Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with blackheads

How to keep my eyemask from giving me blackheads?

gwenlister — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:17:01 -0800

I sleep with an eyemask, have for years, but it gives me pimples/blackheads. Suggestions? For 8+ years I have been sleeping with an eye mask. My mother makes them for me (a new one every year or so with something new embroidered on them... right now it reads "Padackles"... I'm a Supernatural fan, so kill me! ha ha ha) and they are by far the most comfortable eye masks I have ever slept with (having tried lots of purchased ones in the past). The ones she makes usually they have a flannel or fleece lining to rest against my face. I wash the mask regularly with my laundry, so it isn't particularly skuzzy or nasty, and it isn't overly tight (I don't have an imprint of the mask on my face in the morning), but it is just snug enough to more or less stay in place. The problem is that despite my skin being generally quite clear, I frequently get blackheads/pimples where the mask lays between my eyes. Nothing major, mostly blackheads/whiteheads, but enough that it is irksome.

So does anyone have any suggestions to keep them from happening or at least how to get rid of them? Do any other eyemask sleepers have the same problem?

Also, the solution is not "stop sleeping with an eyemask". For those of you that are in the habit you know how impossibly hard it is to sleep without one.

CLEAR SKIN CALLED, it said screw you

madmamasmith — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:07:10 -0800

well. i have searched and searched and there is alot out there , but i am looking for something specific. this question is about BLACKHEADS. I have had blackheads since i was a teen, when i was 20 i started getting zits too. Here I am 26 and my skin is the worst it has ever been.i have blackheads on every inch of my face and my face and scalp feel like an oil factory. I am a vegetarian, i dont eat crappy but i dont eat buckwheat cakes and organic chard everyday either maybe once a month i get drunk and maybe once a week have a soda, i do drink a couple coffees a week and my diet consists of alot of texmex but alot of organnic veggies too, i dont take vitamins cuz im really poor right now but in the past i have tried evening primrose, multivitamin, iron,birth control pills,,,i have used every face wash known to man as well as retina and other topicals, and now after 10 years of no noticeable difference i just use oatmeal soap and witchhazel. i was using jojoba cuz i heard that would help but it didnt but neither does lotion. basically i am freaking out, what do i do? i have the most sensitive skin so i scar really easy. i am too oily. i do everything u r supposed to ; drink water, change pillowcases, hot showers, all natural skincare,,,,help me please. I cant afford facials evryday but i did use to get microderms once a month to no avail as well as chemical peels that actually scarred me really bad. are there any remedies that anyone can suggest that have worked for you? home remedies, pills, liver cleanses? im so desperate, i hate looking in the mirror, dont lecture me.....just tell me if anything has worked for you

My nose looks like a dalmatian!

chickletworks — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:17:55 -0800

For years, I’ve had terrible blackheads on my nose. Is there any way for me to get rid of them? I’m a simple girl when it comes to beauty products, so please go slow when you start talking about masks and peels and acids and other mysterious things.

My skin care practices and products:
-No makeup
-Wash twice a day with St. Ives’ Facial Scrub and Clinique facial soap
-Apply Clinique Clarifying Lotion (astringent) to T-zone
-Moisturize non- T-zone areas with Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

Biore Pore Perfect strips helped for a while, but they’re completely ineffective now and they never cleared my nose completely. I also tried getting a facial, but the aesthetician said that the blackheads on my nose were “too dry” (?) for her to do extraction on. Am I supposed to be moisturizing my nose? I thought that made acne worse. I’m pretty clueless here-- please help!

Exciting brand-new treatments for really severe acne?

Anonymous — Mon, 08 May 2006 03:04:07 -0800

Tell me about brand-new, even experimental, promising treatments for severe acne. My dermatologist is a really nice, very trustworthy older gentleman. He says there's nothing more that can be done for my acne, but I don't want to accept "Here, have this therapist's phone number and learn to live with it."

