Home Remedies for Blackheads

Black heads are a typical problem that occurs during the period when acne is most prevalent. There are two very visible manifestations of acne on the face: pimples and black heads. Black heads are the more benign symptom that does not leave the face scarred. If left alone, black heads will disappear eventually.

Acne is a condition that usually occurs during puberty because of the sudden onset of hormones on the body. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands of the skin to become hyperactive and secrete more skin oil called sebum. Apart from sebum, the skin also secretes other substances like sweat and keratin. Generally, acne occurs due to a blockage of the duct that sends secretions from deep within the skin up to the surface of the skin. In the case of black heads, the blockage occurs in the sebaceous gland ducts. The plug of the blockage consists of modified sebum and keratin and when this oxidizes on contact with the outside air, the color of the mixture changes to a darker shade. This combined with the optical effect of hair follicles tend to give the illusion of blackness. When you try to squeeze a black head, the exudates is a nearly powdery consistency of keratin and sebum. However, this does not mean that the best course of action is to squeeze them. In fact, leaving them alone is the best thing that you can do since the body can clear these plugs on its own. However, there are products in the market that can help one get over the cosmetic issues that black heads present. This is in the form of adhesive strips that you can place on an area of black heads and then pulled off. When you put a strip on the skin, the black head plug is stuck onto the adhesive side of the strip. On pulling this strip away, you remove the keratinous plug and the normal functioning of the sebaceous glands return.

One can perform this technique at home as well with the use of a more commonly used adhesive medium like scotch tape. Before this, wash the face thoroughly with a solution of salicylic acid. Salicylic acid has the ability to break down skin protein allowing dead skin removal, which is important as it also improves the adhesion of the tape. Apply the scotch tape over the area for treatment and then pull out the tape. This might require that you make a few passes over the same patch of skin a few times before all the black heads come out. You could also just use a better, more powerful tape like duct tape instead.