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Having oily skin is bad enough, but when your face is speckled with whiteheads and blackheads, it's a major bummer. Blackheads look like little dark-colored spots; whiteheads are raised white bumps. Fortunately, you don't have to live with these facial flaws. Nix them with a few items in your skincare arsenal.
Causes
Gals with oily skin typically have large, open pores and produce more oil than ladies with normal skin. Because these pores are expressing such a large amount of oil, it's only natural that the sebum will mix with other material and clog. These clogged pores often result in blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads turn black because they are oxidized, and whiteheads are often formed by dead skin that clogs pores.
Banish Blackheads
To treat the pepper-like dots on your nose, forehead, chin or cheeks, you need to dissolve the plugs that clog your pores. Wash your face with a cleanser that contains glycolic acid. Twice daily scrubs should kick the blackheads to the curb over time. Washing your face twice a day also helps put that grease on a leash.
Wipe Out Whiteheads
Whiteheads are a little trickier to treat than blackheads since they often pop up on the delicate skin around your eyes. Dab a little topical treatment that contains salicylic acid on pimples twice a day to dry up the material inside the whitehead. Or you can be patient and let it do its thing -- it will eventually clear up on its own.
Preventing the Heads
Stop that ugly acne in its tracks by preventing it from popping up in the first place. Weekly exfoliation (as long as you don't have blemishes on your face) sloughs off the dead and dry skin that clogs pores. Additionally, using non-clogging makeup and moisturizers also keeps acne away. And don't forget to wash your face twice daily.
