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updated November 20, 2009

Blackheads

Blackheads are often known as the precursors of acne. When you see them, you know exactly what they are, because they are these little black dots that spread themselves across your face. They seem to be more visible in areas like the nose. But obviously, they can quite literally occur anywhere on the skin. This being said, blackheads are something that seem harder to target than the average zit for good reason, they are harder to target.

Blackheads sink deep into the pores, and they are essentially caused by 3 things. First of all, oil hardens, second it traps bacteria in the pores, and third it is compacted by dead skin cell buildup. So logically speaking, you have to address all 3 problems, in part because these 3 factors can make other things worse.

You can do this by first exfoliating. Exfoliating obviously wipes away dead skin cells, but it also allows the skin to breathe. Oxygen in itself will get into the pores and have some antibacterial effect. This will allow you to strait away start getting rid of some blackheads that you have suffered from in the past as well as giving your skin a more radiant glow. Exfoliators do not actually irritate or damage the skin.

Second, you would want to get a good antibacterial. Yes, oxygen does naturally kill off some bacteria. But it doesn't really do the whole job. This being said, a good antibacterial will do the whole job and often eliminate them on the spot, if you do it right of course. And if you use certain antibacterials such as for example tea tree oil, it will do this without actually irritating or otherwise damaging the skin. If you choose these, they will also often reduce inflammation.

Finally, you want to look into a good antiseptic. An antiseptic will reduce your pores down to their minimal size. Your pores are of course determined in part by genetics. But they can shrink pores down to their smallest possible size for your skin. This will make your skin look smoother in general. But it will also keep dirts and oils from buildup at the same high rate as you may have experienced before.

This being said, treating blackheads is easier than you might think. Unfortunately, most acne treatments really don't take the time or effort to do it. They don't have the right ingredients, and their cheap ingredients generally speaking cause various side effects that you most likely don't actually want to deal with. With this in mind, it's important to choose the right acne treatment in order to deal with your blackheads.

Blackheads are often not as complicated as you might think. Most of us think about blackhead extractors we buy at the store or those pore strips that are often used from Neutrogena and other grocery store companies. But often, these damage the skin, strip away important layers of the skin, and otherwise do more harm than good, all leading to a product or products you don't actually want.