Blackheads are mild blemishes on your skin that commonly occur as a symptom of acne. Along with whiteheads, they belong to a class of acne lesions called comedones. In some cases, blackheads produce only mild changes in the texture of your skin. In other cases, the presence of blackheads can lead to more serious acne-related skin problems, according to Acne.org.
Blackhead Basics
Blackheads typically form when the combined effects of excess skin oil and P. acnes bacteria trigger hair follicle inflammation near the surface of your skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. In conjunction with an accumulation of dead skin cells inside your hair follicles---also called pores---this inflammation produces a clog that sits below the surface of your skin. Your skin oil contains the pigment called melanin, Acne.org notes, and when it's exposed to oxygen in these circumstances, this trapped oil produces a blackhead's brown or black color.
Blackhead Ruptures
Because of their placement in your follicles, blackheads typically drain their trapped contents quite slowly, according to Acne.org. For this reason, these blemishes frequently remain in your skin for extended periods of time. Still, in many cases, blackheads eventually allow their trapped material to flow to the surface of your skin, resulting in healing of your lesions. However, in some cases, ruptures in the walls of your follicles allow the material in a blackhead to enter your surrounding tissue and produce more serious acne lesions, called papules, and pus-filled papules, called pustules, notes Acne.org.
Associated Skin Problems
Papules and pustules belong to a class of acne called inflammatory acne, Acne.org reports. Papules develop when white blood cells from your immune system pass through your ruptured follicle walls and inflame your follicles' interior surfaces. Pustules develop a few days after pustule formation, when the white blood cells from pustules migrate to the surface of your skin. It is this blood cell secretion that produces the material inside a classic pimple, Acne.org states. In some cases, papules can collapse or explode beneath your skin's surface, leading to the development of even more serious acne lesions called nodules and cysts. These types of lesions produce symptoms, Acne.org warns, that can include significant pain, prominent raised bumps and extensive areas of pus-filled skin.
Treatment
The AAD lists potential treatments for blackheads that include an everyday skin care routine and use of topical, nonprescription medications that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. During a typical blackhead skin care program, you will wash your affected skin twice a day with a combination of warm water and mild soap. When applied gently, this combination helps you remove excess skin oil and dead skin cells without disturbing your blackheads, ADD states. If you develop moderate or severe acne-related skin problems, potential treatments include prescription topical medications and oral antibiotics.
Considerations
In some cases, blackheads rupture without any outside cause, Acne.org explains. However, in other cases, ruptures are a direct result of picking, scratching or otherwise disturbing your blackheads. For this reason, you need to avoid touching your blemishes and let your treatments run their course. In some cases, the AAD explains, you may not receive any benefits from treatment for as long as four to eight weeks.
