Those bumps on your face sure look ugly. But have you ever wondered why every two weeks you seem to get a whitehead on your forehead, nose and cheeks? Well-known dermatologist, Sejal Shah, Criticare, Mumbai, answers all your queries about whiteheads.
What causes whiteheads?
Like most pimples and breakouts, excessive oil produced from the oil glands, certain cosmetic products, dirt, bacteria and dead cells lead to whiteheads. The reason is that hair follicles in your skin get clogged with oil and bacteria from the surface of your skin. The bacteria and oil on the hair follicle cause a bump to form on the skin surface, leading to a whitehead.
Is it okay to pop whiteheads?
Popping a whitehead may seem like the fastest way to get rid of it, but in reality, popping can make your problem worse. When you pop a whitehead, the mixture of bacteria, debris and oil in it can spill onto the surrounding area, potentially infecting it. It will also force the bacteria and oil clogging your skin pore to go deeper into the hair follicle making the whitehead more noticeable. Also, the ruptured skin can be permanently damaged leading to scarring and hyperpigmentation.
How to prevent whiteheads?
Cleansing your face is the key to preventing whiteheads. To prevent the pores of hair follicles from getting clogged, use a gentle exfoliating cleanser twice a day to remove the dead cells and clean the pores. Opt for cleansers that contain salicylic acid and glycolic acid. A salicylic acid cleanser can also help in treating a whitehead. Salicylic acid can also help soothe the redness and heal the infection. Also, try these five packs to remove whiteheads.Baking soda paste can also help clear whiteheads.
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