Our face isn’t all white and radiant as always but sometimes it annoys us to see something black on our face. Sometimes we also can see something which is in white color instate of black. So what are these two things that are on our face? One thing I can tell you that it is called blackhead and whitehead.

Blackhead is named black due to its appearance on your face which is black but it is not dirt stuck to our face. It composes of melanin, skin particle and excess skin debris that is accumulated which also can be called dark pigments; blackhead is also one of the types of acne. Generally, blackhead is formed due to excess sebum produced by glands that are trapped in the pores of out skin. A plug is formed when sebum oxidize and hardens close to the upper layer of the skin which clogs the pores.

Whitehead is formed when the hair follicle does not open to air, so it’s clogged with sebum and dead skin cells. Due to its lack exposure to air, the air does not oxidize the melanin thus leaving it white in color. Whitehead plugs are embedded deeper than blackhead which makes it hard to be removed.

An infection on the plug starts when the white blood cells overproduce to battle against bacteria that are destroying our skin. Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes bacteria can cause inflammation of acne formed then it becomes reddish in color.

Removing acne, blackhead or whitehead needs time, patient and the right medium. Some people speculate that it might be the cause by food intake and some are not. Therefore, we don’t need to go on a diet to remove it but just avoid any food that can cause inflammation of acne. Blackhead doesn’t mean our face is dirty and constantly washing it. The more hard you scrub and more frequent you wash, it will definitely do more damage to the face. Thus, the advice is to wash twice a day with facial scrub or suitable soap to reduce the amount of oil contained on the skin.

Also, antibacterial products that contain benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin can be used to treat blackhead and whitehead. Benzoyl peroxide usually works with mild cases of acne cases to none where it acts to reduce clogging by treating hair follicle. Trentinion acts the opposite way from benzoyl peroxide where it forces whitehead to open up and easily plugged out.

In conclusion, removing blackheads and whitehead manually is not a wise choice to do and it’s better to rely on facial wash or cream to remove it.



Thanks to Charley Hwang for contributing this article to our Acne blog:

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Can you answer /MJ <3's question about Acne?:

I have never had a whitehead in my life, until a few days ago. I don’t know why I got it. How do I get rid of it, and prevent whiteheads in the future?

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Can you answer leguticia’s question about Acne?:

Please help. I have a whitehead near the point og my eye and I cannot pop it. A prior occasion I had one near my eye so I popped it but my whole eye swelled up for three days. Does anyone know any home remedies of creams that could rid whiteheads without popping?
Thanks

Pro Active Acne Medication

Acne is a disease of sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands produce sebum and are located all over the skin except few places such as palms, soles and lips. Sebum is the natural oil that protects the skin. The skin has very small pores, which give passage to the hair to grow. Sebaceous glands also open in these pores and the sebum reaches the top of the skin through these pores.

Sometimes, the pore opening gets blocked by dead skin cells. This prevents the sebum going out and it collects inside the gland. This leads to formation of blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads and whiteheads are also called as comedones. A comedone is defined as- a sebaceous follicle that is plugged and filled with sebum, dead cells, etc.

Blackhead-

A blackhead forms if air oxidizes the sebum. Oxidized sebum looks black, that is why the name- blackhead. As the pore is open at the top in blackheads, the blackheads are also known as open comedones.

Whitehead-

When the skin covers the sebum inside, a whitehead forms. Whiteheads are also known as closed comedones.

Whiteheads & Blackheads- Treatment

To remove whiteheads and blackheads medication is used that unplugs the pore and prevents future blockage of the pore. Most of the OTC topical acne medications can be used to treat comedones. You can also get the comedones extracted. If you extract them yourself you may cause a bigger pore.

If you have comedones, wash your face gently with lukewarm water and mild soap to remove excess sebum and dead skin twice a day. Excessive washing is not good. You should also avoid touching the affected skin to prevent infection.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.



Thanks to CD Mohatta for contributing this article to our Acne blog:

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Can you answer emilii1210’s question about Acne?:

how do i get rid of whiteheads REALLY fast i start school in less than two days could u please give any home remedies for whitehead treatment??? HELP!!
i’ve heard that toothpaste works but what kind is crest ok?

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