Oil Bumps on the Face

You may develop bumps on your face that are filled with sebum oil. Bumps that are a form of acne can form when pores on your skin get clogged or blocked 3. This activity can form oil bumps on your face called comedones. Changes in hormone production may play a role, causing acne. Comedones are common in teenagers but may affect you at any age.

Comedones

Comedones are flesh-colored white or dark bumps that may give your skin a rough texture. Comedones are a form of acne that develops when the openings of your hair follicles are clogged or blocked by oil secretions, dead skin cells and in some cases bacteria 3. Open comedones are called blackheads, because of the dark color of the plug that blocks the opening of the follicle. Closed comedones are known as whiteheads.

Blackheads

Clogged Pores on Nose & Chin

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Medical News Today reports that blackheads are the first stage of acne and form before bacteria invade pores on your skin 35.** Excess hormones in your skin that develop during puberty stimulate excess oil production in pores on your skin. Excess oil begins to clog the pore and forms a ball or oily bump on your face. The bump has a black plug because the oil that accumulates in the pore gets dark after its exposed to oxygen.

Whiteheads

You may develop whitehead oil bumps if pores that open to your hair follicles are completely blocked. White heads contain trapped sebum oil and may trap dead skin cells and bacteria. Whiteheads have a white or flesh-colored plug that you may see on the surface of your skin. According to Acne.org, whiteheads may have a shorter life cycle and subside faster than blackheads. Whiteheads may look like tiny white bumps, spots or be so small that you can not see them.

Comedone Treatments

How to Get Rid of White Heads on the Face

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Treatment for oily bumps on your face may include products that contain resorcinol, salicylic acid or sulfur as ingredients. Resorcinol is derived from resins and helps breakdown blackheads and whiteheads. Salicylic acid slows down the cell shedding along the area that lines the follicles of your oil glands, helps treat inflammation and swelling and break downs whiteheads or blackheads. Sulfur also helps break down oily buildup in blackheads and whiteheads.

Extraction

You can extract blackheads using an over-the-counter comedone extractor or flat blackhead remover. Only extract blackheads yourself if there is no sign of infection. Loosen your pores with steam before trying to extract a blackhead. You may place your face over a pot of boiling water or hold a warm towel over your face. Loosening your pores will help reduce pain during the extraction. Use sterile materials and perform the extraction in a clean environment.