All About Whiteheads

If blackheads are an annoyance, whiteheads are a true frustration. Acne, in all of its forms is unwelcome, and nobody desires to experience the intrusion that takes place on their skin. However, when approached with patience and consistency, acne treatments can be quite effective, even on acne that is most commonly referred to as “zits.”

What is a Whitehead – All About Whiteheads

In order to best understand how to get rid of whiteheads, and cut down on the future occurrences of the oft-unsightly form of acne, it helps to understand all there is to know about a whitehead.

Whiteheads form in the very same manner as their acne relative, the blackhead. The difference lies at the surface of the skin. In both whiteheads and blackheads, dead skin cells mixed with bacteria from the skin’s surface, as well as sebum secreted by the sebaceous gland, clog the hair follicle. This creates the inflammation known as acne

Whiteheads are also considered closed comedones. They have only a microscopic opening at the surface of the skin pore, and thus the acne waste remains just inside the surface of the skin, pressing outward and remaining white because it hasn’t been oxidized by the outside air.

Treating Whiteheads

Now that the simple nature of a whitehead is known, it is just as simple to treat it. Unfortunately, many who suffer from whiteheads believe the most effective treatment for their acne to be squeezing, popping, picking, etc. While that may seem like an effective way to extract a comedone, it isn’t.

The best way to fight current whiteheads is to allow them to run their course. To help prevent new acne inflammations from occurring, a great skin care regimen combined with a topical, skin medication serves as the most effective course of action.

Properly exfoliating the skin on a daily basis is one way to help the skin renew, while washing away the dead skin cells that can become a clogging problem. There are also face washes that offer mild exfoliants in form of benzoyl peroxide as well as salicylic acid. Both are great for helping to break down the dead skin cells and neutralize the bacteria that lives on the outer layer of the skin.

Cleansing the skin with a mild astringent will help to calm it, allow it to breathe and begin its natural reparation process. For those who suffer from regular whitehead breakouts, adding a facial cream to a skin care regimen, such as a 2.5 percent-concentrate benzoyl peroxide, is a great way to ward off the development of new acne.

Many use such a cream to spot treat whiteheads, but it should be used liberally across the entire face and/or problem areas. If used daily, this should help with the reduction of both whiteheads and blackheads.

If over-the-counter treatment methods don’t offer anything in terms of effectiveness for whiteheads, consider consulting with a dermatologist. They may be able to help identify some additional treatments, both oral and topical that could be effective in the treatment of all forms of acne.