Self-Care

What are Blackheads?

November 19, 2013
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What the heck are those tiny black dots on my nose, chin, & forehead?!?  I bet there has been a time or two when you have looked at your skin up close in the mirror & noticed them. Well my friends those little black T-zone polka dots are Blackheads!  Almost everyone gets blackheads at some point in their lives. They most commonly show up on the nose, chin, forehead, and often occur in clusters. Blackheads form in partially blocked pores & get their name because as the oil, dirt and dead skin trapped inside the pore slowly drains to the surface, the pigments in the skin will turn black due to oxidization.
Some of the most common causes are not drinking enough water, an excess of dead skin cells or facial oil, scrubbing the skin too often or too hard, not properly washing the face, and harmful makeup. So please wash your face before bedtime and in the morning, especially if you wear makeup!
The best way to get rid of Blackheads is through extraction.(Get extractions from a licensed esthetician & go get a facial soon!) Extractions are probably not the most pleasant part of a facial, but they sure do get rid of all that yuckiness. What are extractions? Extractions are manual removal of blackheads and congested pores. After cleansing the skin and softening it using steam, your esthetician will wrap his/her fingers in tissue and gently try to squeeze out the clogged blackhead. It’s actually the most important part of a facial for those that are heavily congested with blackheads. Thinner, more sensitive skins can feel the pinch and especially those with a lower pain tolerance.  Beauty is pain, right!? It’s so worth it…your skin is deeply cleansed, your pore size shrinks, plus if you maintain your skin between your facials, you can really minimize the return of the little black dots.
For home care, look for a facial exfoliant, a pore reducing mask, & a cleanser with a bit of salicylic acid.Ok…enough skin talk tonight…time for bed…but first…gotta wash my face! J 
 
Here’s a before extraction & after extraction pic for ya!