Those of us with oily skin knows how hard it is to get rid of nose blackheads. There are many methods for temporarily removing blackheads but none of them are good permanent solutions. Most of the time, your nose blackheads come back after a few days making it very annoying, especially for those of us who don’t have time to keep on top of our skincare routines.
The good news is that blackheads do go away and there are methods to get rid of them temporarily (for an extended amount of time) or permanently.
In this post, we will go over everything you need to know about the blackheads on your nose. We will discuss how to get rid of them and provide options for you to keep them off your nose (for good).
Cause of Nose Blackheads
Blackheads on the nose and nose bridge are caused by clogged hair follicles in your skin. Your hair follicles continuously produce serum in order to keep your skin soft and moist. However, if you haven’t been keeping up with your facial routine or if you have really oily skin, Keratin (skin debris) and excess oil can clog up your follicles, producing a bump called comedo.
A blackhead is a comedo that is open. A white head is a comedo is closed by skin.
Some other causes of blackheads on the nose could include:
- Increase of Propionibacterium acnes bacteria on the skin
- Taking steroid based drugs like corticosteroids.
- Hormonal changes (estrogen and progesterone) that increase sebum production. This could be triggered by menstruation and birth control pills.
- Pores that are blocked by face masks
- Pores that are clogged by makeup that is not non-comedogenic
- Excessive sweating
- Dirty and humid environments
- Stress
- Heatlh conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
It is recommended that you speak with your doctor or dermatologist to get an idea of exactly what is causing your blackheads. Once you know the root cause of the problem, it will be key to keeping them off your nose once they are removed.
Natural Home Remedies for Removing Blackheads on Nose
When it comes to removing blackheads, I’m not a big fan of over the counter products. There are some effective treatments out there (discussed in the next section) but I like to keep things natural, especially for treating my face.
I’ve put together a list of the best natural home remedies for removing blackheads and an explanation for each method as to why they work so well:
- Use Baking Soda and Water – Mix one teaspoon of baking soda together with one teaspoon of water. Rub solution into your nose where the blackheads are and gently scrub your nose. Do this for about 2 minutes and then rinse off the solution with warm water. Why This Works: Baking soda is good for fixing pH imbalance on your skin. It is also an excellent skin exfoliant to remove dirt, grime and excess oil from your nose.
- Use Brown Sugar and Honey – Mix one teaspoon of brown sugar with one teaspoon of honey. Rub the solution on your nose in a circular motion. Leave on for about 2 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water. Why This Works: Brown sugar is excellent for hydrating your skin and acts as an exfoliant to remove dead skin cells. Honey is ant-botic, which helps to clean blackheads
- Coconut oil and Sugar – Mix one teaspoon of coconut oil with one teaspoon of sugar and rub the mixture into the blackheads area on your nose. Leave on for about 2-3 minutes and rinse it off with warm water. Why this Works: The sugar acts as a gentle exfoliant to remove blackheads. The fatty acids in coconut oil has antimicrobial properties that can protect your skin from bacteria and treat acne. Coconut oil can also help to moisturize your skin.
How to Get Rid of Blackheads on Nose Permanently
Sadly, there isn’t any “silver bullet” that you can do once and get rid of blackheads on the nose permanently. Keeping blackheads off your nose requires constant and consistent cleaning of the affected area on a daily basis. If you do this well, you will keep blackheads from coming back.
Here are some ways you can try:
- Try Monthly, Deep-pore Cleansing Facials at Your Local Salon. Your Esthetician are professionals in this field and can help you remove stubborn blackheads that are hard to remove. After removal, continue with a regular skincare routine to ensure that your pores are clean and free from any oil buildup.
- Try a Sonic Cleaning Brush – These kinds of brushes are fantastic for removing blackheads and a regular basis. Why? They have a high rotation speed which makes cleaning much more effective than using your hands. They often come with many different types of brush heads so that you can clean other areas of your face as well.
- Use a Cleanser That Contains Salicylic Acid – I’ve written an extensive post in the past on the benefits of using salicylic acid. In summary, products with this acid can help open your pores, remove dead skin and excess oil, fight acne and clean out your blackheads. Ensure to look for this ingredient in facial cleansers for removing blackheads.
