths of skin follicles are expanded, they are easily clogged with a mixture of sebum and dead epidermal cells. This cocktail inevitably oxidizes and – hello, black dot!
The specificity of these skin imperfections is such that the thicker the sebum, the worse the exfoliation of the epidermis, the greater the chance of getting a scattering of comedones. More often - on the forehead, nose, chin and along the hairline.
There are usually several reasons.
- Hormones. Exceeding the norm of certain hormones leads to thickening of sebum and thickening of the epidermis. As a result, inflammation and comedones appear on the skin of the face - both open and closed. When the main cause of clogged pores is hormones, even the best remedy for blackheads will not save you, but it will keep the situation under control.
- Nutrition. Recent scientific studies have proven that dark chocolate is not as dangerous to the skin as baked goods and sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index are what scientists call them. Fruits, vegetables and grains, on the contrary, reduce the risk of acne.
- Incorrect care. Insufficient cleansing, lack of makeup remover, aggressive washing gels, comedogenic creams - all this is fraught with clogged pores, especially for oily skin.
- Stress. Problems at work, school or at home affect the health of facial skin only indirectly. Stressful situations disrupt the balanced distribution of vitamins and minerals throughout the body's systems, and the skin and hair are supplied according to a residual principle. In addition, when our nerves give out, we are more likely to ignore normal hygiene, leading to acne on our skin.
- Heredity. Sometimes the width of pores and viscosity of sebum are determined by genes. In this case, it will not be possible to get rid of blackheads forever. The good news is that fighting them is not useless. Regular care allows you to keep your skin beautiful and clean.
Effective methods to get rid of blackheads
Not all of these methods of cleansing the skin and removing blackheads are universal, but you definitely need to know about them.
- Cosmetics Dermatologists advise choosing a range of care from one brand and using it daily. The least that cosmetics can do against blackheads is to noticeably lighten them and keep the pores clean after a visit to a cosmetologist.
- Pharmacy preparations Complexes of biologically active substances for problem skin should contain zinc, vitamin A, B vitamins, silicon and magnesium, which reduce the production of sebum by the sebaceous glands and dilute it. But be prepared to disciplinedly monitor your dietary supplement intake with a doctor.
- Salon procedures From mechanical cleaning to deep chemical peeling - in the salon you can get any service for cleaning and tightening pores with a prolonged effect. Entrust your face only to qualified dermatologists and be prepared for the fact that the procedures will not work on you - this is possible if the problem is deep inside, and not in the skin layers.
- Homemade recipes The rating of homemade remedies for blackheads puts mixtures with parsley, yeast, celandine, salt, soda and other kitchen “residents” in first place. Doctors are pessimistic: these products are likely to cause allergies, and gruel with salt and soda will lead to dehydration, which is much more unpleasant than clogged pores.
- Diet and maintaining hydration Proper nutrition and one and a half liters of water per day are suitable for both men and women. In the long term, an active and healthy approach to life normalizes metabolism and makes the skin clearer. In addition, a diet rich in zinc, alpha-lipoic acid and retinol (and these are the same fruits and vegetables, herbs, beef, dairy products) balances the composition and viscosity of sebum.
Causes of blackheads
Before deciding how to get rid of blackheads, it is worth understanding the reason for their appearance.
The defect can occur both due to poor health and due to external negative factors. In any case, you need to remember the reasons and the possibility of avoiding them. What causes blackheads to appear:
- Poor skin cleansing. It is important to wash off makeup thoroughly and ensure that dust and dirt do not accumulate in the pores. Otherwise, pimples and dark spots will appear.
- Hormonal imbalance. During pregnancy, menstrual periods, as well as problems with the endocrine system, sebum production increases. Because of this, the pores become clogged.
- Bad habits. If a woman smokes, it will be reflected on her face. The skin will age much faster because it reacts to carcinogens and resins. The dermis will often become inflamed.
- Excessive cleansing. If you wash and disinfect your face too thoroughly, then blackheads will also appear. Skin that is too clean will be defenseless against bacteria. The sebaceous glands will begin to produce sebum much more strongly.
- Poor quality cosmetics. Any cosmetic products must be safe for the skin. If the cosmetics are questionable, then it can lead to skin problems.
These and other reasons worsen the condition of the dermis. A woman needs to get rid of blackheads. There are different methods to deal with the problem. Some of them are more effective, and these are the ones you should take a closer look at.
Features of cosmetics against blackheads
Did you know that remedies for blackheads, for example, on the nose, have the same mechanism of action as lotions for comedones on the back? Modern cosmetics begin with active ingredients - they are well studied and successfully used all over the world.
