What's the difference between blackheads and whiteheads on my skin?
Whether your skin has blackheads or whiteheads, both skin ailments are unwanted on your face. Both interfere with the texture of your skin and can be noticeable. It can either take a lot of makeup to cover them or you may feel self-conscious when you are going make up-free. There are easy skin care habits that can help prevent both blackheads and whiteheads from forming. Read our guide on how to avoid unwanted blackheads and whiteheads.
How Do Blackheads And Whiteheads Form?
Both can originate from clogged pores. Oil, bacteria and dead skin cells can all accumulate on skin’s surface and congest the pores where your hair follicle forms. If the pore stays open the oil and cell mixture oxidizes and turns dark which is considered a blackhead. If the pore closes it’s considered a whitehead.
Blackheads and whiteheads can form for a variety of reasons such as hormones, excess oil production, prodding your skin, or even your skin coming into contact with materials often such as if you regularly wearing a helmet and it touches the skin on your face.
How To Treat Blackheads And Whiteheads
1. Resist The Urge To Pick
Both blackheads and whiteheads can seem easy to get rid of by simply squeezing them. However you may be doing more skin damage than help. The bacteria on your hands can mix with your skin and only cause more blemishes to form or make them worse. Practice good skin care habits instead of squeezing.
2. Exfoliate And Cleanse
You should be cleansing every single day to remove excess oil which can be a cause of your blackheads. A cleanser formulated with salicylic acid and charcoal can help clean your pores and wash off any excess oil. Garnier SkinActive Clean+ Shine Control Cleansing Gel clarifies your skin and leaves it looking and feeling fresh and of course, clean. Every few days follow this cleanser with a blackhead-eliminating scrub such as Garnier SkinActive’s Clean+ Blackhead Eliminating Scrub to remove any dead skin cells from skin’s surface and leave your skin feeling soft.
3. Moisturize
It’s very important to hydrate your skin the right way. You want your skin to be moisturized but you don’t want it to become excessively oily as this may contribute to the formation of blackheads. Use a light moisturizer or gel that is non-comedogenic as this will prevent your pores from clogging. For daytime, use a product formulated with antioxidants and SPF to help protect your skin. The antioxidants will help refresh and the SPF prevents burning and sun damage.
Garnier SkinActive’s Clearly Brighter Brightening & Smoothing Moisturizer Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 formula features Vitamin C and E and hydrates your skin. It also protects your skin from the sun’s rays. Vitamin C will help brighten and refresh the appearance of your skin.
