Normal manifestations of common acne are blackheads, which like most acne, arise in the face and in people of all ages. Blackheads, or medically known as open comedones, are non-inflamed pores characterized by wide apertures blocked by sebum and dead skin. Due to these openings and their subsequent access to air, the material clogged within the follicle oxidizes, forming tiny blackish dots on the surface of the skin. Whiteheads, on the other hand, occur in follicles that have a smaller opening. Air does not reach the follicle and the plugged material inside remains white.

Blackheads are much smaller than other types of pimples as there is no swelling involved. Blackheads can appear anywhere on the skin where there are pores or follicles. The arms and face are the areas of the skin you are most likely to encounter blackheads. It is possible, if left untreated, that blackheads progress into the more severe cystic acne as well as acne scars.

How Do Blackheads and Other Phases of Acne Form?

Blackheads and other lesions develop in a similar way. A sebaceous gland under control makes sebum, a natural oil, that flows through the sebaceous ducts to the skin's surface. However, sometimes this oil hardens or mixes with debris and/or skin cells and clogs the pore.

A blackhead becomes noticeable to us as a blackhead when the clogging material oxidizes with air, turning it black. If this sebaceous canal is injured through sebum output or if inflammation arises, it is considered an acne lesion, or if very severe, an acne cyst.

Acne is first and foremost caused by injuries to the cells lining sebum canals. During puberty (hence teen acne) and periods of high stress (a leading cause of adult acne), testosterone levels increase, amplifying sebum output. The sheer force that sebum is then thrust through the sebaceous canals to reach the surface of the skin hurts the follicle from within.

The type of sebum can also harm the follicle. If the body is deficient in linoleic acid, the glands make a harder oil that is more harsh on the cells lining the canal.

In addition, the sebum that cannot make its way to the surface begins to collect within the hair follicles, causing distension of the pilosebaseous glands as well as further irritation.

The body reacts, as it always does to any signals of peril, by ordering all available lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils to the site of injury. In the process of eating and destroying foreign bodies, these cells cause the inflammation manifested as acne. Cystic acne can form with or without infection. When cystic acne becomes infected, abscesses and scars result.

Treating from the Inside: Acne and Blackhead Removal

In order to prevent the formation of blackheads, one needs to address acne from the inside in addition to the outside by managing sebum output and its state, plus excess levels of dead skin and bacteria.

Though exfoliating the skin helps reduce unnecessary skin and is a good step towards treating blackheads, it also aggravates the skin and other acne lesions, leading to inflammation and the development of other acne problems. In order to treat acne, one must find an all-inclusive answer that can be used on all manifestations of acne, including blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules.

Most blackhead treating systems, in addition to some acne treatments, center narrowly on the unblocking of hair follicles. They use harsh chemicals like benzoyl peroxide that dry and cause free radicals that literally damage the skin to unblock clogged pores and eliminate follicle-plugging keratin.

Prevent acne from the inside with a facial acne treatment that controls sebaceous gland activity naturally. Prescriptions that target sebum output have almost equally traumatizing side effects: worsened acne for an extended period of time, unbearably dry skin, chapped lips, nose bleeds, eye and eyelid irritation and severe birth defects.

Licorice root extract is a natural inhibitor of androgen, the hormones linked to sebum activity. Once sebum manufacture and distribution is controlled, you prevent the primary cause of acne - damage and therefore inflammation to the sebaceous ducts.

Increasing one's intake of essential fatty acids is a simple way to regulate the physical characteristics of sebum, keeping it from becoming its hard and more damaging state.

Acne home remedies are grounded in science and target the inner functioning of the body. Focus on the causes and not the symptoms.