Active, inflammatory acne is a skin disorder that involves the oil glands of our skin (sebaceous glands). Normally, the skin oil (sebum) flows out of these glands and spreads evenly over the skin. However, for people with acne, the openings of some of these glands are clogged by “plugs” made of dead skin cell and dirt, creating what we call "comedones".
When the plug is deeper in the oil gland, it has a whitish color (i.e. whiteheads). When this plug is exposed to the air, it oxidizes and generates a darker looking color (i.e. blackheads).
Blackheads (open comedones): appear as dark brown/black “dots” at the surface
of the pore. Blackheads are often found on the nose, but can also appear on other
areas of the face and body.
Whiteheads (closed comedones): appear as small, 1-2 mm “bumps” in the skin.
Whiteheads are located deeper in the pore with only a microscopic opening to the
skin surface. Since the air cannot reach the follicle, the material is not oxidized and
remains white or has the appearance of being "closed".
So how do we treat them?
The treatment of whiteheads and blackheads (also known as "comedones") — takes time. Most treatments take several weeks to months before a noticeable change can be seen. The best thing to do is start, and commit, to a good skincare routine (such as MDacne) with the right, medicated ingredients, in proper doses according to skin type, sensitivity, and acne severity.
MDacne's cleansers and some of the treatment creams contain beta hydroxy acids (BHA), and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) that were specially formulated to unclog skin pores and to help reduce whiteheads and blackheads.
An even faster way to remove blackheads from the nose is with blackheads strips. If you have blackheads and whiteheads on other areas of the face, you can also add a pink clay mask to your skincare routine that you can use 1-2 times a week!
To learn more about the treatment of blackheads and whiteheads, check out this article on the MDacne blog!