BellaSugar

Definition: Blackheads

BellaSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:00:45 -0700

I throw around terms like pimples, acne, blackheads, and milia pretty loosely, but there are distinctions between these various forms of bumps on your face. Since we already know all about acne and milia (those pestering deep white bumps), I thought I'd explain exactly what blackheads are so that you'll have a better understanding of your skin and the best products to use for your specific trouble areas.

Blackheads are comedones (clogged pores) that are blocked by excess oil and dead skin cells. The black color isn't because of dirt or makeup (a common misconception); rather it is from sebum that has been oxidized by the air. They are a type of acne vulgaris and typically appear in the T-zone. Blackheads are easily removable by extractions and by regular exfoliation.

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Banish Blackheads With an Extractor

BellaSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:01:17 -0800

Everybody has some sort of embarrassing obsession, and mine is pore purging. Whenever I'm stressed, pushing blackheads out of my pores always calms me. (Sick, I know.) Since the bacteria on fingers can exacerbate acne, I bought Sephora's double loop extractor ($16) to help me get the gunk out cleanly.

The double-ended, stainless steel, made-in-Germany tool is meant to help with both blackheads and whiteheads. The thin, narrow loop is for oozing whiteheads, while the wider one is for digging out blackheads. For at least 30 minutes last night, I alternated between the two, giddily cleaning out my pores. This sucker helps you declog everything, and with a little help from a magnifying mirror, I was even able to get rid of blackheads on my earlobes. Delightfully gross. For instructions on doing this at home, read more.

If you are similarly afflicted with this need to purge, here's what to do. Extract the blackheads after a shower, or prepare the comedones by placing a damp, warm washcloth on your skin. Then, apply gentle pressure on the clogged pores; don't force it, or you can cause redness and/or scarring. And don't even think about trying this with cystic acne, as it won't work. Clean the tool with alcohol after each use, and wipe skin with an alcohol-free toner or witch hazel when you're through. With regular use, you'll be able to improve the look of your pores - but be warned, doing so can lead to a mildly pathetic quasiaddiction.

5 Tips For Minimizing Adult Acne

BellaSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:38 -0800

Dr. Amy Wechsler is not only a dermatologist, she's a psychiatrist as well. What a combo! In fact, some even call her a "beauty shrink," and the Manhattan-based skincare expert and author of The Mind-Beauty Connection: 9 Days to Reverse Stress Aging and Reveal More Youthful, Beautiful Skin ($20), has a few things to share with us regarding adult acne. As we all know, breakouts that occur post-high-school can be rough on the psyche, and that's why I asked Dr. Wechsler her tips on helping us prevent and deal with pimples in our 20s, 30s, and beyond. To check out her advice, keep reading.

Splurge of the Week: Estée Lauder Idealist Dual-Action Refinishing Treatment

BellaSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:00:24 -0700

While on vacation, I took a little, uh, vacation from my normal skincare routine. Unfortunately, this decision resulted in a mess of a complexion upon my return. I had blackheads galore, and the long flight had left my skin dry and flaky. Nice.

Oh, but when I returned to Sugar HQ, there was a package from Estée Lauder waiting. Inside: a sample of Idealist Dual-Action Refinishing Treatment ($49.50). It's a "skin refinisher," which sounds scary and harsh, but it's surprisingly gentle. When the paste meets damp skin, it warms up. While this heating action doesn't do anything amazing for the skin, it feels good as you rub it on. Five minutes later, the glucosamine and salicylic acid have painlessly nibbled away all of the complexion-dulling dead skin cells. The result: incredibly soft, smoother skin, with smaller-looking pores. One use and my vacation sins were washed away. A little goes a long way, so this is one skincare investment that should last for quite a while.

What's Your Acne IQ?

BellaSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:00:14 -0700

Adult acne: Two words that I'd rather not stick together or blurt out in the same sentence. I'm sure we've all suffered from this inflammatory skin condition at some point or another, cursing its appearance with every blackhead and whitehead that surfaces.

So, what do you know about pimples and such? Take my quiz to find out. I've even included some tidbits for you history buffs out there.

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Take the quiz

Yet Another Embarrassing Place For Acne To Show Up

BellaSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:00:43 -0700

It's not like I show up at tea parties talking about ass-ne or anything, but I'm all for opening up about "embarrassing" pimply places. It happens! You are not a freak if you have blackheads in places that aren't your face, you know.

Which brings me to, ugh, ear blackheads. Oh, don't act like you've never had one. My esthetician says they're very common, and while they're harmless, they can sometimes be painful. If you have them, don't try to squeeze them. Instead, try these tips:

Clean your iPod earbuds at least once a week. Grungy earbuds can bring bacteria to your ears, so wipe them down regularly.
Use a cotton swab to apply a salicylic acid treatment to your ears. (Don't stick the swab in your ear canal, though.)
Mom was right: Don't forget to clean behind your ears. Gently cleaning ears with a washcloth can help prevent clogged pores.
Don't go poppin' things. If you have a painful pimple-like growth, it could be a sebaceous cyst. Whatever you do, don't mess with it. Instead, see a dermatologist if you can't deal with the pain.

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Reader Review of the Day: Clarisonic

BellaSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:10:03 -0700

As you know, I am a big fan of my Clarisonic, even putting it in places where the sun don't shine. And judging by the number of glowing reviews from readers, they're loving it, too. Reader Lovelie says it's all about finding the right cleanser:

I will admit that I had some problems with the Clarisonic when I first got it. I was using a really harsh cleanser with it and ended up overstimulating my skin and breaking out . . . BADLY! For the last few years, I have been plagued with blackheads under the skin but no acne. Well after using the Clarisonic with my MdForte cleanser, I had acne. It was terrible. So I stopped using it for a while, let my skin heal, and switched cleansers to a gentler cleanser, Philosophy Purity. Well, this was the magic combination, because my skin has clarified itself to a point that it hasn't been in years. Stubborn blackheads that wouldn't BUDGE pre-Clarisonic made their way to the surface where eventually they just popped out. My conclusion is that you have to pick the right cleanser to go along with this.

