Do Blackheads Go Away on Their Own

Blackheads can be annoying to find on your face or skin when they are too visible for your liking. Medically known as an “open comedone,” a blackhead comes about when the opening of a hair follicle becomes clogged and oxidizes.

Causes of blackheads include overactive oil glands or hormonal changes. Regardless of how a blackhead comes to be, though, they are often unwelcome. If you are wondering if blackheads go away naturally, this article will give you more information on dealing with these pesky pimples.

Do Blackheads Go Away on Their Own?

When you notice a blackhead, you might wonder if blackheads go away on their own. The short answer: yes.

It depends on a number of different variables, but generally speaking, blackheads will usually go away on their own eventually. Consider the following factors to ensure that blackheads disappear as quickly as possible.

“It depends on a number of different variables, but generally speaking, blackheads will usually go away on their own eventually.”

Skincare Practices

Your skincare practices have a big impact on the lifespan of a blackhead. Without a clear routine in place, your skin can break out at any time, and it may take a while for those breakouts to disappear. There are a few key characteristics of a skincare routine that can encourage blackheads to naturally fade away:

Consistency
Quality of products
General cleanliness

Create a skincare routine that satisfies these criteria to minimize the chances of blackheads sticking around for too long.

Cause of the Blackheads

Another factor that determines the lifespan of a blackhead is what has caused them to appear. If the breakout is due to makeup that was left on for too long and has contributed to clogged pores, for example, you can eliminate this cause of blackheads by taking off your makeup at the end of each day. If it’s caused by a hormonal imbalance, however, blackheads may recur until you address the underlying issue.

Overall Health and Habits

Your overall health and habits are incredibly important to determining whether or not a blackhead breakout can go away on its own. Some professionals suggest that a diet with minimally processed food be effective for the prevention of blackheads.

Exercise can also reduce inflammation throughout your body and potentially help to prevent blackheads, too — just remember to wash your face if you’ve been sweating!

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How To Treat Blackheads

Despite your best efforts, sometimes blackheads are inevitable. When a breakout arrives without warning, remember that treating blackheads isn’t about waging war on your skin. It’s about finding solutions that work to combat the problem gently yet effectively. These strategies are key to kicking blackheads to the curb.

Establish a Daily Routine

If you haven’t already, now is the time to establish a solid skincare routine. Every person’s skin is different, so every person’s routine will be different, too, but the following steps are a good place to start:

Use cleanser
Apply toner
Exfoliate
Moisturize

These steps are key to keeping your skin in good condition and getting a blackhead breakout under control.

Try Pore Strips

Instead of squeezing, picking, or trying to manually extract blackheads, give pore strips a go. Squeezing your skin commonly causes inflammation and hyperpigmentation, and it also increases the risk of scarring left behind after a blackhead fades. Pore strips, on the other hand, are specifically formulated to work like a magnet, locking onto the dirt, oil, and blackheads in clogged pores in order to safely remove them.

Find Products That Work

One of the safest ways to treat blackheads is to simply find products that work to keep your skin healthy. Not all products are created equal, but this list is a good place to start for stubborn blackheads:

When To See a Skin Care Professional

If you have persistent blackhead breakouts and none of the aforementioned tips seem to be any help, you might be wondering what happens to blackheads if not removed. There comes a point when dermatological intervention is the best solution, and if the blackheads persist, a professional can help. Decide if seeing a professional is your best course of action depending on these factors:

Duration of Breakout

One of the first signs that you may benefit from a visit to the dermatologist is lingering blackhead breakouts. With proper treatment, blackheads typically clear within a week to ten days, but if you’re outside this timeframe and still not seeing any progress, it may be time to consult with a skin specialist. A dermatologist can help you identify the root cause of your blackheads.

How Deep the Blackheads Are

If the blackheads are deeply lodged into the skin, they might never go away. It can be tempting to pick at blackheads, but that can result in more scarring. It’s better to see a professional than to try to squeeze or pick them out yourself.

Blackheads that are not removed will often go away on their own over time, but some deeper blackheads will remain to clog your pores if they aren’t removed.

Difficulty With Treatment

Some people simply don’t respond to over-the-counter treatment options when it comes to containing blackheads. If you are one of these people, an oral or topical anti-acne medication may be the best solution to the problem. Consult with your dermatologist to find the medication option that’s best suited to your unique skin issues.

How to Prevent Blackheads

Whether you’re dealing with blackheads or whiteheads, prevention is key. Fighting off breakouts before they happen is the only way to keep your skin clear and minimize the control that acne wields over your life. These tips can help you get rid of blackheads before they even appear.

1. Follow a Consistent Skin Care Routine

Consistency is the biggest key to prevention. Investing in the right skincare products is a good start, but make sure to also use them consistently to keep your skin healthy. Establish a skincare routine that you can use:

In the morning after you wake up
After exercising or sweating
To remove your makeup before bed

2. Don’t Skip Moisturization

Your skincare routine isn’t complete if it doesn’t include a moisturizer. Moisturization helps to prevent and treat blackheads because it protects your skin’s barrier and prevents excess oil production. The latter of these issues is a common cause of blackheads, so moisturizer is a must-have in every skincare routine.

“Moisturization helps to prevent and treat blackheads because it protects your skin’s barrier and prevents excess oil production.”

3. Wash Off Makeup Every Day

Finally, you must be sure to remove your makeup every day before you go to bed. Makeup that’s left on your face overnight is likely to clog pores and cause breakouts. Remove makeup with a thorough cleaner with potent yet gentle ingredients like charcoal. A charcoal cleanser or charcoal acne scrub can eliminate all traces of makeup and ensure that your skin gets a chance to breathe.

Key Takeaways

Blackheads usually will go away on their own, but it can take time
Blackheads that are located closer to the surface of the skin will go away quicker
Don’t pick or squeeze as that can make the blackheads more inflamed or cause them to scar
Treat and prevent blackheads with a consistent skincare routine, such as one that includes salicylic acid