Overview

Blackheads form in exactly the same way whiteheads do: oil or debris clogs up a hair follicle, causing an inflamed bump to form on the surface of your skin. The difference is that blackheads form close to the surface where exposure to sunlight gives them their distinctive black appearance. Whiteheads stay beneath the skin, so they don't change color. Like all acne, blackheads can be painful and unattractive, and getting rid of them may take up to a month.

Step 1

Apply ice directly to the blackhead--the cold will help soothe the inflammation and pain while also reducing redness, notes "Allure" magazine.

Step 2

Wash your face with a cleanser that contains salicylic acid to help clear pore-clogging dead skin cells and excess oil.

Step 3

Dab a little benzoyl peroxide cream directly onto your blackhead to help dry it up and destroy bacteria lurking in your pores.

Step 4

Pat a little bit of cortisone cream onto big, painful blackheads in the evening after you take off your makeup or any time you can let it sit on your skin for a few hours, recommends "Glamour" magazine.

Step 5

Apply a face peel with alpha hydroxy acids twice a week to help super-exfoliate your skin, helping current blackheads vanish and preventing future ones from forming, recommends "Cosmopolitan" magazine.

Step 6

See a dermatologist if you don't see improvement in your blackheads after a month of self-treatment. A dermatologist can prescribe Retin-A, an intensive exfoliant that destroys blackheads, or give you a dermatologic facial to extract blackheads, states "Marie Claire" magazine.