How to Remove Blackheads

Both teens and adults are susceptible to blackheads, but teens are especially vulnerable to these unsightly marks on the skin. Teens, as a natural stage of development, produce more oil than adults.

Oils are the culprit in the genesis of blackheads. Washing your face is actually a bit more complicated than you might have thought. Blackheads are essentially the result of improper procedures in washing your face! Although your Mom might have bored you with discussions on face washing, she, as usual, ;) was right.

To get rid of blackheads, you need to know how they make their ugly appearance. Here's how blackheads form. The pores in your skin breathe. You've probably noticed how, on a hot day, or with hard work, your skin sweats, releasing water from the pores of your skin, nature's way of cooling you off. This means that the pores must open, which happens in response to the heat. When you cool off, the pores close. Any dirt, oil or dust which settled on your skin while the pores were open, then gets stuck inside the closed pore. Gross as it might sound, this foreign matter sits there and festers. It's trapped. Bacteria grows. The surface of the pore contents gradually turns black. Underneath the skin, a mini-infection forms. You've got a blackhead. Yuck! Now, how to get rid of blackheads.

Just as you might do, as a teenager I too thought the most expedient solution was to squeeze the area around the blackhead. I couldn't stand the thought of this nasty mark on my face. The result of this method was not good. I usually ended up with two fingernail cuts surrounding the blackhead. Using sufficient pressure, the blackhead popped out, followed by the white-yellowish infected material. Yuck again! While I did get rid of blackheads, this method left a quite unattractive hole in my face, the size of the blackhead, with half-moon shaped cuts from my fingernails. Not pretty.

I finally discovered that Mom's admonitions on face washing were correct. Once I adopted the right face washing procedure, I was delighted to get rid of blackheads for good! So, here's the drill:

1.Get a washcloth dripping wet with water that's warm, but no so hot as to burn you. This opens the pores and prepares the skin to be cleaned.

2.Squeeze out the washcloth and gently place it over your face. Let it sit there for a couple of minutes. Now you're ready for the soap.

3.If you have oily skin, an oatmeal soap helps absorb the oil and is rough enough to remove the dirt and oil. If you have sensitive skin, a glycerine soap works best. Suds it up between your hands and use your fingers to go over the surface of your face. Promptly rinse your hands, re-wet the washcloth with warm water and thoroughly rinse off the soap.

4.Remember that the warm water is what opens the pores. To get rid of blackheads, here's the critical step. You need to close the pores to prevent dirt getting inside. You need to rinse again, this time with cool water. Then, use a cotton ball or pad to apply an astringent. Witch hazel is excellent for this purpose and is quite inexpensive. In addition to closing and tightening the pores, it's soothing to the skin.

That's all you need to do to get rid of blackheads and prevent future outbreaks! Once you're used to this method, it's as easy as brushing your teeth. You'll have no blackheads and your skin will glow.

This is the best blackhead treatment you'll find. BTW, if you have any scars from previous blackheads, try this for a flawless complexion. Puncture a vitamin E gel capsule with a sterilized needle and apply directly to the scar at night. Within a few weeks, you'll see that scar diminishing.