Your complexion may suffer from blackheads because they affect not only your facial look but also the feel. If you have little black dots appearing on the nose, it is likely that they are blackheads. When you have oil trapped within pores, it can contribute to blackheads. As the oil gets exposed to air, it becomes oxidized thus turning black. Blackheads can form in any skin type but mostly are prevalent in oily skin. There are many ways you can remove blackheads including extraction and topical facial masks.
Having blackheads means you should think about treating your skin. When you don’t take care of the skin’s pores, dirt and oil will form and mix together and along with bacteria, things may turn worse. A person with blackheads is able to feel it. The skin feels rough, bumpy, and scratchy. Having dirty pores may also mean that your skin’s elasticity will reduce in future. Those pores can be likened to a rubber band, and the more you have them stretching out, the less their elasticity. At some degree, the pores, because of filling with dirt, will stretch out such that they will not be able to close back. Blackhead popping can help in dealing with the pimples.
Popping or squeezing blackheads can help, but it has to be done the right way. Although it’s a temporary solution, it kick starts a person’s process of getting rid of stubborn blackheads. When popped, you can refine the pores and prevent them from getting filled again.
What Blackheads to Pop
You may find that not all blackheads need popping or squeezing. Old blackheads that are extra black and very stubborn are the ones you need to focus on. You can instantly get rid of them and the next time they fill, they will be soft and easy to treat. It is easy to treat soft, newly formed blackheads than the old ones that have settled in, they can be really stubborn.
Another reason why you shouldn’t squeeze every blackhead is because some may just be too small. The pore’s opening may be covering them so when you squeeze them, it will cause damage to the surrounding skin.
Steps to Pop Blackheads from the nose
You can manually pop blackheads using your fingers and the steps are as follows:
- Using a mild cleanser, wash the skin. Cleansing with something too harsh can strip the skin making it quite sensitive to squeeze.
- Use steam to help in opening the pores and softening the plug. With a bowl filled with hot water, hold the head over it. Also shower the area with the warm water. You may want to place a washcloth over the skin for some minutes.
- Take a tissue and wrap around the index fingers then place them on sides of the blackhead
- Pushing down gently, ensure you squeeze the blackhead – roll up the fingers from underneath
- Make about two squeezes rolling up the fingers from beneath then move the fingers around. This ensures that you are not pushing on just same skin area
- You will find that the blackhead will readily pop out and in an easy way as just one plug
- If you have squeezed several of them, you can use a tissue to dust them off
- If a blackhead isn’t coming out easily, try to leave it
- If you are working on a larger area, do spread the squeeze a little so that you don’t irritate same skin area.
The nose can be pretty tricky to pop blackheads, so you want to know how to do it properly. You can use your thumb to have a brace on the underside of the nose. Take the index finger of that same hand and place it on the blackhead on one side. Now use the other hand’s finger to squeeze the area while rolling up as you push down against your thumb, which you have placed underneath.
Using Blackhead Extractor Tool
You may also want to apply a blackhead extractor tool to pop the pimples. This is usually the easiest way of popping blackheads on nose. Use the little stainless steel tool to create a targeted pressure that extracts the blackhead. The extractor will remove the entire plug, and if it doesn’t, probably you will have loosened the blockage so that you can squeeze it manually and lightly using the fingers.
When using the blackhead extractor, you place it with the hole over the pimple. Now apply pressure on one side using a scraping motion. This way, it helps to pop out the pimple easier than just pressing down.
Aftercare
When you have squeezed blackheads, it will be possible to see the pores that have cleared. They appear as little open holes within the skin. Although those pores may not close, you can help reduce and get them to the normal size while also keeping them healthy. You also want to reduce irritation and redness that may arise from squeezing.
The following aftercare tips may help:
- Using a toner, try to moisten some cotton pad and then dab over the skin. The toner or hydrogen peroxide acts as a disinfectant and when you apply it on the area, it reduces changes of having an infection. You should avoid using alcohol because when it dries out the skin, it can cause a burn.
- Applying a clay mask helps reduce inflammation while also refining the pores
- You can try using cold water splash. It is the old way of doing things but it helps cool down the area which may be feeling heated because of the pressing.
- Consistently applying salicylic acid helps to minimize pores. The acid penetrates deeper into the pores thus keeping them clear. If you have the pores clear, they are able to shrink and have their normal size
Because it feels oddly satisfying to squeeze blackheads, you may be tempted to continue doing it and squeeze as many as you are able to. However, remember that doing too much squeezing can aggravate the skin. You want to target only those that are loose and don’t require too much pressure.
