Causes of Blackheads

It is important to understand the causes of blackheads if you want to cure them. Blackheads are tiny spots on the surface of your skin, caused by oil and sebum which is secreted from the sebacious glands of your skin. The production of sebum is more incase of oily skin as compared to dry skin hence people with oily skin are more prone to blackheads.

The tip of the blackhead turns black due to oxidisation and not due to dirt, we often have a misconception that black due to dirt but it is not so, when the oily secretion is oxidised it turns the tip black. If the blackhead is infected with bacteria it develops into acne, dirt is the common transmitter of bacteria to the skin, when dirt accumulates on the clogged pores of the skin it infects the blackhead leading to pimples and acne. Squeezing a blackhead is the worst thing to do since it will spread the infection through the delicate skin membrane.

The best way to deal with blackhead is to avoid its formation. Keep your skin clean, wash your face with a PH balanced face wash atleast 3 times in a day. Avoid creams and lotions that are oily and leave a thin film on your face, always use an oil free moisturiser. Use astringent to keep oil secretion in control, also use face packs made of multani mitti (fullers earth) Once in 8 – 10 days, this will absorb excess oil from the skin.

Exfoliation is also good for removing the dead skin cells and keeps the pores open, use a facial scrub once or twice in a week. Excessive use of face scrub can be harmful so use it sparingly. Also facial steam is good for your skin, it cleans the pores and removes dirt accumulated on the surface.