[SKIN TRUTH] Blackheads: choose sebum control over forced removal

Even if you’re not very interested in skincare, you probably know what blackheads are.

According to the countless subway ads and social media marketing around us these days, there seems to be an endless number of products targeted to eliminating blackheads. From nose strips to exfoliation cleansers, what’s really behind the obsession with blackheads?

Blackheads are a form of mild acne caused by clogged hair follicles in the skin. When sebum is secreted from sebaceous glands, the sebum, along with other oils and dead skin cells, collects inside your pores and forms small bumps in your skin. These bumps, called comedones, gradually get larger and if they break the skin, exposure to the air makes the exposed portion of the bump turn dark (which is why they are called blackheads).

This is because sebum is generally made up of fatty components and one of the characteristics of fat is that it turns dark when it interacts with air.

Blackheads are most commonly found in parts of the face with lots of sebum, like the T-zone and the nose. Because a part of these comedones are visible outside the skin through pores, they are sometimes referred to as open pimples. In terms of skincare, because taking care of the comedones that are already outside the skin will prevent further skin trouble, blackheads qualify as a rather mild form of acne.

Because of the appearance of blackheads, people often use their nails or blackhead removal products to squeeze or pull out blackheads, but forcibly removing blackheads can be harmful for your skin. For proper management, instead of squeezing out and removing the entire comedone, it’s far better to remove only the portion of the comedone that is visible and outside the skin.

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