Sebaceous filaments are often mistaken for blackheads. And we understand the confusion: sebaceous filaments and blackheads usually appear on the nose, chin or cheeks, and they look alike! So how do you differentiate sebaceous filaments and blackheads? What ingredients should you use to tighten your pores, get rid of blackheads and reduce the appearance of sebaceous filaments?
How to recognize them?
The sebaceous filament is a natural structure present in each pore: they are small channels that transport sebum to the surface of the skin to nourish the skin barrier. If your sebum production is too high or your pores are enlarged, the sebaceous filaments are more visible. The difficulty with sebaceous filaments is that they can turn into a black point.
A blackhead is a collection of sebum, dead cells and debris clogged in your pore. However, this clog is in direct contact with the air and it will therefore oxidise continuously until it turns black.
What are the differences between the sebaceous filament and the black point?
- The black point is an occasional problem that can be solved. The sebaceous filaments are part of the structure of the skin: we can minimize their appearance but we can never get rid of them.
- A black point is dark, brown and almost black. A sebaceous filament, on the contrary, is quite clear, grey or with a yellowish tint.
- When we extract a sebaceous filament, it is a kind of sebum column that comes out. On the contrary, a black dot looks like a slightly lumpy cork.
Which ingredients should be preferred?
To prevent excess sebum, we should be looking for niacinamide which will regulate lipid production and strengthen the skin barrier.
To prevent plugs and blackheads, we should use AHAs and BHAs. These are exfoliating acids that will dissolve sebum, dead cells and debris causing blackheads and purifying the pore. Chemical exfoliators like salicylic acid, glycol acid are the most popular ingredients to clear out the skin.
Products enriched with Retinoids can also help in getting rid of the blackheads. Retinoids are very powerful ingredients that have the capability to deep clean the skin.
To reduce the appearance of sebaceous filaments, double cleansing is also a good idea. After double cleansing, customers should scrub with a soft brush around the nose and apply serum and moisturising cream.
Conclusion
Even though differentiating blackheads with sebaceous filaments is difficult but if observed, customers can understand and see the difference. Blackheads are clogged pores with dead skin, sebum and debris but sebaceous filaments are natural structures present in the skin. Once customers understand the difference, they can decipher what treatment they should take to either take out blackheads or sebaceous filaments.
