When you are worried about the recurring clogged pores, you might be misunderstanding the white strings coming out of pores as blackheads. These are sebaceous filaments that are naturally present in your skin cells to keep the skin moisturize and lubricated.
To differentiate the sebaceous filaments with blackheads let us compare both.
- Sebaceous filament appears to be a dark dot on the skin and feels flat on touch. Blackhead also appears to be as a black dot on skin pore but it feels grainy at a touch.
- When you squeeze the sebaceous filament white fibers coming out of pores like string or nothing come out of pores. When you squeeze the blackhead a hard plug comes out of the pore.
- Sebaceous filaments are the normal structure of your skin made of sebaceous glands. While blackheads form when sebaceous oil, mix with dead skin cells and form sebum plugs. This plug gets oxidized from the air and turns black called blackhead.
- Sebaceous filaments are not a cause of concern and do not harm your skin but blackheads need to be extracted to have healthy skin.
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Is Sebum Harmful?
Sebum (natural skin oil) is a vital part of our skin mechanism. It moisturizes and protects our skin. If the body produces fewer sebum glands, the skin becomes dry. When excess sebum produces it can cause oily skin. When you don’t exfoliate the dead skin cells from your face, this oil gets trapped from the dead skin cells and stop sebum from reaching to the skin pore. The skin bacteria live on the skin, mix with these sebum plugs, and the whiteheads turn into pimples.
You may find a sebaceous gland on your nose, chin, cheeks, arms, back, and chest as compared to other parts of the body. When you squeeze that plug, white stuff coming out of pores on the face, especially from cheeks and nose, needs to press very hard. You can damage your skin in attempting to extract these plugs with a hand or metallic pin. If you continually do this, it may result in stretched nose pores and scars on cheeks. So what you can do to treat white things sticking out of pores.
How to Treat Sebum Plugs?
As you know, sebum coming out of pores is necessary for healthy skin. But sebum plug is something you need to treat carefully to have spotless skin.
Exfoliation with BHA is the best way to treat whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. They penetrate deep into skin cells and gently remove dead skin cells. Exfoliator prevents forming the sebaceous plugs and removes the existing ones. Face washes, toners, or moisturizers containing salicylic acid are the best exfoliators. You can find salicylic acid in aspirin to treat the sebum plugs as well.
Remedies for Sebum white strings coming out of pores
- If you have excess sebum plugs that are forming acne, then tea tree oil is the best OTC product.
- Benzoyl peroxide is also used to treat excess oil production, but it can dry skin.
- Test your skin for excess demodex mites. If they are present in your skin, they can cause severe acne-like demodicosis or rosacea.
- Clay mask is also a cheap way of preventing having white or blackheads in the first place.
- Use non-comedogenic skin care products and makeup because they do not clog your pores.
- Keep your skin hydrated, no matter you have oily, dry, or combination skin type. But oil-based moisturizer for oily skin, non-oily, water-based moisturizer for oily and combination skin type.
- Washing your face with rice water (alkaline pH toner) keeps your pores clean and balances the pH for your skin as well and helps in avoiding having sebum plugs.
- Do not use harsh soap, face washes, and toners because they dry out the skin, and skin produces more oil.
- For gentle scrubbing, use oatmeal scrub as a physical exfoliator to remove dead skin cells for normal skin. For acne-prone skin, use chemical exfoliator’s Salicylic acid or Vitamin C serum to exfoliate dead skin cells without inflammation and redness.
- Eat non-oily and low-carb foods, drink plenty of liquids. And keep moving your body with yoga, exercise, and some house chores.
- Keep your magnifying mirror at bay and leave sebaceous filament alone. No one notices these except you.
A good skincare routine solves most skin-related problems, including white strings coming out of pores but if you do not see any satisfactory results, then consult a dermatologist. For more information like our Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter page.
