What Are Comedones and How Do You Get Rid of Them?

Most of us have researched home remedies for acne at one point or another. Those pesky bumps flare up from time to time, even into adulthood. If you experience whiteheads, blackheads or just small bumps on your face, then you are familiar with comedones.

Comedones are common and occur when sebum, dead skin cells or debris clog your pores. Thankfully, there are several natural solutions to this type of acne that will help keep your skin looking smooth and clear.

What Are Comedones?

Comedones are flesh-colored acne bumps that are small and typically develop on the chin, forehead or wherever acne occurs. Both blackheads and whiteheads are types of comedones. Some of very tiny and some are considered “giant.”

When you run your finger across a comedo, a single lesion, it will feel a tiny bump. Unlike a typical pimple that’s red and inflamed, comedones don’t hurt, and they are barely visible.

When most lesions on the face are comedones, it’s called comedonal acne. This is primarily an issue on the forehead and chin.

Types/Varieties

Comedones occur when hair follicles are blocked by sebum and dead skin cells. The color and size of these blemishes vary.

Here’s a breakdown of the types of comedones and why they occur:

•             Open comedones: Open comedones are blackheads that look like small black-brown dots on the skin. They occur when oil is clogged near the pore opening. The dark color is caused by melanin, which causes dead skin cells to oxidize when exposed to oxygen, turning it a dark color.

•             Closed comedones: Closed comedones are called whiteheads, and they occur when oil develops beneath the hair follicle opening. They are flesh-toned or white in color.

•             Microcomedones: These are the very tiny comedones that go unnoticed to the naked eye. They begin in this state and become larger blemishes over time.

•             Macrocomedones: These are larger comedones that are noticeable and cause bumps or blemishes.

•             Giant comedo: Giant comedos are very large blackheads that are noticeable and typically affect old adults.

•             Solar comedones: Solar or senile comedones occur after long-term exposure to UV radiation. These occur in older adults and can vary in size and color.

Symptoms

Comedonal acne isn’t typically painful. The small bumps come in a few colors and sizes, depending on where the plug occurred and the size of the pore.

Unlike pimples that are on the surface of the skin, comedones can’t be popped, and they aren’t red or inflamed.