Acne Treatments For Blackheads and Whiteheads

Acne treatments have been developed to deal with whiteheads and blackheads that many acne sufferers must address.  But how familiar are you with the black dots and white headed pimples that can grace your face?  Blackheads are named as such because they are typically black in color. Even though many think that it is dirt that provides the color, in fact, it gets its dark color from an accumulation of dark pigment, called melanin, skin particles, and excess skin cells.

Blackheads are one type of acne, with the other two being whiteheads and mild inflammatory acne known as popules, postules, nodules and cysts.

Fundamentally, blackhead formations result primarily due to excess sebum production by the sebaceous glands which gets trapped in the pores of the skin. If the sebum hardens near the upper layers of the skin, it will clog the pores and form a plug. Whitehead are formed in the same manner, the only difference is the plugs are seated much deeper into the skin. When an infection under the plug forms (resulting from the overproduction of white blood cells battling against the Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes), mild inflammatory acne is formed. The area then becomes red and inflamed.

There are two forms of mild inflammatory acne; the popules, which are red inflamed acne, and pustules, which is characterized by the collection of white matter in the center of the pus.

 A simple set of acne treatments, like the ZENMED Derma Cleanse System, may prove useful as initial pre-treatment medications for blackheads, whiteheads and mild inflammatory acnes. These are generally non-prescription medications, like over-the-counter medicines, homeopathic remedies,or organic chemicals that are found in fruits and certain seeds. Acne treatments such as these may be used individually or in combinations, like salicylic acid which must always be combined with either alcohol or acetone.

Benzoyl peroxide and plain soap and water are the most basic of homeopathic acne treatments. These can be used even without a doctor’s prescription. In more severe cases though, topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, contraceptive antibiotics and acne surgery may be required. Under any circumstances, you should never try to pop or burst the whiteheads, blackheads or the mild inflammatory acne, without the supervision of a doctor. The risk you run is that of causing infection and even exacerbating the existing state of the skin disorder. Popping out the pustule of the acne or the plugs in whiteheads and blackheads may also increase the probability of acne scarring.

Oral and topical medications should not be used without being under the care of a physician. Principally, topical medications help in neutralizing the bacteria found in the skin and when combined with other chemical agents, may help reduce the overproduced sebum and allow the acne to eventually heal.