How to Eliminate & Prevent Blackheads

Blackheads are something that effects nearly everyone regardless of your skin type. There's also one thing that everyone who has ever had a blackhead likely has in common--everyone hates blackheads!

However, while everyone hates blackheads, not everyone knows what blackheads are, how to treat them, or how to prevent them.

Most people assume blackheads are pores clogged with oil and dirt, but in reality they are actually actually pores that are clogged with sebum, an oily, waxy matter secreted by the sebaceous gland, which then mixes with dead skin cells and hardens in the pores.

Blackheads are difficult to treat and prevention is the key to having beautiful, clear skin. If you want a blemish free face, you can check out this page for information on out how to prevent blackheads and how to treat them once you have them.

In order to get rid of and prevent future blackheads, it is important that you have a dedicated skin care regime. You should wash your face at least twice per day with an oil-free and alcohol-free face wash.

Continue your skin care regimen by following up cleansing your face with using a toner to get rid of any stray dirt, oil, or soap your cleanser may have left behind.

If you have a lot of blackheads that you are looking to get rid of, use a cleanser and toner that contain salicylic acid, which is a beta hydroxy acid that fights all types of skin blemishes and also helps you look youthful. When using cleansers that contain salicylic acid, make sure they are not overly drying because drying out your skin can result in skin irritations and further breakouts.

In order to have beautiful, blemish free skin, it is imperative that you have a strict daily regimen for washing your face. For an added boost, pick a cleanser specifically formulated to fight blackheads.

After you are finished washing your face with a cleanser, you should follow-up with a toner to ensure you have flawless, blemish free skin! Be sure to pick a toner that is specially targeted to help get rid blackheads.

You should exfoliate at least 3 times per week in order to get rid of existing blackheads and prevent future ones from popping up. Exfoliators will scrub away dead skin cells, sebum, excess oil, dirt, and other pore clogging materials.

Apply the exfoliator in a circular motions to the areas where you have blackheads--typical blackhead sites are the nose, forehead and chin. The benefits of regular exfoliation include: unclogged pores, prevention of further breakouts, diminished blemishes and pigmentation spots, and a smoother skin surface.

As stated above, in order to prevent and get rid of blackheads you should scrub, scrub, scrub away dead skin cells, extra sebum oil, and anything clogging pores and creating those hideous blemishes. You should use an exfoliator 3 times per week for optimal anti-blackhead results. You can pick an exfoliator targeted specifically at getting rid of blemishes and blackheads or you can heck out the link to the article above and pick out an exfoliator that is best suited for your skin type.

In order to prevent blackheads, you should use a moisturizer daily. Protective moisturizers assist your skin in maintaining its suppleness and moisture. It may sound counter-intuitive, but if your skin is naturally moist and supple, it won't produce excess oil leading to clogged pores and blackheads. Whereas, if you over dry your skin, your body will work over time to produce extra sebum which will end up clogging your pores and developing into ugly blackheads. Therefore, for clear as well as youthful skin, moisturizing daily is essential.

One popular way of dealing with blackheads and enlarged pores is pore strips. Regular use of pore strips will help remove blackheads directly from your pores and prevent them from getting worse.

Pore strips work by pulling away oil and the build up of dirt from the pores on your nose, chin or forehead. The strips must be applied to wet skin for several minutes, allowed to dry, and then peeled away. As you peel away the pore strip, you will also peel away clogged pores and blackheads!

Another way to deal with blackheads is to to ask your dermatologist to prescribe blackhead vitamin treatments, like Vitamin C and Vitamin A. These vitamins will speed up cell turnover and prevent old skin cells from clogging your pores.

Vitamins can be used to fight blackheads by being applied to the skin or taken internally--depending upon the vitamin and type of treatment. You can learn more about vitamins that prevent blackheads by checking out the article linked to below.

Steaming is very effective way to loosen all of the oil, dirt, and gunk that is clogging your pores. Steaming the face helps control blemishes, cleanse the face, open the pores, and soften the content of the blackheads.

In order to steam your face, boil a pan of water and then remove the pan from the stove. Stand directly over the steam and drape a small towel over your head to keep the steam from escaping.

After steaming you can try extracting blackheads and debris from your pores. Simply wrap a tissue around each index finger and apply gentle pressure to either side of the blackhead you want to purge (as you would to "pop" a pimple). The gentle pressure should squeeze blackhead out. If the blackhead cannot be extracted with gentle pressure, do not increase the pressure as too much pressure can cause scarring and more blackheads.

If you don't want to deal with boiling water and then sitting over a bowl, you can invest in a facial steamer designed for steaming your face.

Another way to reduce the appearance of and prevent the formation of blackheads is to regularly use masks or peels. A good deep cleansing mask will help clean out and detoxify pores thus reducing the appearance of blackheads. A quality mask will also tighten pores and thus prevent future blackheads. A chemical peel or peel off mask will help to remove oil, dirt, and dead skin cells from your face and pores. A quality peel will leave your face refreshed and will help to ward off and prevent blackheads.

If you are interested in fighting blackheads naturally and making your own blackhead fighting mask at home, check out the link below for a collection of recipes for masks and treatments that will fight blackheads naturally.

Prevent don't cause blackheads with your make-up choice!

NEVER go to bed without removing all make-up from your face. Not only does your skin need the opportunity to breath but the contents of the make-up will build up in your pores as well as contribute to more oil production and build up. It is best to wash your face whenever you get home to get off all make-up, dirt, oil and pollution.

Also, switch to a mineral based foundation which is better for your skin. Mineral based foundation will not promote the production of oil and will not cause clogged pores.

Bare Escentuals is the original mineral based foundation. However, now there are numerous different types of mineral foundations that are much better for your skin that typical, heavy oil-based foundations.

• Never violently squeeze blackheads, you could end up with painful boils!

• Never use your fingernails to squeeze blackheads; there is dirt, oil, and other germs under your fingernails that can lead to infection!

• Never pick at blackheads or pimples, you will infect the area around the blemish and end up with a nasty scar, dark spot, or red spot which won't go away!

Another way to fight blackheads is with the Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser Kit.

Your diet can actually effect your skin. There are certain foods and supplements which you can eat and take to prevent blackheads and prevent them from coming back. If you have really bad blackheads, you may want to consider the "Blackhead Diet" if you are looking for beautiful, clear skin.

Learn more about "The Blackhead Diet" by checking out the article below and learn more about "The Clear Skin Diet" with the book featured below from Amazon.