Compound
Anti-comedogenic substances in cosmetics serve several purposes. They need to dissolve the plug in the skin pores, draw it to the surface, and make the skin smooth and matte. An effective remedy for blackheads must contain at least a couple of components from this list.
- — Salicylic acid – at a concentration of 2% it dissolves the contents of pores and has a delicate antibacterial effect on the skin.
- - Glycolic acid - acts similarly, but only on the surface of the skin.
- — Zinc – fights oiliness, mattifies well, prevents inflammation.
- — Plant extracts – some of them mattify, while others visually reduce pores and soothe the skin.
- - Clay and charcoal - they are loved for their absorbent talents, their ability to draw out impurities from pores, reduce and lighten blackheads.
- — Mild abrasive additives – exfoliate the epidermis and polish the skin, restoring its smoothness and softness.
Properties
Cosmetic ranges, whose formulas are based on active ingredients, are produced in entire “families” - so one set of cosmetics for problem skin will replace all your usual care. In these ranges, each product has its own specificity, but together they go towards the same goal.
- Moisturizers. Oily and at the same time dehydrated skin – does this happen? Even so, if there is no moisturizing product without comedogenic substances in your care.
- Cleansing. They are the main ones here: they work in the pores, renew the epidermis, remove impurities and excess sebum, gradually reducing the number of clogged pores.
- Exfoliating. Created for regular skin renewal. Those with blackheads, as a rule, have a slower exfoliation of dead cells - this cannot be done without outside help.
- Toning. By enhancing the effect of cleansers, they soothe the skin and even prevent the appearance of oily shine throughout the day.
Why is everything bad
In many ways, the tendency to blackheads is a hereditary factor. And if your parents had something similar, most likely it will affect you too. For blackheads to appear, at least one of these reasons is enough, but as a rule, they come together.
- Unstable hormonal levels.
Normally, our body synthesizes about 70 different hormones. When something breaks down in this process, either too much or too little hormones are produced, problems begin. The appearance of blackheads is usually associated with increased testosterone production. This may be due to dysfunction of the ovaries and/or adrenal glands due to stress, illness or a strict diet. If your hormones are out of whack, you need serious treatment from a dermatologist and endocrinologist. - Incorrect care.
This is when normal or dry skin is washed with products that say “for oily skin”, and all sorts of actions begin in the style of “I’ll take a harsher product like a scrub with bones or hand soap so that it will work for sure.” It will only get worse. Such aggressive cleansing only injures the skin of the face. A dermatologist will help you choose the right care. - Dirt.
In this case, you can cope on your own by taking care of hygiene.
Types of cosmetics for blackheads
Now let’s take a closer look at what cosmetic products help against blackheads – and how to incorporate them into your care.
Creams
A special cream for acne and blackheads can be drying, so it is permissible to alternate it with other moisturizing products: for example, in the morning - neutral care, and in the evening - cream with salicylic acid.
Scrubs
The general consensus is that products with scrubbing particles should be used most often - every other day, and ideally twice a week after an acid peel (tonic) or instead of a regular cleansing gel.
Tonics
Lotions and tonics are indispensable in the fight for a beautiful face: they gently exfoliate, mattify and enhance the effect of the care applied after them. Focus on the behavior of your skin - sometimes it is enough to wipe it with toner only in the morning.
Oils
Even oily skin needs ceramides, just in smaller quantities. Look for non-comedogenic oils and apply oil-based products twice a week only to moisturized skin.
Gels
If the gel cleanser for blackheads contains acids, that’s just great! But alcohol at the very beginning of the list of ingredients is undesirable, because the mission of the gel is to cleanse the skin of a mix of sebum and typical urban pollution without overdrying. You can wash your face with this product twice a day with a clear conscience.
Plasters
Not all cosmetologists approve of them. But what could be more effective than a strip that pulls out dozens of “columns” from pores at a time? And if you apply a steaming mask first... Be sure to consult your dermatologist before declaring war on blackheads with such a radical method, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Masks
Aimed at drawing out impurities from pores and reducing skin oiliness. Typically, the mask is applied once a week or more often after washing and only on dry skin, left for at least three minutes, and then washed off. Cleansing fabric masks are also useful as an express remedy.
A little about towels and sponges
When there is a tendency to inflammatory elements on the face, strong sebum secretion, clogged pores, the first thing to start with is gentle cleansing.
Normally, for the hydrolipidic barrier to perform its protective function, the pH of the skin should be slightly acidic. A healthy person has a pH between 4.5 and 6. To maintain its level, we generally recommend using neutral or slightly acidified tonics. This is necessary to prevent the skin from becoming alkalized.
