What Kind of Thing Is Blackhead Blackhead, also known as an open comedo, is a dark or blackish bump or plug on the skin. Blackhead is one of the types of acne vulgaris. Blackheads are caused by excess oils that have accumulated in the sebaceous gland's duct. The belief that it is because of poor hygiene is totally wrong. The substance found in these bumps mostly consists of keratin, dead cells and modified sebum - secretion of the sebaceous gland, which darkens as it oxidizes. Clogged hair follicles, where blackheads often occur, reflect light irregularly to produce a blackhead's "black" hue. For this reason, the blockage might not necessarily look black when extracted from the pore, but may have a more yellow-brown colour as a result of its melanin content.
In contrast, a "whitehead" (more commonly known as a pimple or a closed comedo) is a follicle that is filled with the same material, sebum, but lacks a microscopic opening to the skin surface. Since the air cannot reach the follicle, the material is not oxidized, and remains white.
Source: Wikipedia.org |
152,367 unique visits
