Blackheads – called comedones in technical jargon – often become visible during puberty but can also appear later on on the forehead, nose or chin, especially when mistakes are made in facial care.
What Are Blackheads In The T Zone?
The name blackhead or comedone comes from the Latin word comedy, which means something like ‘to eat. It’s not without reason that the whole thing sounds like a parasite. The black dots on the skin were believed to be small worms that feed on the secreted sebum.
Of course, these are not blackheads in the T-zone. The fact that they occur more frequently during puberty is because the activity of the sebaceous glands depends on hormones. As is well known, hormonal changes can also occur in adulthood – and thus continue to cause blackheads. “Sometimes dietary changes are to blame,”.
Typical Sites For Comedones
On the face, blackheads primarily appear, i.e. on the forehead, nose or chin area. A relatively large number of sebaceous glands are located here, which like to ensure shiny areas on the skin.
Open And Closed Blackheads In The T-zone
Open blackheads are colloquially referred to as “blackheads”: the pressure from the sebum plug can cause the skin to break open at the site, allowing sebum to rise to the surface and turn dark from exposure to oxygen. “Blackheads” appear as black dots on the skin from which pus and sebum can leak. Not pretty, but this way, the dirt gets washed out.
When the blackheads are closed, the duct of the sebaceous glands is still closed, so the so-called “whiteheads” are light. From a purely aesthetic point of view, they may initially be the lesser evil since lighter blackheads are less noticeable. However, they can become inflamed more quickly because if bacteria accumulate in the pore canal and pus is formed, the next step is a visible pimple.
How Can You Prevent Blackheads?
The be-all and end-all are regular, pore-deep cleansing of the face to prevent the pores from becoming clogged. To do this, use an intensive cleaning foam and ideally work this into the T-zone with a soft brush. Rinse the whole thing with clear water with your hands or a damp (clean!) small towel or washcloth.
Scrubs And Face Masks For Blackheads
Peelings should also be present in the beauty routine to intensively cleanse the skin and remove dead skin cells. But please don’t overdo it: treat your face with an exfoliating glove or other product no more than once a week to give the skin enough time to regenerate. Clarifying face masks is also recommended to refine the pores and reduce the tendency to blackheads. It is best to learn more about metabolism-activating additives such as healing earth, which promote the transport of sebum, in the cosmetics trade.
Watch Your Diet If You Have Comedones
Heavily processed foods should be avoided. Extremely high sugar, salty and saturated fatty acids are pro-inflammatory. High-quality unsaturated fatty acids are better, such as those found in avocados, nuts, salmon, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Here we like to focus on beta-carotene – the substance often referred to as vitamin A, which is found in large quantities in cabbage vegetables, carrots, spinach and pumpkin in the face. This includes azelaic acid, which is also used for other cosmetic problems to improve the skin’s appearance.
Removal Of Existing Blackheads
First, please don’t put your hand on the blackheads yourself because the accumulated sebum can quickly and unintentionally penetrate the surrounding tissue instead of being effectively squeezed out. The result: the inflammation is even more extensive than before and takes a long time to heal.
In the worst case, it even has to be treated. Rather, the dermatologist recommends professional cleaning of the skin by a medical beautician, and occasional fruit acid peelings and microdermabrasion (the mechanical removal of the top layer of skin with a grinding head with a diamond attachment) should have positive effects and prevent blackheads from recurring in the long term.
ALSO READ: HOW TO QUICKLY REMOVE A PIMPLE ON THE FACE?