Blackheads are one of the most common skin complaints in the world. Every day millions of people suffer the irritation of yet another crop of blackheads appearing on the surface of their skin. In fact there's probably not a person in the world who hasn't had at least one blackhead during their life.



So with that in mind, we're going to look at two of the most important issues. How to avoid blackheads, and if the worst happens, how to deal with them.

The first step towards preventing blackheads is to be aware of what causes them so that you know what to guard against. Blackheads are caused by blocked pores in your skin. They can appear anywhere on your body, but they most commonly appear on the face. Once a pore becomes blocked it loses the ability to clean itself using the oil in your skin. Over time tiny particles of dirt build up at the head of the pore causing it to become discolored, hence the name blackheads.

Unlike whiteheads, which cause tiny pustules on the surface of your skin, blackheads lie level with the surface of the skin, making them slightly harder to deal with.

How To Prevent Blackheads Appearing

The best way to avoid blackheads appearing in your skin is to lead as healthy a lifestyle as possible and maintain good hygiene to keep your skin clean. Use a mild soap or water soluble cleaner to wash your skin. It's also a good idea to use a gentle exfoliant every day to remove dead skin cells and clense your skin. This will help to keep your skin health and prevent the pores from becoming blocked. However, in practice it's almost impossible to avoid blackheads completely.

How To Deal With Blackheads

But if despite your best efforts blackheads still appear in your skin, all is not lost. There are a number of ways to deal with blackheads, however not everyone agrees on the best method. You could ask a number of different people and they would each give you a different answer. So here's a selection of the most common methods to get rid of blackheads.

1) Squeeze Them Out

This is one of the most contraversial methods of dealing with blackheads, due to the risk of damaging your skin. Some people swear by it, whereas others recommend that you avoid this option at all costs.

If you decide to remove your blackheads by applying gentle pressure to the affected areas, there are certain things that you can do to avoid damaging your skin.

First, wash your face using a mild soap or a water soluble cleaner. Pat your skin dry using a soft, clean towel. A clean towel will prevent transferring any bacteria to your skin. It's also best to pat your skin dry as rubbing it will remove dead skin cells making your pores more likely to become blocked. If you want to remove dead skin cells from your face it's best to use one of the many products available on the market to exfoliate your skin.

Next, place a warm cloth over the effected area for 15 minutes. This will help to moisten and soften your blackheads making them easier to remove. However, make sure that you don't make the cloth too hot or it could irritate your skin. Once you remove the cloth, pat your skin dry again, and then placing a piece of tissue over the end of each forefinger, apply gentle pressure using the pads of your fingers to each side of the blackhead. Don't press too hard or you could damage your skin, avoid scraping or piching your skin and whatever happens don't use tweezers or any other metal instrument.

Try this two or three times, pressing the blackhead from different sides. If it hasn't come out by this stage, it isn't ready to come out. If you continue to press the area you're more likely to damage the skin causing bruising or scarring.

2) Pore Strips

These are small adhesive strips that are applied to the area of skin containing the blackhead(s). Chemicals in the strip help to dry up the blackhead and loosen it from the skin. So when the strips are pealed off the skin after a few minutes the blackheads should be pulled out. The success of these products can vary depending upon your type of skin and the severity of your blackheads. You should also bear in mind that the chemicals in the strips may cause your skin to become irritated.

3) Medicine

There are many over the counter drugs and creams that you can obtain to treat blackheads. These work to varying degrees depending upon your skin type and the severity of the problem, so it can take some time to find the right medication for your situation.

4) Medical Help

Finally, if you have a severe case of blackheads and nothing seems to help them, you should consider visiting your doctor or a dermatologist for further advice.