Finally! Your life without blackheads!

Several times blog readers have already expressed the wish that we deal with the topic of "blackheads". Of course, the topic is very important when it comes to skincare - but it's also a bit unsavory. Now, seriously, who wants to know exactly that the black dots on your face are clogged pores and that the discoloration results from oxidation of the skin pigment melanin with oxygen. Okay, that cat is now out of the bag. But maybe this information is also the best incentive to quickly take care of your comedones, which is the correct Latin name.

Not a sign of poor hygiene

One thing up front: "blackheads" are not a sign of poor hygiene. Even if this fairy tale is passed on from mother to offspring. "Child, wash your face more often" is not a bad suggestion in principle. But the idea behind it is wrong. This is because the excessive production of sebum is hormonal. This means that anyone who suffers from it in their youth will also have the same problems in adulthood. The good news in the bad: Mostly only the areas of the so-called T-zone are affected: there are particularly many sebaceous glands on the forehead, nose and chin. But of all places, they turn out even larger than usual in other parts of the face.

Face without blackheads

The most important question now is: how do we fight the evil? Fortunately, there are many and extremely effective ways. And this is where mother's washing request comes in handy. If you gently cleanse your face in the morning and evening, you also wash the excess sebum out of your pores. This significantly reduces the risk of blockages. Nevertheless, prior research is indispensable: What skin type do you have yourself - and which cleansing products are best suited for it. This is the first (and most important) step towards a beautiful face without black spots.

4 tips against blackheads

The following are the most important tips to fully tackle "blackheads":

1. Face masks

Face masks have several advantages - if they contain salicylic acid or activated charcoal. They are particularly gentle on impurities, soften excess sebum and then promote cell renewal. The nice side effect: users who complain of a particularly coarse-pored skin appearance will notice after regular mask use: their tissue has become more even.

2. Peeling

Peeling is always a bit of a risk - at least if the facial skin is not absolutely healthy. Since the peeling consists of a rather coarse texture, the tissue is stressed. Say: If you don't want to do without it, you have to opt for a skin repair cream (with an extra portion of moisture) beforehand. However: The effect on the blackheads can be seen. Especially products with salicylic acid provide lasting removal of the dandruff-sebum mixture.

3. Blackhead patches

So-called clear-up strips are easy and quick to use. Apply briefly, peel off quickly - and the effect is visible - both in the tissue and on the then black-spotted strip. However, we do not want to conceal the following limitations: First, the effect is mostly short-lived - because nothing is done about sebum overproduction. And secondly, the patches often work better on the nose and forehead, while the effect on the cheeks is rather limited.

4. Blackhead remover

The remover - the name gives it away - tackles blackheads in a mechanical way. It sucks the blockages out of the suffering pores. As with the strips, the restriction also applies here: on rather smooth surfaces, such as nose and forehead, the use of the device makes more sense than on the trolleys.

Why skin cleansing is important

Why is the removal of comedones actually so important - apart from the cosmetic issue? For that, you need to know that sebum overproduction can trigger two forms of blackheads. There are the blackheads now discussed. If they are not treated or the cause is not fought, there is a risk of acne. And that at any age. Nobody really wants that. But there is also a second variant, the whiteheads. These are plugs that do not allow the glandular secretion to escape to the outside at all - but store it under the skin in the form of a milky-white plug. They trigger larger pimples or pustules, but can also encapsulate and become inflamed under the skin. Understand why it's so important to fight blemishes!

The unhealthy lifestyle

Besides tips from the drugstore or cosmetics department, there is also the possibility of home remedies. There are so many things that sufferers have at home in the fight against blackheads. Nevertheless, it should first be said that a healthy lifestyle always has a positive effect on the tissue - especially on the face. If you drink little (or better no) alcohol, don't smoke, eat well, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep, you can actually save yourself a lot of beauty routines.

Home remedies for blackheads

However, as mentioned before, the formation of black spots also depends on one's genetics. So, if you have the misfortune of a large sebum production, you can also rely on the following tips: Steam baths with chamomile are a natural helper. Simply boil a tea bag in hot water, put it in a bowl and let it cool briefly. Then hold your face over it. The steam opens or dilates the pores, allowing sebum to drain away. Added benefit: The chamomile vapor has an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin. Other home remedies include tea tree oil (antibacterial; apply with a cotton ball), fresh lemon juice (4 drops to a tablespoon of sugar, gently massage in) and healing clay (apply like a face mask, removes sebum and toxins).

Where does the term "comedo" come from?

Finally, let's return to the history of "blackheads": If you search the Internet, you will quickly read the technical term "comedo", which in turn can be traced back to the Latin "comedere", meaning "to eat" or "to eat along". What the black dots have to do with food intake is not clear. Only a little more research persistence leads to the result: In earlier times, i.e. in the Middle Ages, people believed that diseases were exclusively caused by parasites. Yes, that's a bit disgusting. And it doesn't get any better: the misconception was that the sebaceous plugs were tiny worms that fed on the host under the skin. From this, science later derived the term "comedo" - and the vernacular "blackhead". Promised, that's it with the unpleasant details... at least almost. Because there's one more piece of advice: it's always a bad idea to squeeze out your blackheads with your fingers. Why? There is a risk that the sebum is pressed into the surrounding tissue. This usually results in inflammations that leave their mark on the face for a long time. Nobody really wants that to happen.