How to Get Rid of Blackheads

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Blackheads usually appear in a persons teenage years - and they usually return over and over again for many people throughout their entire lives. Almost 8 out of 10 teenagers have acne - which is the official term for a collection of whiteheads and blackheads.

But it isnt only teenagers, many adults also have acne. But thats no surprise as there are over 5 million pores on your body - and thousands on your face alone, as well as around 650 sweat glands per 6.5 cm of skin.

What causes blackheads

So how do blackheads form? Its simply when a hair follicle (pore) becomes clogged with oils and dead skin cells. If the clogged up pore stays open, rather than seals itself, its exposed to oxygen and turns black or a dark colour, hence the term baclackhead.

If the skin over the pore stays closed, this produces a whitehead.

Blackheads are a mild type of acne that usually form on the face, but they can also appear in other areas of the body, including:

The neck
Shoulders
Arms
Chest
Back

Blackheads are usually not painful because they arent inflamed - like pimples. Pimples appear when bacteria invade a blockage in the hair follicle, causing redness and inflammation.

Is there anything that could increase my chances of getting blackheads?

There are a few factors that could affect whether or not you get blackheads - including:

Taking birth control pills
Menstruation
Build up of natural oils on the skin
Taking drugs such as corticosteroids or androgens
Not washing for a period of time
Dehydrated skin (encourages more oil to build up)
Build up of dead skin
Cosmetics that irritate your skin

Manually removing blackheads

Obviously, its preferable to remove blackheads with minimal pain and fuss. You could go down the old fashioned route and use your fingers to squeeze out the contents of the blackhead.

But this can increase the risk of developing more blackheads. You could get a chemical peel or use prescription medicines to get rid of the blackheads - but these all come with unfavourable side effects.

Blackhead Extraction Tool

The best thing to do to remove blackheads is to do it manually using a specialised tool.

A fantastic example is the Blackhead Extraction Tool as it can remove both blackheads and ingrown hairs which can also cause blackheads. It swiftly and painlessly removes the offending blackheads using special claws which are used to make a gentle incision on the blackhead.

The user then flips the tool around and uses the sturdy rounded edges of the claws to push out any debris trapped under the skin - so the blackheads literally disappears before your eyes.

Its vital that you remove blackheads safely and carefully, as some blackheads are more serious and painful than others. Its also just as important to keep on top of your facial hygiene while using the tool.

For example, for every five blackheads you extract, make sure you use a toner to cleanse away the escaped debris. After youve finished using the tool its a great idea to use a face mask to tighten the skin and absorb any dirt and oil that may be left over from your blackhead extraction session.

Compared to the traditional rounded loop blackhead extractor tools, the claw style tools work a lot better on painful spots such as ingrown hairs.

The Blackhead Extraction Tool identifies the problem area and the claws work around the spot then push out the blackhead with no pain at all. Its made from robust metals so the points of the claws are very sharp and thin.

That means when you make the tiny incision on the blackhead, it doesnt hurt at all.

Happy blackhead extracting!