For the record, I agree; using a glycolic cleanser with Clarisonic was a bit much, but a gentle cleanser worked wonders. BTW, it's the last day of our $500 gift certificate giveaway from Benefit. To enter, check out the rules - and be sure to write three reviews today to qualify for the contest. Just head over to Product Reviews and get going. Good luck!

Take a Look at the 2009 CEW Award Winners!

BellaSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 06:00:13 -0700

What do all of these products have in common? They're just a few of the select winners of this year's 2009 Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Awards. If you're not familiar, each year, members of the CEW, who are working professionals in the industry, gather together to select their top beauty picks of the year.

It's like what the Grammys are to a musician or what the Oscars mean to an actor. Over 4,000 votes were cast for 2009, with nearly 550 products entered in 28 categories, covering the whole beauty gamut. Curious to see what products prevailed in these prestigious awards? Find out when you read more.

2009 CEW BEAUTY AWARDS WINNERS

Bath and Body

Body Treatment - Mass: Avon Products, Inc. Anew Clinical Professional Stretch Mark Smoother
Body Treatment - Prestige: Ojon Tawaka "The Ball"
Scented Bath & Body - Mass: Vickery & Clarke Natural Apothecary Eucalyptus & Peppermint Cold & Sinus Soak
Scented Bath & Body - Prestige: Fresh Fig Apricot Bath and Shower Gel

Facial Skin Care

Acne Treatment: Clean & Clear Advantage Blackhead Eraser Exfoliating Cleanser
Anti-Aging - Mass: Olay Regenerist 14 Day Skin Intervention
Anti-Aging - Prestige: Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Corrector
Cleanser and Scrub - Mass: Neutrogena Wave Power Cleanser and Deep Clean Foaming Pads
Cleanser and Scrub - Prestige: Fresh Appleseed Brightening Exfoliant
Eye Treatment - Mass: Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller
Eye Treatment - Prestige: Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Treatment
Moisturizer - Mass: Olay Definity Color Recapture
Moisturizer - Prestige: Estée Lauder Time Zone Line and Wrinkle Reducing Moisturizer SPF 15

Hair

Hair Care, Style, and Coloring - Mass: Avon Advance Techniques Grey Root Touch-Up
Hair Care, Style, and Coloring - Prestige: Living Proof Straight Making No Frizz Styling Cream for Medium to Thick Hair

Makeup

Eye Product - Mass: L'Oréal Paris Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara
Eye Product - Prestige: Lancôme Ôscillation
Face Product - Mass: CoverGirl Simply Ageless Foundation
Face Product - Prestige: Giorgio Armani Face Fabric Foundation
Lip Product - Mass: Avon Pro-To-Go Lipstick
Lip Product - Prestige: YSL Rouge Volupté Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15

Men's Grooming

Men’s Grooming: Zirh Drenched

Scent

Men's Scent: Prada Infusion d'Homme Eau de Toilette Spray
Women's Scent - Mass: Avon Bond Girl 007
Women's Scent - Prestige: Harajuku Lovers Fragrances "G"

Sun

Sun Product - Mass: Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Spray SPF 70
Sun Product - Prestige: Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream

Indie Beauty Award (The brightest new start-up in the world of beauty.)

Nia 24

A Little Face Treatment Goes a Long Way

BellaSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:00:19 -0700

So I've been using this REN Glycolactic Mask once a week for the past few weeks, and it's good stuff. It uses fruit acids to eat away dead skin cells, and after 10 minutes, my skin looks significantly brighter and less blackhead-ridden. I have to keep myself from using it more frequently, because too much exfoliation is not a good thing.

If you don't believe me, check out this article about the potential drawbacks of at-home facials, masks, and microdermabrasion. "The problem with home kits is that people can't be trusted to follow the instructions," says Jane Marsh, who works for a skincare clinic. "If they're meant to be doing it once a week for three minutes and get good results, they'll start using it three times a week for five minutes in the hope that they'll get even better results. But it just doesn't work like that."

Granted, Marsh has a vested interest in getting people to go to a spa rather than doing their own skin care at home. Still, she's right: Even if you get results from an at-home treatment, resist the urge to indulge more than recommended. Otherwise, irritated skin could be in your future.

Take the Redness Out With an Anti-Rosacea Gel

BellaSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:59:05 -0800

When the complexion problems get tough, the tough go to the dermatologist. After some stubborn acne started to worsen, I headed to my dermatologist (check his acne-fighting tips here) for a visit.

He prescribed Finacea, a water-based gel with azaleic acid. It's generally used to treat rosacea, but my dermatologist said it would not only reduce redness, but also treat the acne. It's expensive, about $115, but insurance can help soften the financial blow. (Or, ahem, there are always Canadian pharmacies.) In my case, it's money well spent. I am so into this gel, it's not even funny.

From the first time I applied it, I saw amazing and quick results. The redness around my nose faded overnight, and within a few days, I found that my blackheads were coming to the surface. (All the easier to eliminate with my extractor.) Two weeks into my love affair with Finacea, I've had significantly fewer clogged pores, and most of my redness is gone. Side effects are minimal; sometimes it makes my skin itchy, but usually I don't have any problems. Obviously, you should talk with a dermatologist before looking into any prescription, but Finacea is such good stuff that I just had to let you know about it.