+ How do different types of facial cleansing target either of these issues?
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Both of these are caused by pores being blocked.
A whitehead forms where a pore gets blocked and a decent amount of bacteria gets into the blocked pore. Your body triggers an immune response to kill the bacteria, and this causes fluid to build up inside the blockage.
A blackhead is formed when a pore gets blocked, but there is no – or very little – bacteria trapped inside. There is no inflammation or immune response. The dirt on the outside edge of the pore eventually oxidises and turns black over time.
This does mean that whiteheads will eventually go away by themselves, while blackheads rarely do.
Facial cleansers may claim to do wildly different things to target these issues, but in reality, the methods are quite similar. Broadly, cleansers can do some mix of any of the below:
* Remove dirt and reduce oil on your face, reducing the chance of pores getting blocked in the first place.
* Contain chemicals that break down stubborn oils and lipids, with the goal of softening blackheads and encouraging them to dissolve and disappear.
* Contain hard, exfoliating ‘bits’ to scrub away dead skin cells (another common source of pore blockage) and other unwanted detritus.
* Contain a mild antiseptic like witch hazel to reduce inflammation
* Contain alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) to encourage faster skin cell turnover.
Frankly, the skincare industry how has millions of potential ingredients going into its products – they all do some variant of the above, in mildly different ways.
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