Blackheads - Chicago,IL

I would try using Apple Cider Vinegar as an astringent. After washing well with a mild soap and warm water, dampen a cotton ball with the vinegar and wipe the face with it. Doesn't smell all that great, but will help with the blackheads.

I have large-ish pores on my nose too so I sympathize with them. And I've always wondered if squeezing them when I was younger made them better or worse. But if theyr'e really blackheads, I would have them go over the steam and then squeeze them to clear them. Then I'd try Proactive. It's super cheap and has been the best thing to keep my skin clear. I was lucky as a teen to not actually break out all that much but then later in life I started to. I tried expensive stuff but Proactive has been a lifesaver. It does have an exfoliante in the cleanser so it'll address that possibility.

I'm right there with them, wishing I knew what worked. I am 31 years old and have blackheads and pimples. It started at age 12 and never went away. I don't understand it as I hardly ever see a mom my age with teenage skin, and my pregnancies/nursing interrupt any medication I could take. So...I wish I could offer some help; maybe someone else knows a miracle cure! All the medications I took as a teen did mostly nothing except cause dry skin. On the upside, I got mistaken for age 18 the other day!

I just recently started trying natural things for blackheads as nothing would ever get rid of mine on my nose and chin. Cut a lemon in half and put about a teaspoon of honey on one half .. use the lemon to scrub your face for about 30 seconds to a minute. It stung a little bit towards the end but I just rinsed my face with cool water and instantly blackheads were improved :) Hope this helps and it's super cheap and all natural!

I would try enlarging the clogged pores first with warm wash cloths - they can do this over the sink or even over a bowl while watching TV if they are careful not to spill. A warm cloth applied to the blackheads over time should soften the clog and enlarge the pore. Then maybe a GENTLE scrub with a product that exfoliates and removes the dead skin and removes some of the blackheads. I realize a facial may be beyond your budget, but that's one good way to really get things cleaned out well, and then the esthetician can advise them on good practices to stay that way. It's probably more productive and not more expensive than the combination of products you are using now and the dermatologist's fee (unless it's completely covered by insurance). I don't think you need to buy high-end products from the spa but maybe they can advise you if you ask what less expensive products you can use "between facials" - it may be worth it to them to direct you to less expensive products that also work, knowing you will come back for more facials. Your girls may need to do more since the blackheads are not caused by dirt, but by dead skin cells stuck in the oil that is naturally produced during adolescence.

My daughter started to get blackheads, though her skin is actually very dry. I've used a Clairsonic for quite some time and love it, so I bought her the Clairsonic Mia. The good news is, both of your girls can use the same handle, and just have their own brush head attachment. Anyway, my daughter likes the Peter Thomas Roth botanical buffing beads (which is an exfoliant that does a great job, but is very gentle). We have found that keeping her skin very clean and exfoliated, which the Clairsonic does, has been the key to keeping her skin free of blackheads. If your daughters have very oily skin, then you may need the dermatologist's help to get that under control.

It can be a rough period of time for any teen. I come from a family with large pores and cystic acne. My dad and brothers had the cystic acne pretty bad. My older brother took tetracycline and my younger brother was on acutane. I couldn't keep tetracycline down because you had to take it on an empty stomach and I always ended up throwing up. Mine wasn't bad enough for acutane-not that I would let my son or daughter take that stuff now with all the side effects out there. It cleared my brother's face up beautifully though.
At any rate, I was always looking for the best regimens to clear up my oily complexion, blackheads and breakouts. I am 41 now, but have had beautiful skin for the last 20+ years. Here is what I did:
I washed my face every night religiously. I got to the point I couldn't stand to go to bed without getting everything off of my face first-so encourage your girls to keep up this habit. I think it helps prevent wrinkles and premature aging too.
Use a salicylic acid or glycolic acid. These acids are gentler than such ingredients as benzoyl peroxide but help exfoliate skin for a deep clean.
Drink water constantly and eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Make a conscious effort to keep from resting the chin in hands or touching (picking) at face. There are so many oil, sweat and dirty bacteria on our hands that doesn't help being near the face.
Check into groupon sites or a local esthetics school for discounts on facials. Get them once a month or quarterly or even just a special occasion. It is such a great way to learn how to care for the skin and it is such a relaxing treat. One tip my esthetician always told me to do is keep baby powder on hand. When the skin is clean just rub a handful into the skin. I would do this on a day when I was home and not going anywhere. I would rub it over my blackheads and pat it on sore blemishes and leave it there all day until I washed my face before bed. It made my skin feel soft, dried out the oil and also took out redness from the blemishes. I got to where I would apply it after my foundation and then tone down the whiteness with loose foundation powder. It made a nice matte finish.
Get a good skincare product. Clinique, Mary Kay, BeautiControl, NuSkin all have them and they also have product lines for acne prone skin that are great. They vary in price. NuSkin is pricey, but excellent product. The others I listed are great quality and pretty affordable. They tend to last a long time as well. So you don't feel the price pinch so often. Whole Foods have several great skincare products too.
Use a good quality sunscreen and get a healthy dose of vitamin D from the sun. When I was younger that did such great things for clearing up blemishes and my oily skin.
Hope these tips help!
A.

