Hands Off. 6 Reasons You Shouldn't Pick Your Blackheads

by benbitonn via pixabay

Though deep blackheads won't go away naturally, they should be extracted properly. Otherwise, it would only make the situation worse.

What are blackheads?

"It is very tempting to squeeze blackheads. Blackheads are dilated pores filled with keratin, or dead skin cells," board-certified dermatologist and beauty expert Anna D. Guanche, MD said. "When the cells dry at the top and are exposed to oxygen, they oxidize, turning black."

Why picking blackheads isn't always worth it?

You're not an aesthetician so you could irritate your skin.

According to Olga Lorencin, celebrity esthetician and founder of Olga Lorencin Transformative Skin Care and Olga Lorencin Skin Care Clinic, there's one huge reason why you shouldn't be picking in your blackheads— you might not know what you're doing.

"First and foremost, you're not an aesthetician, so stop it," she said. "You will not be able to determine how deep your blackhead is, how tight pores are, or how you should prep your skin in order to extract your blackheads without leaving the skin red and irritated or cause unintentional scarring."

You don't know how to extract them correctly, which can cause damage.

Though we all think we know what we're doing when it comes to taking care of those pesky blackheads, the truth is, we're probably going about it all wrong. This can make it difficult to properly treat your skin afterward.

"There is a whole art form to extracting something out of your skin and unless you're trained, you simply won't be able to do it properly," Lorencin said.

"Instead, use products to control the congestion in your skin and make a monthly appointment to see an experienced aesthetician. Not only can she perform extractions, but she will also provide you with the advice and direction on the products and steps you should take to help prevent them in the first place."

You might leave scars.

Since you're not using the correct process when it comes to extracting your blackheads, there's a high chance you'll leave behind some scars, co-founder of Clarisonic and skin-care expert Dr. Robb Akridge told.

"Scars are the main reason not to pop, not to mention the potential for the site to become infected," he said. "And, if you use one of those [pore] sucking devices, it can cause bruising. In my opinion, extractions should be done by a skin care professional who will use an extraction loop, the right amount of pressure, and will do so after disinfecting the skin's surface."

• In case you are interested in: Skin Care Tips

Improper removal can irritate or infect your skin.

According to Dr. Akridge, using the wrong instruments to pick your blackheads (including your fingers) can cause serious skin irritation, too.

"As I mentioned, scarring or infection can be caused by popping blackheads," he told. "Also, the strips that people often use can cause irritation of the skin, so I don't recommend using these often. Once in a while use is fine, but continuously doing so can cause worse problems."

Your pores can become larger.

Though picking your blackheads can be relaxing for some and very gratifying, it can cause more damage to your skin than it's worth.

"Picking blackheads can cause an even larger pore," said board-certified NYC dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of Dermatology at Icahn School of medicine at Mount Sinai, Dr. Debra Jaliman. "Trying to pick or squeeze a blackhead will most likely introduce more bacteria to the area causing the pore to get larger.

You can make pimples worse or create more.

If you've been wondering why that one pimple won't go away or why your skin is breaking out more, Dr. Guanche told that trying to remove those blackheads on your own may be the reason why.

"[Picking your blackheads] can push some of the keratin out through the thin lining of the pore and cause inflammation," she said. "So then, instead of a blackhead, [in many cases], there will be an inflamed pimple."

Adapted from INSIDER