Tips To Reduce Whiteheads

Do not think for a second that you are alone in the battle against whiteheads. Whiteheads do not spare even adults, let alone adolescents or even those well past their teens! It is estimated that over 85% of adolescents and adults suffer from acne related problems such as whiteheads, of which only a third actually talk to their physicians about it. It is an erroneous belief that whiteheads erupt when a person does not wash his/her face properly, even if it may be true in some cases. However, the causes are indeed often linked to diet and hormones. So what exactly are whiteheads and what triggers their eruption? Known as ‘closed comedones’ in medical terms, whiteheads are a type of acne that appear when the body is attacked by certain kinds of bacteria. Sometimes your hair and skin become oily even if you may not have applied oil to them. This is because your body secretes its own oil known as ‘sebum’, to keep your hair and skin lubricated. This ‘sebum’ can accumulate in the hair follicles and eventually block it. Once this happens, bacteria attack the skin and start multiplying in the blocked oil-filled follicle. This causes inflammation, redness and swelling in the affected area. And as the body deals with the bacteria, what manifests next is a nice pearly spot sticking out like a sore thumb on your face, and this is what is called a whitehead. Whiteheads differ from blackheads in that the follicles in whiteheads have a microscopic opening to the skin surface. This does not allow air to oxidize the material inside, keeping it white. Read through the following tips for reducing whiteheads on your face.