After washing, some people rinse their face with water from a filter or chamomile decoction. This is very good, provided that you are not allergic to chamomile. But in reality, only a small percentage of people do this. Therefore, after cleansing, it is advisable to use a toner.
The task of the toner is to restore the protective hydrolipid barrier of the skin after washing. So the tonic is good at removing limescale and dirt that may be in tap water. The main thing is that it has a neutral or slightly acidic pH.
The next thing to keep in mind is disposable face towels. They can be paper or rag (then they must be washed at at least 60 degrees, and then they can be used again). It is important that you have one special face towel, preferably one per day, and that no one else uses it except you.
In general, there are cases when you simply replace a reusable towel with a disposable one, and the person already begins to improve. And you don’t have to prescribe anything else at all.
Third - pillowcase. It should always be clean. During periods of exacerbation, iron it well every day. Or at least change it every three to four days.
Another dangerous provocateur of blackheads is brushes and sponges for applying decorative cosmetics. It's better to give them up altogether. And try to apply everything that can be applied in a one-time manner in a one-time manner. A clean finger or cotton swab is better for applying eye shadow than a brush, which collects all the dirt and bacteria. And it’s somewhere in a glass on a shelf in the hallway. But if you really want to use sponges, you need to wash them thoroughly with detergent and use antibacterial agents.
Another opinion that people have in their heads is that blackheads appear due to the consumption of certain foods. Mostly milk and sweets. And they exclude them from their diet. It is not right. There is a book by Dr. Anjali Mahto that talks in detail about why we should stop being afraid of food. In short, today there is no documented information about the direct dependence of the presence of blackheads on products. And the point is not in the food itself, but in its quantity.
How to choose the right remedy for blackheads: a mini-guide
It all depends on your skin type. Which one is yours?
The problem is the tendency to become fatty:
- you need comprehensive care: gel, tonic, cream, scrub and mask;
- choose products for daily use;
- Pocket-sized products will come in handy - for example, matting napkins.
Problem – combination skin:
- Enough gel, lotion and mask;
- give preference to textures that allow you to apply the product only to the T-zone.
Problem – dry or sensitive skin:
- your choice – cream or mask for local application (a fabric mask will no longer work);
- avoid drying cosmetics;
- Pay attention to anti-allergenic, non-comedogenic care.
Why do I need to know all this?
In order not to be stubborn with treatment and to realize the scale of the problem. Because depending on what is on your face, the leverage on the situation changes. If nothing is done, black and white dots can eventually turn into inflammation and become acne, that is, a form of acne represented by inflammatory elements in the form of papules and pustules; pigment spots may appear on the skin at the site of the rash and scars may form.
A rare case of overgrowth of sebaceous filaments. Don't be afraid, there is a 1% chance that this will happen to you. They are usually very peaceful
Treatment of comedones with ultrasound
Less painful, in comparison with mechanical manual cleaning, is a procedure during which the skin is exposed to ultrasonic waves. As a result, the face is cleared of acne, the pores are freed from excess sebum, and dead epidermal cells are exfoliated. If before the session there were black spots on the skin, then after completing facial cleansing, the skin is absolutely smooth, even, and fresh.
Medical offers a wide range of cosmetology and medical services. Appointments can be made by phone or on the clinic’s website.
Kozlova Lyudmila Sergeevna The article was checked and confirmed by a doctor
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Cosmetic procedures
To look attractive and restore healthy skin, you need to find the root cause of blackheads. A doctor who deals with skin diseases is called a dermatologist. You may need to visit an endocrinologist, gynecologist and gastroenterologist.
Special cosmetic procedures help effectively remove blackheads. They can be used as an independent method of treatment or as a method that complements the main therapy.
People with problem skin first try to squeeze out comedones on their own. But it is better to consult a cosmetologist. This procedure in professional language is called mechanical cleaning. The face is first steamed, spots are removed with special tools, after which anti-inflammatory and pore-narrowing agents are applied.
In beauty salons, comedones are removed using phototherapy. The procedure is so called because of the use of short flashes of light that destroy pathogenic bacteria and regulate the functioning of the sebaceous glands. Phototherapy removes spots on the face, as well as freckles on the nose and rosacea on the cheeks in a course of 5-7 procedures.
Chemical peeling also helps get rid of comedones. To carry it out, substances are used that soften the horny scales and help open the skin pores. After application and light rubbing, you can reduce greasiness and get rid of rashes.
You can remove spots on your face using the biodermabrasion procedure. For it, several types of peeling are taken, which prepares the epidermis for mechanical stress. Biodermabrasion removes superficial and deep blackheads, relieves inflammation and oily skin.
