Why people have acne and what you can do about it
Acne is a very common problem with teenagers and young adults. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, acne affects somewhere around 50 million people in America every year. Most of these people are teenagers and young adults. Most people tend to care a lot about their looks and while acne is harmless, it is a big issue. This is especially true for the ladies because blackheads which are a type of acne can have a very ugly appearance. What’s worse is that acne seems to target the most obvious areas of your body – like your face for instance. We are going to talk much about what acne is and what you can do about acne. There is a complete guide to blackhead removal by Livin3 which details how you can get rid of those blackheads. However, in case you are wondering what blackheads are, we are going to explain that now.
What are blackheads?
There are different ways acne can manifest itself. Some are big inflamed lesions on the skin which appear as small bumps (we normally call these things papules). Some papules bring out pus which in this case would be called pustules. Others are smaller discolored patches on the skin which are commonly called whiteheads or blackheads. We are going to focus more on blackheads in this article. Blackheads, as the name suggests, are dark discolorations on the skin. They are those tiny, unsightly dark spots that can cover the face. The complete guide to blackhead removal by Livin3 talks more about blackheads and how you can remove them. Before we give you some tips on acne removal, let’s talk about what causes blackheads.
Causes of blackheads
Blackheads are caused by trapped oily substances on the skin called sebum. Most of us know that, but most of us mostly misunderstand what actually traps the sebum. There are a lot of tiny pores on our skin from which sweat, sebum and a lot of substances are released. Sebum is released to the skin to moisturize the skin and protect the skin. In teenagers, a lot of sex hormones called androgens are produced. Androgens make the skin produce more sebum than usual. The top of the skin is made of dead skin cells which the skin sheds from time to time. The problem of acne starts when the pores of the skin become blocked by dead skin cells. This traps the sebum inside the pore. If it is completely blocked, you can call this a whitehead (or a closed comedone). However, if there is another opening in the whitehead, the oxygen in the air reacts with the skin pigment melanin to form a black mass on the skin, otherwise called blackhead. Blackheads are caused by many factors from excess production of androgens in adolescents, to genetic makeup, stress, excessive sweating, disease conditions like Cushing’s disease, use of some hair products (pomade acne), and use of medications like steroids, (in contraceptives and skin creams), lithium and so on.
Tips on removing blackheads:
Now that you know what causes blackheads, we will tell you of how you can stop blackheads with your knowledge of what causes it. You can get more information from the complete guide to blackhead removal by Livin3. However, we will give you some tips here. So, without much ado, here are some tips:
- Unlearn every myth: unfortunately, we have come to accept some myths about blackheads which are not true and not helpful. Two of these myths are:
- Blackheads are caused by blockage of skin pores due to an accumulation of dirt: this is not true. Yes, the skin pores are blocked, just not by dirt but by dead skin cells.
- Blackheads can be treated by good hygiene: while good hygiene is best for you skin and can be helpful in reducing infections, blackheads are not caused by accumulated dirt so are not necessarily caused by bad hygiene. This myth makes many people feel guilty about their acne and can reduce self-esteem. In fact, excessive scrubbing and exfoliation of blackheads can make it worse because more air enters to oxidize the melanin of dead skin cells. Good hygiene can prevent blackheads by removing excess oil on the skin
- Avoid oily skin products: oily skin products can contribute to the problem of excess oil. Water-based creams and moisturizers are much better for people having blackheads.
- Do not pick the blackhead with your fingers as germs on your fingers can infect the blackhead and worsen the acne.
- Vitamin A creams are also very helpful in the removal of blackheads. Some creams with salicylic acid or a home-based remedy using aspirin paste (aspirin breaks down to give salicylic acid) are also useful. There are medical products like isotretinoin, salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide which are also useful. However, they have their own side effects. Isotretinoin, for example, can deform your unborn baby so it is advisable not to have babies for at least 6 months after you use isotretinoin products.
- Follow the complete guide to blackhead removal by Livin3: The complete guide to blackhead removal by Livin3 has many recommendations for the removal of blackheads. There are many blackhead removal masks and products discussed by livin3. The complete guide to blackhead removal by Livin3 also discusses more on home remedies and many dos and don’ts of blackhead removal. You can check it out for more details.
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