How To: Get Rid of Blackheads

A lot of you ladies found my advice on blackhead prevention and removal useful, but what if you really need to rid your skin of the tricky little buggers you’ve already got? Not to worry! I’ve created a guide specifically meant to get rid of the blackheads that plague your face already. Here are a few different methods of removing blackheads yourself at home:

1. Squeezing blackheads:
   • On freshly washed skin, place a washcloth dampened with warm water over your face for 10 minutes or so. Pat the skin dry.
   • Put a tissue over each of your index fingers to avoid damaging your skin while you squeeze.
   • Apply even, soft pressure to the sides of the blackhead, gently pressing up and down. Do this once or twice only. If nothing happens, the blackhead isn’t loose enough to come out yet, and continuing will damage your skin and cause scarring.
2. Exfoliate blackheads away:
   • Crush two tablets of aspirin into powder. Combine with lemon juice (a natural astringent) until the mixture has a slightly watery consistency.
   • Dip a clean washcloth in the mixture, then rub in a circular motion over the blemished area. Leave it on for about 15 minutes. (This may sting due to the lemon juice’s acidity.)
   • Using the same washcloth, massage the mixture off of your face until it’s clean. You’ll notice your blackheads coming right out!
3. Extractions:
   • For this method, you’ll need a metal blackhead removal tool like Sephora’s Double-Ended Blemish Extractor.
   • Use a warm, damp washcloth the same way as described in the squeezing method. Pat the skin dry.
   • Cover one end of the extractor with a tissue. Place the opening over the blackhead and apply gentle pressure downward. The tool will “scoop” the blackhead up and out of your pores.
4. Pore strips: Warning: these are often ineffective and the adhesives can damage your skin. If you must use them, here are some tips –
   • Soak the area with a warm washcloth first; it’ll make the skin more pliable so that the strips can easily “grab” the blackheads.
   • Use toner after removing the strip to ensure no adhesive is still clinging to your skin.
   • I prefer the original pioneers of the pore cleansing strip, Biore.
5. See a dermatologist – If all else fails, a dermatologist can help. They can prescribe Retin-A, antibiotics and benzoyl peroxide creams, all of which can help with blackheads. Derms can also use procedures like microdermabrasion or perform extractions themselves in the office.

After you remove the blackhead, you should cleanse the area to prevent infection. A Q-tip dipped in toner will do the trick.