3 Best Ways To Get Rid Of Whiteheads

Don’t you get annoyed when your “just perfect skin of yesterday” becomes infested with whiteheads or acne on your face, arms, and body?

\We have seen whiteheads since we’d hit adolescence, but what exactly are whiteheads or, most importantly, how to get rid of whiteheads?

A whitehead is a type of acne that develops when dead skin cells, oil, dirt, and bacteria clog your skin pores, and these clogged pores look like a white tip on your skin. A whitehead is a type of acne but not inflamed.

In this era of the Internet, thousands of whitehead treatments are available with just one click, but how many proved effective to you? If you are tired of trying these unproven methods, which just do not suit best for your skin, here are 13 proven products to treat whiteheads.

Before jumping to the proper treatment for your skin, let’s see what causes whiteheads in the first place so you can be careful.

Causes of Whiteheads

Whiteheads, blackheads, and acne are more common when you go through adolescence. But as you enter adulthood, your habits, diets, and lifestyle cause skin-breaking problems¹.

Diets including dairy, sugar, and processed foods with additives and preservatives are the most guilty components of your food. Adding low-glycemic carbohydrates, healthy fats, protein, and antioxidant-rich foods to your diet can combat these whiteheads.

Other culprits causing whiteheads are stress, improper sleep, and drinking habits, which cause hormonal imbalances and have the ability to worsen your skin problems

Getting rid of whiteheads² overnight is not possible, but there are some ways that can lose your clogged pores and give you more transparent and cleaner skin.

How to Get Rid of Whitehead? 

It is quite irritating to have stuff like whiteheads, blackheads, and other blemishes on your skin, especially on your face. Here are some tips through which you can get rid of whiteheads.

1. Do Not Touch Your Whitehead

The very first step to getting rid of the whitehead starts with not touching your whitehead and the skin around it. Touching your skin might invite more dirt, sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria and irritate your whiteheads.

2. Home Remedies

Home remedies are an excellent way of treating your whiteheads because they are natural and affordable. These natural remedies include home ingredients found in daily households.

However, it is important to be cautious before applying these items directly to your face. First, try them on the skin of your hand or leg to ensure that they are not causing any allergy to your skin.

1. Sea Salt: Mix a teaspoon of sea salt in a cup of water, then apply the solution directly using a cotton swab. Do not wash instead, let it dry out the whitehead and kill the bacteria.
2. Aloe vera: Aloe vera gel has anti-inflammatory properties and is available as an extract or in skincare products.
3. Green Tea: Green tea is an excellent astringent. After using a tea bag, squeeze out the excess water and dab on the whiteheads directly with the tea bag.
4. Witch Hazel: Witch Hazel has astringent properties which cleanse the sebum and dead skin cells within the clogged pores. You can apply it directly to the affected area.
5. Lemon: Squeeze out the lemon juice and gently apply it to your whiteheads. The citric acid in it kills the bacteria and tightens your skin. Lemon Juice is not for every skin, be careful while using it.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar: Another acid-killing bacteria, Apple cider vinegar has astringent properties which clean out the pores. Simply mix the vinegar in equal water and apply it to the whiteheads.
7. Tea tree oil: Just like Aloe vera, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, which means it kills the bacteria in your skin. Gently dab a tea tree oil moisten cotton ball into the face.

3. Market Products

If all other methods fail to satisfy you, you can try these over-the-counter products. Do not use all products together, stick with one treatment. If it is not helping you then change your treatment.

These products cannot do the miracle of disappearing your whiteheads and can take weeks to months to become effective. That’s why you need to be patient while using them.

1. Benzoyl Peroxide: It is an active ingredient in many skin care products and is effective as both spot and full-face treatment. It removes excess oil and bacteria and clears dead skin cells clogging your pore. It comes in various strengths from 2.5 to 10 percent. Apply it on the whiteheads once a day; after a while, when your skin gets used to it, you can apply it twice a day. Be careful while using Benzoyl Peroxide, as it can cause bleaching to hair and clothes.
2. Retinoid products: Retinoid is a Vitamin-A derivative. It has anti-aging and anti-clogging properties. Apply daily for a better result. Adapalene is a beneficial retinoid, and it is used as a full-face treatment. If your skin is dry or sensitive, do not use it regularly; instead, use it once in three days and let your skin adapt to it. If OTC adapalene is not adequate for you, try much stronger topical retinoids, which a dermatologist can prescribe.
3. Salicylic Acid: Salicylic Acid is an excellent treatment for reducing oil production of the pores. OTC salicylic acid comes in strengths starting from 0.5 to 5 percent. Several products available in the market have salicylic acid as an active ingredient, such as toners, astringents, gels and creams, and moisturizers. Simply apply it one to three times a day.
4. Alpha hydroxy acids: Skincare products with alpha-hydroxy ingredients, mainly glycolic acid, and lactic acid, actively remove dead cells and reduce inflammation.
5. Sulfur: Sulfur is highly effective in removing oil, sebum, and dead skin cells that clog pores. It is found in many skincare products with acne-fighting ingredients such as benzoyl acid or salicylic acid. The sulfur face mask reduces skin and gives a cooling effect.
6. Gentle Exfoliants: Exfoliants with salicylic acid or without can also help you eliminate these white bumps on your face. They remove dead skin cells and make skin smoother and glossier. Choose a gentle exfoliation formula; it will exfoliate well without drying, irritation, or redness.

