What is a Blackhead?
A blackhead is a mild type of acne that grows in the form of a bump on the skin. These bumps are formed as a result of clogging in the hair follicles.
Blackheads obtain their name from the color of the swellings on the skin which are usually black.
Acne, which occurs in different forms is a common skin inflammation that affects a big population all over the world. Although common in teenagers, acne or blackheads affects a wide range of people between the ages of 12 and 40 years.
Blackheads can appear on many parts of the body including; Face, neck, back, arms, shoulders, chest, and back.
What Are Some Common Signs Or Symptoms Of Blackheads?
Blackheads appear as small spots on the skin or black bumps that are slightly raised above the skin.
Blackheads are sometimes called pimples and may vary in appearance depending on the severity. The pimples are mostly formed as a result of blocked hair follicles caused by bacteria.
What Causes Blackheads/How Are They Formed?
Hair follicles on the skin contain one hair and a sebaceous gland(noncancerous cysts of the skin.)
When a clog develops in any of the follicles on the skin, a blackhead is formed. The sebaceous glands produce sebum(oils that helps the skin remain soft)
A comedo which is the earlier form of a blackhead is formed when dead cells collect in the skin follicles.
The skin over the bump formed by the dead cell closes forming a whitehead. Blackheads then develop when the whitehead is exposed to air and it turns black.
Common Factors That Can Promote Blackhead Development
- Hormonal changes common in teenagers which causes an increase in oil production
- Menstruation period or birth control pills
- When hair follicles get irritated due to failure in shedding of dead skin
- When the body produces too much oil
- Build-up or formation of Propionibacterium(pleomorphic rods that are mesophilic, nonmotile, non-spore-forming, and anaerobic to aerotolerant bacteria) acne bacteria on the skin