Once you've extracted, you'll need to apply a toner, this helps to kill bacteria and bring the PH level of the skin back between a 5.5 and 7. Afterward, apply a pimple cream or acne gel that has salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide as the main active ingredient.
Unfortunately, however, there are no permanent and comprehensive fixes to said issue of blackhead pores/holes. But you can minimize the appearance of these pesky pits by tightening your pores and using techniques to prevent the holes from clogging again.
Deep blackheads should be removed by a medical professional — usually a dermatologist or medical aesthetician. They use a small tool with rigid metal loops on the ends (blackhead or comedo extractor) to apply even pressure to your blackheads.
“Post-picking, you want to keep your skin in a moist environment for optimal healing,” Nava Greenfield, M.D., a dermatologist who practices in Brooklyn, said. “Aquaphor is great until the skin has healed and then Bio-Oil or a silicone gel as a scar prevention.”
How long do acne extractions take to heal? Most blemishes can take about five to seven days to heal after extraction, although this can depend on factors like the depth and severity of your breakouts. Your skincare specialist can give you instructions to follow to make sure your skin heals without scarring.
Clean up. After you've popped the pimple, wash your face and hands a second time with antibacterial soap, and then apply a small amount of alcohol to the remains of the blemish—this will help keep bacteria from repopulating it.
Blackheads can develop anywhere but are most commonly found in areas with the most oil glands, such as your back, chest and face. They can cause scarring, which usually appears as tiny “ice pick” scars in the skin and may be associated with a type of acne called comedonal acne.
Keep The Area Clean
A popped pimple is an open wound that can easily get infected. So the first thing to do is to clean the area with a mild cleanser. Avoid touching the affected area to prevent the germs from spreading.
'You should absolutely not squeeze blackheads. Squeezing a spot can push the inflammation deeper and this can cause scarring of the skin,' she says. Squeezing a spot can push the inflammation deeper and this can cause scarring of the skin.
You usually don't have to do much after extracting, says Zeichner. Applying a mild, fragrance-free moisturizer is enough to hydrate and calm the skin.
The esthetician will prepare your skin with light steam. This softens the plugs of debris and expands pore openings so the clogged material come out more easily. They may then exfoliate your skin. This also helps prepare the pores for easier extracting.
While extractions are good for unclogging pores and potentially clearing the skin, they won't actually make your pores shrink, and there's a good chance all the buildup you remove will eventually come back.
Clogged pores can be the result of your glands producing too much oil. More oil on your skin increases the risk of clogged pores. But lots of other things can lead to enlarged pores, including age, skin products, hair follicles and sun damage.
If you have a pimple, blackhead, or acne and dark spots occur after it is gone, it is known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Keloidal scars can form from acne. These are raised scars that occur if the scar tissue overgrows in the area.
Use Products With Salicylic Acid
One go-to ingredient for eliminating blackheads is salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid that increases cell turnover and unclogs pores, says Saedi. Suozzi adds that the acne treatment can help dry active acne lesions because it is a mild chemical irritant.
For deep blackheads, dermatologists use photopneumatic therapy. The process involves a combination of intense pulsed light lasers and a hand-held vacuum. Using these together allows your dermatologist to get deep into your pores to remove dead skin cells and excess sebum.
Microdermabrasion treatment is a great way to treat blackheads because the microderm vacuum removes the dead cells, sebum and oil that causes blackheads. A microdermabrasion treatment lasts about 20-60 minutes. Your SSNY skincare expert will apply a treatment masque to smooth your skin further afterward.
Via Refinery29, Elizabeth Tanzi, M.D., agrees that after the clay mask brings all the junk to the surface, physical massage can "indeed dislodge clogged pores and whatever's inside them."
Because the pore gets stretched out of shape, it will fill back up again even after it is emptied. These stubborn pores are most likely to occur on the face, chest and back.
For the best results, I recommend you remove blackheads immediately after a shower since the skin temperature has been raised. This softens the hardened oil within the pore for easier extractions. After showering, apply a thick coat of moisturizer to the area that needs to be treated.
The most common cause is oil gland over-production, which can happen during hormonal shifts, such as puberty, menstruation, and pregnancy. Blackheads can also form when hair follicles are irritated or when dead skin cells do not shed regularly.
"I would never recommend this method to any patient," San Francisco-based dermatologist William Kwan, MD, told Health. "Vaseline can clog pores and applying plastic wrap is physically occluding the pores.
It's Not Okay to Squeeze Out Blackheads
It's tempting, and very satisfying, to squeeze out blackheads yourself, but it can actually cause more to pop up.