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Hello. I am doctor Sirisha Singh. I am a dermatologist and cosmetic dermatologist. We are going to
do a talk on blackheads and whiteheads. What they are? What causes blackheads and whiteheads
and how can you treat your blackheads and whiteheads. Blackheads and whiteheads by definition
are black spots on the face or white spots on the face which come on the face due to
the open pores on the skin. The commonest areas that they are seen on is the nose the
sides of the nose the cheeks and they may also be seen on the forehead and the chin
area. Black heads are actually open comedones which means pores which are open and pores
which drain out freely on the surface of the skin. Whiteheads on contrary are closed comedones
that is they are pores which are opening onto the surface of the skin but there is a block
where pore opens onto the surface of the skin and hence it appears as a white spot. Coming
to what causes whiteheads and blackheads. Whiteheads and blackheads are initial stages
of pimples or acne vulgaris as you choose to call it. They usually come on the skin
whenever skin is undergoing hormonal changes. That is around pubertal period. So it is very
common in adolescent children both boys and girls and it can also be seen in adults. Especially
around the menstrual cycle when there are hormonal changes going around in the body.
The treatment of blackheads and whiteheads is therefore the treatment of the underlying
problem of acne vulgaris or pimples. Although a lot of people have tried several external
treatments like scrubs both scrubs that you can pick off the market and scrubs that you
can make at home in truth just scrubbing off the skin does not treat the blackheads and
the whiteheads. What we need is a deeper treatment which will also reduce the sebaceous glands
secretion or the secretion of the oil glands which causes the open pores or the closed
pores on the surface of the skin. The treatment of whiteheads and blackheads therefore involves
of complete face care. You need to cleanse your face. You need to cleanse your face twice
a day using a gentle pH neutral cleanser. The idea of cleansing the skin is to get out
the dirt and the grime from the surface of the skin. Cleansing the face more than twice
a day can actually contribute to your problem of balckheads and whiteheads. You can also
use a scrub about twice a week. The scrub would not magically cure away the blackheads
and whiteheads but it will contribute to the overall management of the underlying skin
issue. If you have a lot of blackheads and whiteheads it is worthwhile seeing your dermatologist.
What your dermatologist would do is give you a cream which is wither a retinol based cream
or a benzoid peroxide based cream or an adaferin based cream. What these creams do, they work
on the skin overnight and they open up the blackheads and the whiteheads so the glands
drain out more freely on to the surface of the skin and the skin appears tighter firmer
and the number of blackheads and whiteheads reduces significantly. If left untreated the
blackheads and the whiteheads go on to inflammatory pimples that is you get the red spots on the
surface of the skin and they may also become pustunes which is red spots which are also
infected and painful on the surface of the skin. If these happens then you would perhaps
need to consult your dermatologist again because you will be given some oral tablets that is
tablets for consumption which can work from the inside out and help to clear out the pimples
of your skin. That is it from me about blackheads and whiteheads if you have any queries feel
free to contact me. My contact details are given in the description box below. Thank
you.