Blackheads: A Calm and Friendly Guide to Understanding Everyday Skin

The skin is always working to protect itself. One way it does this is by producing natural oil. This oil helps keep the skin soft and comfortable. The oil moves through tiny openings called pores. At the same time, the skin naturally sheds dead cells. When oil and dead skin cells mix together and stay inside a pore, they can form a small blockage. If the top of the pore remains open, the material inside reacts with air and turns darker. This creates what we recognize as a blackhead.