I have severe acne on my face, jawline, neck (front, back, and sides), shoulders, back (down to waist), chest, breasts, and in my groin. I've been this way for about 10 years and it keeps spreading and getting worse (and the scars are another thread entirely). Obviously, it impacts my life a ton. Living with it is not something I really want to do.

Although the dermatologist is very nice and I like him a lot, I'm afraid that he has been more concerned with keeping up with research in other areas (e.g. skin cancer) and may not know about new acne treatments. It makes sense, as acne isn't lifethreatening, but I really don't want to give up now.

For my next appointment, I'd love to go in with a list of some treatments I've checked out and would like to discuss with him.

Things I have tried, just so nobody tries to recommend them:
Retin-A; no effect
all max strength strains of oral antibiotics approved for acne; only side effects
prescription-level strengths of benzoyl peroxide (topical); some improvement/lightening, this is all I'm on now
all lines of OTC treatment available in the US; no effect
Proactiv; no effect
tea tree oil; no effect
acne.org regimen; basically what I'm on now
other bizarre regimens, memorably one involving ice cubes; no effect

Things I can't try, no really, even if it worked for you:
Accutane
Birth control

What I'm doing now:
Non-soap cleanser (Purpose) morning and night
Benzaclin (1% clindamycin + 5% benzoyl peroxide) night
Zoderm (8.5% benzoyl peroxide + urea) night
Retin-A (0.1% retinoic acid) 3x a week
Cetaphil (moisturizer) as needed -- in practice, hardly ever

Other conditions:
Everything I use is nonacnegenic/noncomedogenic
My acne is genetic, not affected by my diet
Change pillowcases/sheets/washcloths/towels daily
Nothing (e.g. phones, hands, etc.) touches my face

My skin doesn't even notice most treatments. I've given them all a fair try, 6 months minimum, so I could see any effects -- but my skin doesn't budge. It never even dries out (and I'm not overwashing). The benzoyl peroxide I'm using now has a slight lightening/bleaching effect, which is why I'm still on it (that and I don't want to feel like I'm doing nothing).

Partly I'm looking for info on stuff like maybe light therapy or laser therapy. But I'm really not sure about any other options. I would even be willing to participate in clinical trials for new meds. I'll do anything as long as the results seem promising. (And if you cite PubMed, please summarize...I don't have access.)

This question is anonymous because I really don't want to have you look at my username and think "zits on her tits" from now on. Thank you!

winter skincare

Sara Anne — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 22:32:32 -0800

Winter skincare: do's and don'ts? With the change in the weather my skin has gotten dry and flaky, but every time I try a creamier mosturizer I break out. Also appreciate advice for getting rid of blackheads.

Body acne

Anonymous — Thu, 26 May 2005 14:31:16 -0800

I've had bad body acne for as long as I can remember. It is especially difficult during the summer because it makes me self-concious about exposing my upper chest and back. I already scrub my back and chest as best I can with a loofah and acne wash while in the shower. I've tried Differin and Retin-A and they helped marginally in the places I was able to apply them. I've only had a respite from the problem once, after a particularly vicious early summer sunburn took off the first few millimeters of skin.

Does anyone have any non-cancerous body acne remedies? Preferably non-prescription, since I no longer have insurance and am working on a limited budget.

I need a facial moisturizer that won't give me blackheads.

luneray — Wed, 18 May 2005 22:01:31 -0800

I need a facial moisturizer that won't give me blackheads. I've been using Kiss My Face All Day Cream for ages, but only used it once or twice a week. A couple of months ago, I started using it on daily basis, and now I've got blackheads on my cheeks and occassional acne on my throat--which I've never had in my life!

It's a shame, because otherwise I love this product. I like the way it feels and love the way it smells.

Any recommendations?

Shaving and Skin Advice

malpractice — Thu, 11 Dec 2003 14:59:20 -0800

What are some good shaving tips for men? And is there some technique or miracle product for getting rid of blackheads?