Ali asks…I was wondering what is the best approach to dealing with blackheads. What are they and what can we do to keep them at bay. Thanks!
The Right Brain replies:
Ali, there’s really nothing to worry about.Blackheads are just pores on your skin that have a wider than usual opening. And this opening, because it’s so large and gaping, is filled up with “skin garbage” consisting of plugs of sebum and dead skin cells. And this garbage jamming your open skin pores has undergone a series of oxidative chemical reactions that have created a dark, black mass. A deep, dark black mass, like the kind that steals your soul. Steals it and casts it into a pit of despair from which you can never escape. A thick, oozing, throbbing mass of black skin garbage that traps your soul, and….
Oh… sorry. We got carried away there for a moment. Maybe you should worry about blackheads after all.
Our dermatologist friends over at acne.com have written a very nice article on what blackheads (also known open comedones) are and what to do about them.
The Beauty Brains bottom line:
Blackheads are caused by the stuff your skin naturally produces, like oil and dead cells, getting caught in your pores. If you can clean blackheads from your plugged pores, you’ll lessen your chances of getting ugly acne. And here’s a great battle plan for getting rid of blackheads.
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One very quick comment about treating blackheads: We always recommend that one uses a high quality facial toner every day (so many people leave it out) after cleansing…and to use it with a cotton pad. The simple action of wiping the skin over with a clean, toner-soaked cotton pad helps greatly in removing debris from the pores. In addition, most toners contain some sort of astringent (avoid the alcohol though!), which can help firm the pore’s perimeter and lessen the deposit of external impurities (make-up, environmental grime) into the pore.
Toner is NOT needed. Even the majority of derms say so.
I’ve used many toners (both with or without alcohol) that either had no effect on my blackheads or made them worse.
Doing a vapor treatment is a pretty good way to clean blackheads at home. Gets out all that build-up in the pores.