I have dealt with blackheads my entire life, but until I stopped wearing makeup altogether and started washing my face daily & diligently with a MILD cleanser (no clearasil or anything like that- try CeraVe or Cetaphil), the blackheads were always an issue. Even now as I approach thirty, if I skip a day and don't wash my face and rinse with cool water, I get black heads starting to form.

I always splash with hot water, wash, and rinse with cool water. The hot water opens the pores, the mild cleanser washes away the dirt & oil, and the cool water closes the pores.

Find a facial scrub that exfoliates the skin. They usually have a grit of some kind in them that feels like sand. Use these products gently, I mean don't rub too hard or they can make the face red like a sunburn. But the gritty stuff helps to clean out the pores.

You can find these at stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar.

My daughter was actually breaking out. Her dermatologist said it was fine for her to wear a hypoallergenic makeup like Nuetrogena, Clinique or Estée Lauder. Although ideally I know you want their skin clear, makeup will cover the imperfections so maybe that will cut back on some teasing.

In 53 and on occasion will get a blackhead or two. I use the blackhead tool remover after getting out of the shower. It works well and is alot better than using your fingers. Someone suggested you get it at Bed Bath and Beyond but you can get at any large drug store or even target probably.

I"m surprised Biore does not work on her nose, at least. It works well for me and always has (but I've only used the nose strips; I can see how it might not work for face strips). Do you have her steam her face immediately before using it, and is her nose very wet with very warm water when she sticks it on? Those things really help the Biore strips work. Have her steam for at least five minutes (she'll need to "come up for air" but should try to do a total of five minutes under a towel, over a bowl of steaming water). She should apply the strips right away and be sure her nose is good and wet; she may need to wet the strip a little more with damp fingers. It will seem "too wet" but then she should fan her face for five minutes or more and must wait until the strip is very stiff and hard -- she shouldn't pull it off too soon; it should be rock-hard and stiff or it won't pull out any gunk. Be sure she pulls from the two sides, not the center, and that she pulls slowly. Try those tips with Biore if you haven't done it quite that way.

The other washing products folks recommend are good ones too, but be careful she doesn't strip all the oils off her skin or she'll have dry patches along with oily ones. I feel for you -- my 11-year-old girl is having real skin issues already though not with blackheads--yet.

There is a pakistani place where I get my eyebrows threaded at western and Devon (I'm sure there are a million places similar to it). The ladies there have a sticky ball of wax that they use to remove blackheads, it works better than biore for me, but it's the same concept. Just tell them when it's too much because the first time I had it done, my face was raw afterwards. So less is more :) and it's really cheap, I think $4 or $6.

What works for my blackheads is an exfoliator. I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I've found it to have the most exfoliants that really get in the pores and clean them out. After that I will put a mask on my nose (I use Neutrogena's Acne Mask - it's a white, thick cream you leave on until it dries, then rince off) and that clears it up pretty good. I use it occasionally when I notice them, but I imagine regular use will help with prevention also.

Biore does nothing for me either.. I wish it did.

Purchase them each one of these tools. You can purchase them at Bed Bath and Beyond.. ONLY purchase Tweezerman... . Not a copy..

http://www.tweezerman.com/store/catalog/blemishes/

Prep their faces by washing them with mild cleanser.. then place a wet, super warm wash cloths on their faces..

Then they should use this tool, to pull out the blackheads..

Then wash again.. and then rinse with cool water..

Then a mild estringent on a cotton ball like the Apple cider vinegar.

This will be more than a one time thing.. It may be a few days, until they are satisfied.. But this really does work..

I bought a product called L'Oreal Go 360 Clean. It's not overdrying and comes with a little gentle scrubber. My face feels wonderful after using it.

Also, as far as an astringent, I can't recommend anything better than pure old Witch Hazel. It's sold at any pharmacy and is really inexpensive. It's soothing as well, so no worries about overdrying, etc. Take your daughter to get a facial. They can pretty painlessly get out the existing blackhead with a little tool. Certain mud masks can really help as well.

Blackheads are clogged pores, so the best thing is to try to keep the pores from getting blocked in the first place. There are plenty of inexpensive things that aren't too harsh.

Best wishes!

She could try this! Cheap and natural.

http://stylebees.com/get-rid-of-black-heads-in-5-minutes/...