In the early stages, it manifests itself by a slightly greasy sheen. Later, both white and black blackheads may appear. These occur especially on the face, shoulders, and chest and back. When blackheads develop into red, inflamed pimples and pustules, we speak of acne.
Blackheads are caused by an overproduction of sebum. This is actually very important: it ensures supple skin with a stable protective barrier. Unfortunately, sebaceous glands may want to help too much. Then the channel becomes clogged and fills with sebum as well as dead skin cells. A white blackhead appears. As soon as it tears, the skin pigment melanin stored in the blackhead reacts with oxygen. This causes the sebaceous plug to turn dark and become the classic black blackhead. You’ll especially often find these problem children in the T-zone, i.e. on the forehead, around the nose and on the chin.
If the white blackhead does not tear, but remains closed, bacteria can multiply in it. To get rid of them, the body provides inflammation. This shows itself to you through the dreaded pimple: the skin reddens and pus forms, which can be seen as a small white dot under the surface of the skin.