Okay, raise your hand if you’ve been guilty of squeezing out a blackhead (or ten) from your nose or your chin. *raises both hands* C’mon, even the best of us have skin-sinned. But let’s take a pledge together and promise to never do this again cause we’re here to give you dermatologist-approved ways in which you can get rid of blackheads.
In all our POPxo AMAs, the one question that is always asked is how to treat blackheads so, we asked Dr Geeta Grewal, Cosmetic Surgeon, Beauty, and Wellness Expert, 9Muses Wellness Clinic to share some insights with us. Let’s get into the basics, shall we?
What exactly are blackheads?
“Blackheads are small acne that appear on your skin due to clogged hair follicles. Since their surface looks dark or black, they are called blackheads. Predominantly, they appear on the face, back, chest, neck, arms, and shoulder area,” explains Dr Grewal.
So, these can actually appear when dead skin, debris, and sebum or oil get trapped in your pores and because of oxidization with air exposure can turn black.
Why do they happen?
There are many causes for blackheads. The most common being:
- Too much oil production from the skin.
- The buildup of acne bacteria on the skin.
- If you don’t remove dead skin cells regularly.
- If you’re undergoing hormonal changes in the body like menstruation or having birth control pills.
- Certain medications like lithium or androgens also trigger blackheads.
- Poor, unhealthy diet and over-indulging in junk food.
- Lack of exercise and poor self-care habits.
- Not cleansing your skin regularly.
- Extreme weather conditions.
Which ingredients should you add to your skincare routine to get rid of blackheads?
Dr Grewal says that AHA BHA, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, azelaic acid, and retinol help to stimulate the skin cell cycle. These also help to shed off dead cells and unclog pores also contain sebaceous activity. You can even use mandelic acid scrubs once a week to deeply cleanse your skin. On daily basis, cleanse your skin twice a day with a mild cleanser to keep it dirt-free.
But skincare ingredients aren’t the only thing that is going to get rid of blackheads. To stop them from coming back, you’ve got to incorporate green leafy veggies into your diet and hydrate yourself adequately to keep them from coming back.
What’s the deal with pore strips- do they work?
“The main purpose of pore strips is to shrink pores and remove blackheads from the skin,” explains Dr Grewal. “Through pore strips, one can temporarily remove the top layers of dead skin cells and blackheads by using an adhesive. They may even make the area oilier if dried-out skin overcompensates by boosting its oil production,” she elaborates.
Hence, we suggest you stay away from these and start incorporating the aforementioned chemical exfoliants into your routine.
We hope that you won’t go popping blackheads anymore. We took a pledge to not do so, remember?
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