The Causes of Clogged Skin Pores (What You Need To Do)
Clogged pores can cause a number of skin problems, such as pimples, blackheads and whiteheads. But what causes pores to get clogged? Also How to Clean Clogged Pores will greatly improve your complexion.**What is a Pore?
A pore is an opening on the skin"s surface. There are two different kinds of these openings. One is the opening through which perspiration passes. At the base of the opening is the sweat gland.Â
The other is the opening for the hair-producing follicle and the sebaceous glands, which is also referred to as the pilosebaceous unit. A clog can form in either type of pore. The composition of the clog varies.
**What Clogs Pores?
Dirt, grime and makeup can clog either type of pore and lead to the formation of a pimple. This often happens at night when people forget to wash off their makeup or a day"s worth of dirt and grime.Â
A blackhead is often thought to be dirt, because of its appearance. It is actually composed of the same things that are found in pimples and whiteheads. The difference in appearance has to do with whether or not the pore is open or closed.
**What is a Clogged Pore?
Whiteheads, blackheads and pimples are composed of dead skin cells, keratin and sebum. If the pore is open, the mixture become oxidized and turns black.Â
If the clog occurs in a hair-producing follicle, the mixture may look black, because of irregular light reflection, but when removed from the pore, it may look more brownish-yellow. This is due to the melanin content of the dead skin cells.Â
What is Melanin?
Melanin is a pigment found in the skin. The color varies depending on a person"s race, but it is usually some shade of brown. It is not something that can clog the pore. It"s just a component of the dead cell.Â
**Acne and Pores
In acne, clogged pores can occur when the sebaceous glands become enlarged or inflamed. Hormonal changes during puberty stimulate the hair-producing unit, which causes irritation of the sebaceous gland. Research indicates that eating certain foods (for example a diet high in junk food) can increase the inflammation and worsen acne outbreaks.
When the sebaceous glands become swollen, sebum can become trapped within the pore. Although sebum is the skin"s natural moisturizer and protectant, excessive sebum production is the cause of oily skin and plays a role in acne.
When sebum becomes trapped within clogged pores, it can mix with bacteria and the keratin from dead skin cells to cause a minor infection. The resulting infection is usually referred to as a cyst.
Let"s take a moment to recap. Swollen glands, sebum, keratin, dead skin cells, bacteria, dirt, grime and makeup can cause clogged pores. Bacteria are also present within the pore and can cause a minor infection. The bacteria usually blamed are the P acnes bacteria. There is one more thing to look at.
**Ingredients Can Be Good or Bad
Some of the ingredients in cosmetics, shampoos, cleansers and other "beauty aids" are comedogenic, which is a fancy term for pore-clogging. Manufacturers are not required to label their products concerning their comedogenic nature. So it"s hard to avoid them.Â
**Your Next Step
Now that you know all of the possible causes of clogged pores, you need to know how to clean them safely. That is the subject of my next article.
Now, all you need to know is how to correct the problem and prevent it from returning. The next article will deal with How to Clean Clogged Pores. See link for article in the author-resource box below. The solution is simple to do.