While blackheads can be professionally extracted, you should never have whiteheads removed. Extracting these comedones can cause impurities to spread which can actually cause more whiteheads or blackheads to form. Similar to popping blemishes, extracting or picking at whiteheads can also leave a mark or dark spot.
The pores can also become inflamed if the blackhead isn't treated. Other conditions can occur as a consequence of the inflamed tissue if you pop pimples yourself. Scarring can occur if a pimple is recurring and you continuously pop it. The scars are usually pitted and sometimes remain as a dark red mark.
Use an exfoliating mask or facewash at least once a week on your entire face, and up to three time per week on your nose. Avoid over-scrubbing the skin around your nose. While exfoliation is important, you don't want to go through the process every single day.
Prevents Future Breakouts
Blackheads and whiteheads are caused by a buildup of sebum, oil, dead skin cells, and even the makeup or sunscreen you use on your face. If you are regularly clearing your pores of these things, you prevent that buildup and can stop a breakout before it occurs.
Use the pads of your fingers, not your fingernails. Use Q-tips to pop your whitehead. Better yet, wrap clean tissue paper around your fingers or a Q-tip in each hand. It's helpful to first stretch the skin away from the pimple and then apply pressure in the direction of the pimple using a gentle but firm touch.
Treating whiteheads and blackheads
To unclog pores, dermatologists recommend using a retinoid. You can buy one retinoid, adapalene, without a prescription. You'll also want to use a benzoyl peroxide wash.
Whiteheads are a type of sub-surface pre-acne that can turn into pimples, blemishes or acne. Also known as bikou bumps, they occur when a pore or hair follicle (also known as a comedone) is clogged with oil, dead skin and impurities.
Clogged pores are the main cause of whiteheads. Your pores can become blocked for several reasons. One cause of blocked pores is hormonal changes, which are common triggers of acne. Certain life stages can increase the amount of sebum, or oil, your pores produce.
A whitehead is a type of acne that isn't inflamed. Whiteheads occur when skin cells, oil, and bacteria combine to create a white tip of oil-skin mixture. A whitehead looks like a small pimple, but the area around it will not be inflamed and red.
It can be very tempting — and satisfying — to squeeze out or pop blackheads. However, squeezing out blackheads can create several problems: You may not remove the entire blackhead. You may even push the blackhead further into your skin, which can cause painful irritation.
Blackheads and whiteheads are both clogged with the same thing: Dead skin cells (which your skin is always shedding), Propionibacterium acnes (a bacteria that lives on your skin), and sebum (an oily substance secreted by tiny glands inside your pores).
When whiteheads are exposed to air, they oxidize, turn black and become blackheads. Blackheads and whiteheads are one spectrum of acne. The dreaded pimple is more about bacteria and inflammation.
Given the increase in oil production, she says your skin will usually look greasier and slightly more inflamed. Zeichner adds that stress acne can also look like a combination of blackheads, whiteheads, red bumps, and pus pimples.
After you remove a blackhead, your pore will appear smaller. That's because the dirt and oil have been removed. Swipe a toner, such as witch hazel, over the area to kill any bacteria you may have spread and to condition your pores. You may want to avoid directly touching the area while your skin heals.
The white stuff that comes out of your pores like thin strings when you squeeze your nose is called a sebaceous filament. It's mostly made up of sebum (oil that your skin produces) and dead skin cells. This substance typically collects in pores around your nose and chin.
Don't pop or squeeze pus-filled pimples
You can cause the bacteria to spread and the inflammation to worsen.
Most whiteheads go away on their own, but it may take a little time—sometimes up to seven days. It's better to see a healthcare provider at the first sign of whiteheads and follow their treatment suggestions.
Milia are usually small, around 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter. Some can grow larger. Milia won't pop and can take a long time to go away. Milia can show up anywhere, but they are most common on the face.
Don't poke too early. Wait until your pimple has a firm white head. That means the pus is close to the surface and ready to be drained.
Cold sores often appear in one place on the lower lip and form as a cluster of small blisters. Pimples can appear anywhere and have a single whitehead or blackhead.
Cystic acne is a type of inflammatory acne that causes painful, pus-filled pimples to form deep under the skin. Acne occurs when oil and dead skin cells clog skin pores. With cystic acne, bacteria also gets into the pores, causing swelling or inflammation. Cystic acne is the most severe type of acne.
Although it might feel good to pop a pimple, dermatologists advise against it. Popping a pimple can cause infection and scarring, and it may make the pimple more inflamed and noticeable. It also delays the natural healing process. Due to this, it is usually best to leave pimples alone.