How to Keep Blackheads off your Skin?

Blackheads are the small spots that malign your flawless skin! Fortunately, with an effective skin care routine combined with the right products, you can fight the appearance of blackheads and get rid of them altogether.

Causes of Blackheads

The pores on your skin produce sebum (oil) which moves through the pore and out onto the surface of skin, where it melts into an imperceptible film and forms a protective, healthy barrier over the face. However, hormones stimulate the over-production of sebum which when combined with dead skin cells, get trapped inside the pore. If the pore is not covered by skin, the clog gets exposed to air and cause the cells and sebum to oxidize which results in the dark color of a blackhead.

Why do Blackheads Aggravate?

Blackheads get aggravated due to:

Not removing make-up when going to sleep at night.
Not cleansing your face properly.
Using skin care products that contain harsh ingredients.

How to Get Rid of Blackheads?

Avoid using Bar Soaps

Bar soaps contain ingredients that clog skin pores and cause skin irritation which further leads the skin to flake off and get trapped within the skin pores. So, use a gentle cleanser instead that cleans your face effectively without stripping off its essential nutrients. If you have dry skin, consider using a moisturizing cleanser. But make sure it is not too emollient and doesn't contain ingredients that add to the sebum in your skin and cause further problems.

Use Gentle Exfoliants

Use gentle exfoliating products that remove excess skin cells on the surface of the face to avoid the build-up within skin pores. At the same time, it will also exfoliate inside the pore to improve the shape of the pore thus allowing a more even flow of oil through the pore. However, make sure not to over-exfoliate your skin. You may end up removing too many skin cells that can further cause problems and hurt your skin. Exfoliation is an essential skin care step for both dry and oily skin types to eliminate blackheads. If you have dry skin, you should use an exfoliant with more of a moisturizing base.

Look for BHA beta hydroxy acids, particularly salicylic acid in your exfoliant products. These ingredients can penetrate the skin pore and exfoliate inside its lining, dissolve debris and help to restore normal oil flow. BHA also has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduces the redness of blemishes, and antibacterial properties to reduce breakouts.

Options

Retinoids, particularly Tretinoin is an effective retinoid to fight against blackheads. Retinoids are derivatives of Vitamin A that can actually help skin cells function normally and improve the shape of the pore. This normalizes the flow of oil flow and prevents against clogged skin pores.