With all the home remedies and skin care products out there, you would have thought that blackhead and whitehead removal will be a piece of cake. However, the cold hard truth is that these pesky skin conditions can be quite challenging to deal with if you do not have correct knowledge.
Wait, what exactly are blackheads and whiteheads?
Blackheads are mild type acne that appears in the form of small, black bumps. These small bumps surface when one of the pores on your skin is clogged with sebum, a type of oily secretion. A whitehead, however, is a type of acne that forms when dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria are trapped within one of the pores on your skin.
Causes of blackheads and whiteheads?
1. Hormones
Hormones are one of the most common reasons why blackheads and whiteheads appear. When there are large fluctuations in hormone levels, especially during puberty or menstruation (for girls), an increase in the production of sebum on your face occurs which will ultimately lead to the blackhead and whitehead phenomenon. Stress can also cause fluctuations in hormone levels.
2. Weather
Humid weather causes the rate at which sebum is being produced on our faces to be much higher. This will, in turn, increase the chances of growing more black and whiteheads. This is why sometimes when we travel abroad, it seems that we have much less black and whiteheads.
3. Diet
Consuming food that are high in sugar and carbohydrate content results in your body creating more insulin to bring down your blood sugar level, triggering hormones that can escalate oil production in your skin. Again when oil comes in contact with bacteria in the air, it is more likely for pores to be clogged up turning them into black and whiteheads.
Now that we understand how blackheads and whiteheads form, we can try to lower or prevent this! The truth is, it all boils down to consistency. To prevent blackheads and whiteheads, it is important to be consistent a few simple routines.
1. Be consistent in your daily skincare routine
It is important to be consistent in your daily skincare routine. Depending on your skin type, an appropriate amount of cleansing and toning daily can help a lot in the prevention of black and whiteheads. Cleansing aids in removing any excess sebum and bacteria, leaving you with clean open pores while toning shrinks the pores to ensure that no bacteria can enter them. With consistency, the number of blackheads and whiteheads on your skin can definitely be kept at a minimum level. 
2. Be consistent in maintaining a healthy and balanced diet
Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet will not only help with prevention of health conditions such as diabetes or hypertension but also skin conditions such as blackheads and whiteheads. As mentioned earlier, a diet with high carbohydrate and sugar content is one of the most direct causes for blackheads and whiteheads. It is important to consume your carbs and sugar in moderate amounts.
On the other hand, food high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, with their ability to lower inflammation in your body, is a good way to keep your blackheads and whiteheads at bay. Food with high levels of antioxidants like almonds and nuts are also very useful for the prevention of blackheads and whiteheads. The vitamin E and selenium in such food are extremely effective in terms of protecting cells from damage and infections.
3. Visit a professional routinely!
While we can try to DIY i.e. (we all know the famous 3 step process) open our pores, squeeze it then close up the pores – to do this properly without damaging our skin surface is actually quite tricky and takes a lot of experience and skill. A visit to a professional at least once every 2 weeks would do the trick on top of a skincare routine. Professional facial treatments targeted at pore cleansing involve deep cleansing with machines, proper exfoliation and, followed by the removal of black and whiteheads. At the end of extraction, a soothing treatment will be done to ensure no inflammation and properly hydrate your skin. With the expertise of the beauty aestheticians, all you need to do is to lie down, relax, and wake up to smoother skin!
Everyone wants to look beautiful and have flawless skin, and as you can see, it is actually this simple. Be consistent, be positive, and be free of blackheads and whiteheads!
Feel free to visit us for a professional skin consultation, with no obligation at all. We offer a range of programmes to treat your skin, including our popular O2 Fresh Jet Treatment + 100% Collagen Mask.