- Use an Antioxidant serum with Vitamin C – You can minimize the appearance of blackheads by increasing the amount of time for serum to oxidize. Vitamin C does a great job at this. You still need to clean your skin regularly, but this method gives you more time.
- Try Glycolic Acid Exfoliants – Dermatologist Dr. Neal Schultz from Dermtv.com recommends using glycolic acids to remove dead skin cells. Removing dead skin cells helps to prevent acne blemishes and ensures faster heading from blackhead extractions.
Popping Blackheads Is Bad
Although it could be very tempting to pop your blackheads, you may be putting your skin at risk of scarring. I recommend trying some home remedies for removing blackheads on your nose first. If that doesn’t work, move on using a cleanser containing salicylic acid or vitamin C. If that doesn’t work, then you should hire a professional to do the extractions.
The advantage of using a professional is that they are training to do the extractions at the right angle and with the right pressure. They will be careful not to damage your skin. The downside is that some service providers can be quite expensive.
If you prefer to do it yourself, here is the proper way to pop blackheads without damaging your skin.
- Always do it after a shower because your skin is moist and soft
- Apply a coat of heavy moisturizer on top of your blackheads, this helps to trap the moisture on the surface of you skin and to keep it moist.
- Cover the area with plastic wrap.
- Apply a hot washcloth on top of the plastic wrap. The heat from the washcloth will heat up the area, open your pores and loosen the area. Keep on for at least 5 minutes.
- Remove towel and plastic wrap.
- Wrap the forefingers of both hands with facial tissue.
- Using the wrapped fingers, gently squeeze you blackheads from each side and try to pop them out
- Do not force it – If your blackheads are stubborn, don’t use excess force. Instead, repeat steps 2 to 7. Try to loosen your skin and pores more to help with the extraction process. Do this three times. If it still doesn’t work, stop as you might damage your skin if you continue. Hire a professional to remove them instead.
- If you are successful at removing the blackheads, congrats! The hard part is now over. Apply a toner and facial mask to help close your pores and reduce redness.
Why Do My Blackheads Smell So Bad?
If you find that your blackheads a producing a weird smell, it’s a sign that you haven’t been cleaning your face properly. Sebum itself has no smell, the nasty smell that you are experiencing are caused by the bacterial breakdown of the sebum.
People usually experience this if they let their blackheads grow without removing them. That’s why it’s important to have a proper skincare routine.
Heat and humidity can also cause excessive sweating and sebum production. This may contribute to the smell of your blackheads as well.
Although the smell is unpleasant, it’s easy to get rid of the smell by washing your face regularly. However, if left untreated, bacteria on your skin can lead to other skincare complications like acne breakouts and sebaceous cyst.
Blackheads on Nose After Rhinoplasty (Nose Job) and What to Do About It
First and foremost, I want to point out that I am not a doctor or surgeon. I am providing advice based on my own personal research and from experiences that I have gathered while speaking with clients who has had Rhinoplasty done recently. Always consult with a doctor or surgeon for your particular case to ensure that you can remove the blackheads on your nose safely and effectively.
Now having said that here is what you need to know:
- You may experience extremely oily skin and raised blackheads on your nose post-operation. This is pretty normal considering the area was bandaged up for days and you haven’t had any opportunity to clean the excess oil and dead skin from the area. Dr. Philip Solomon explains that when your nose undergoes surgery, your glands are triggers to excrete more oil. This in combination of blocked pores leads to an increased amount of blackheads.
- Your skin is extremely delicate post-operation. Most doctors recommend that you not use any blackhead strips in the area. Instead, use makeup to cover your blackheads as a temporary solution.
- It’s advised that you not use nose strips on your nose for 3-6 months and before the swelling goes away. If you feel that you are ready, consult with your doctor to ensure that it’s ok for you to use the strips.
- Avoid pitching or popping your blackheads post operation, you may do more damage to skin that is already extremely delicate.
- Avoid any kind of acid peels or hash skin treatments. Consult with your doctor to see which type of treatment would work for you.
- Over the counter products that contain Benzoyl Peroxide are great for fighting off acne bacteria and could be something you can use to clean off your blackheads. However, consult with your doctor first to ensure it’s safe to use in your case.
I hope that you found this article useful. If you like my blog, consider signing up to my email list to get the most updated skincare, beauty and makeup advice. Thanks for visiting my blog and hope that you can get rid of your nose blackheads for good!
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