Follow this site to know what products you can buy and where.

When to See a Dermatologist?

If the above remedies and products fail to give satisfactory results, you may need to make an appointment with a dermatologist. They will check thoroughly and prescribe medications and stronger products to solve your whitehead problem. These medications can come up in the form of oral tablets or topical treatments.

Is it Okay to Pop a whitehead?

One central myth surrounding whiteheads is that popping them can make them vanish without using any product. The myth buster is that it is generally not okay to pop a whitehead because it could worsen the situation, and you need to take some measures while popping a whitehead.

Start cleansing the whitehead area with mild soap or an exfoliator with active ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide³. Using your clean fingers, dab warmly, stretch the skin away from the whitehead, and apply pressure using a gentle touch.

A general rule applied when popping a whitehead is, after applying pressure, if it does not pop on its own, do not force it otherwise, the situation can get much worse.

Skincare Tips

Lastly, taking care of your skin and making it a routine can help prevent future breakouts in the long run. Here are some of the tips for getting silky smooth skin.

• Wash your face twice daily using a mild cleansing foam or soap.
• Do not use cold or hot water for cleansing and bathing; use lukewarm water.
• Avoid using harsh scrubs; they can cause irritation and redness to your skin.
• Do not exfoliate regularly, but limit it to a few times per week so you will not get more acne and irritation on your skin.
• Avoid direct contact with the sun, and wear face sunscreen daily.
• Wash your hair regularly. Oil from your hair, especially long hairs, can clog the pores in your skin. Keep hair products away from your face.
• Change your pillowcase regularly and clean your sunscreen, smartphone, and sunglasses to remove bacteria, oil, and dirt.

If you love makeup on your face, there are some things you need to keep in mind to avoid skin problems:

• Never forget to wash your makeup every night
• Buy makeup products labeled “oil-free” and “noncomedogenic”. These products make little or no contribution to clogging your pores.
• Do not use old makeup. Creams and serums can be used for a few months after the opening.
• Do not use makeup jars that stimulate the growth of bacteria.
• Wash your makeup brushes, sponges, and other applicators after every use.
• Never share your makeup with anyone.

It is important to remember that each of us has a different skin type; one product that is suitable for dry skin can make oily skin more prone to acne⁴, so be careful when choosing a product to apply to your skin.

FAQs

1. How can you quickly remove whiteheads? 

After cleaning the afflicted region, use a warm compress with a mild exfoliant like salicylic acid and/or an antibacterial agent like benzoyl peroxide.

2. Why do I get so many whiteheads?

Whiteheads are mainly brought on by clogged pores, and there are many reasons.  Hormonal fluctuations, a frequent acne trigger, are one reason pores get blocked.

3. Do whiteheads need to be popped?

Although it may be appealing, bursting or crushing a pimple won’t always solve the issue. Squeezing could increase swelling and redness because it might force bacteria and pus further into the skin. Squeezing may result in scabs as well as pits or scars that won’t go away.

1. Ranger, M., et al. “Internalizing behaviours in school‐age children born very preterm are predicted by neonatal pain and morphine exposure.” European Journal of Pain 18.6 (2014): 844-852. ↩︎
2. Shaviro, Steven. Without criteria: Kant, whitehead, deleuze, and aesthetics. MIT press, 2012. ↩︎
3. Mills Jr, Otto H., et al. “Comparing 2.5%, 5%, and 10% benzoyl peroxide on inflammatory acne vulgaris.” International journal of dermatology 25.10 (1986): 664-667. ↩︎
4. Holland, DB1, et al. “Inflammation in acne scarring: a comparison of the responses in lesions from patients prone and not prone to scar.” British Journal of Dermatology 150.1 (2004): 72-81. ↩︎

Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology