How To Get Rid Of Deep Blackheads

Blackheads typically appear on the nose and chin but they are not limited to these areas, blackheads can pop up all over the face as well as on our chest, back and arms, anywhere we tend to have quite a lot of hair follicles.

Blackheads develop when our pores get clogged with excess oil, this trapped oil creates a plug which then traps in more oil, bacteria and dead skin within the pore, when our sebum (the skin's natural oil), hits air it oxidises and turns dark, this is why if you squeeze a blackhead you'll notice the top is dark but the remainder within the pore tends to be lighter. It's important to remove blackheads before they get too big or they can permanently enlarge the pore.

How To Get Rid Of Blackheads At Home

Reduce the build up - Blackheads are not caused by a lack of hygiene but cleansing is extremely important as you want to ensure you're removing any excess oil, make-up, pollution and dead skin. Cleanse twice in the evening, once should be enough in the morning to remove the oil that's built up over night. I recommend our First Cleanse Oil to thoroughly cleanse the skin, if you prefer a face wash, our purifying gel cleanser contains both salicylic acid and glycolic acid to help.

Salicylic Acid Is The Best Treatment For Blackheads

Clean within the pore - Salicylic Acid is oil soluble meaning in can penetrate through even the oiliest skin, it works within the pore, helping to break down the blockages, with regular use you'll notice blackheads shrinking and the pore becoming tighter.

Salicylic Acid is a Keratolytic Agent

Keratolytics are acids that disrupt the adhesions between the Keratinocytes thus causing shedding of these layers, what this basically means is that salicylic acid helps to soften or dissolve the glue like substance that holds the dead skin layers on to the surface, meaning that these dead skin cells simply fall off without the need for any scrubbing.

Salicylic acid is lipophilic meaning it can dissolve in lipids or fats. This is why Salicylic acid is recommended for oily skin with complaints such as breakouts, whiteheads, blackheads, blocked pores and redness/inflammation (as long as the skin isn't broken or irritated) as it can work through the oils to get deep in to the pores, this is where the blockages begin and so by regularly cleaning out your pores with salicylic acid, the blackheads you have will shrink and it will reduce the chance of any new blackheads forming.

We don’t recommend salicylic acid if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, we have the perfect alternative, the Dermaflannel can also work within the pores to help clear out the blockages while also exfoliating the skin, so you get the results of a salicylic acid and glycolic acid peel.

Exfoliate - To help remove dead skin and to balance oil production, glycolic acid can be alternated with salicylic acid every other evening, meaning you get the benefits of the pore clearing abilities of the salicylic acid alongside the glycolic acid which works on the surface of the skin.

Glycolic acid - quite simply is a powerhouse ingredient, suitable for both problem skin and ageing skin. Glycolic acid is also known as an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA), it has the smallest molecules of all the AHA’s which means that it’s able to penetrate a little deeper in to the skin.

The top dead layers of our skin are dull, dry and grey and don’t reflect the light. By using the glycolic acid to remove this dead skin, there is less chance of these dead skin cells blocking the pores, the result is clearer looking skin with a radiant glow.

Moisturise - If you have oily skin, you may feel you don't need to moisturise, it's especially important to moisturise after using an acid to avoid the skin becoming dehydrated, when our skin is dehydrated it will produce excess oil to overcompensate and so the right moisturiser is your friend.

Our Azulene Moisturiser was designed for oily skin and created so that it’s the perfect moisturiser to use after chemical peels such as glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Light and non greasy, this versatile moisturiser provides relief for sensitive and troubled skins and is hydrating without being too rich or oily. Fragrance free and packed with soothing botanical extracts such as Azulene (which gives this product it’s gorgeous blue colour), Aloe Vera and Allantoin this moisturiser can be used day or night for an immediate calming effect. This product however is unsuitable for cracked or very dry, flaky skin.

Extraction - If you have a lot of blackheads or they are large and particularly stubborn it's best to visit a professional who can manually extract the blackheads, many salons and skin clinics offer this service as well as dermatologists.

Do you have blackheads or sebaceous filaments?

What do blackheads look like

Blackheads tend to be doted around and can vary in size, they can be difficult to cover with make-up as the skin tends to raise slightly around the blackhead.

Sebaceous filaments look like little pin head size dots, they are all roughly the same size and can easily be covered with make-up, they may even fade quite a bit with just a skin primer.

A sebaceous filament is a thin, tube like structure that lines the inside of the pore which allows the skin’s natural oil (sebum) to travel up to the skin’s surface. Unlike a blackhead, it has no plug at the surface.

Sebaceous filaments are not a skin issue like blackheads and trying to squeeze them may damage and stretch the pore. Some people just have a larger pore than others, as mentioned above, when oil hits oxygen it becomes darker, so all you’re seeing is the oil that’s within the pore, it’s not blocked, it’s supposed to be there. Regular use of salicylic acid can help to reduce the appearance of these little dots but it won’t remove them as it’s not a skin issue. As you get older and your skin becomes less oily, you may not notice them as much.