How can I permanently remove facial blackheads?

Blackheads (also known as open comedones) form when pores in our skin are clogged with sebum (produced by the sebaceous gland), dead skin cells and impurities such as cosmetic products.

One way of permanently treating a blackhead caused by a particular sebaceous gland would be to use specially-targeted radiofrequency energy to cause selective destruction to this sebaceous gland, such as using the AGNES machine. This may be useful for patients with certain problematic areas e.g. recurrent blackheads/acne on certain areas.

However, we have millions of sebaceous glands on our skin - sebaceous glands are found in all skin on our body except the palms and soles, which is also why acne can theoretically occur on almost anywhere on the body. It would be quite impossible to permanently get rid of all of them.

In terms of controlling blackheads, and acne, in the long-term, I would suggest avoiding the use of products that may clog pores (such as comedogenic cosmetics), and the use of topical medical-grade creams to promote our skin’s normal shedding of dead skin cells so that they do not clog up the pores, such as differin gel and treitinoin creams.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Dr. Joanna Chan

Blackheads cannot be permanently removed but you can reduce the blackheads on your skin. Blackheads are also call comedones. They are formed when our skin produces excess sebum which clogs up the pores of the skin. The sebum is oxidized and turns black when exposed to the air.

There are several ways to remove/ prevent blackheads:

1. Skincare routine to remove the sebum and reduce production of sebum:

a) Have regular exfoliation with facial scrubs twice a week.

b) Use treatment creams that contain salicylic acid and retinoids.

c) Use good daily skin care including cleanser , toner and moisturiser to keep skin healthy and moisturised to reduce blackheads.

d) Keep your skin hydrated with sufficient daily water intake .

2. Treatment in Clinic with chemical peel, microdermabrasion, ultrasound peel or Laser peel to remove the blackheads.

3. Regular Laser and light treatment will reduce sebum production hence reducing blackheads. Medication like roaccutane will also reduce sebum production by the Skin, thereby reducing blackheads.

Removal/ prevention of facial blackheads/comedones requires simple and regular maintenance to achieve good constant results.

I always advice my patients to have:

1) A proper skin care routine, in order of: (cleanse> tone> retinoid [only at night]> moisturise> sunscreen)

2) Clinic based procedures: Customised acid peels & lasers

The above can be done in a cost-effective manner.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Dr David Deng