Pimples and blackheads, particularly on the face, may cause various issues. Everyone has had one or two at some point, and there's nothing to be ashamed of because they are natural skin manifestations. However, their presence can cause annoying discomfort and painful inflammations. Although it's not possible to completely and permanently eliminate them, there are remedies to counter their appearance and help you take care of them.

None of us has perfect skin, and nobody is obliged to have it. But in the case of acne and blackheads, in addition to the aesthetic and psychological aspects, these elements can cause pain and inflammation. That's why we seek remedies to minimize their appearance. This article is dedicated to those with acne and blackheads-prone skin. However, before we discover the remedies to take care of them, let's first understand what they are and what causes them. In particular, we will cover:

• Pimples: what are they?
• Why do we get pimples?
• Blackheads: what are they?
• Why do blackheads form?
• How to counteract the appearance of pimples and blackheads?
• The Complete Beauty Routine for skins with pimples and blackheads
  - Cleansing
  - Toner
  - Actives/Serums
  - Creams
  - Eye Contour
  - Weekly and Monthly Treatments
• Conclusions

Pimples: what are they?

Pimples are a very common dermatological manifestation characterized by the formation of small, red skin elevations containing pus, serum, or sebum. They appear where the majority of sebaceous glands are located and at the hair follicle openings. Generally, they appear on face, neck, back, shoulders, and chest. Regardless of where they appear, pimples often cause aesthetic and psychological discomfort, including the unease of seeing them and the fear that others will notice only our imperfections. Beyond the temptation to squeeze them to make them disappear, which doesn't work, pimples often cause burning and inflammation, thus taking more time to heal.

Pimples can be inflammatory or non-inflammatory. In the former case, they appear as red, more or less soft, pustule-like elevations containing sebum and with a white tip caused by the presence of pus. It is very easy for them to burst, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

In the case of non-inflammatory pimples, also known as closed comedones, which are small elevations that form on the skin pores, they are small pimples with a black or dark brown color containing sebum, dead skin cells, and sometimes bacteria. In this case, they are called blackheads.

Why do we get pimples?

Pimples may be due to several causes, among which we have hormonal imbalances, psychological stress, frequent and prolonged use of either drugs or concealing cosmetics. We should also held responsible for pimples an excessive sebum production, an accumulation of bacteria under the skin, and genetics. 

Generally speaking, pimples appear during the stage of puberty, which is characterized by strong hormonal imbalances, thus often resulting in more or less severe forms of acne. 

Nevertheless, pimples may also appear throughout different stages of age, regardless from gender. In this case, they are caused by stress, particularly if a stressful period comes with use of drugs that may cause skin imbalances as a collateral effect.

Pimples that are caused by stress are different from inflammatory pimples because of their size, since the former are smaller than the latter. Moreover, stress pimples appear in different areas: they often come on the forehead, under the cheekbones, or on the chin. They generally appear and disappear spontaneously within a few hours, but they can also occur massively and repeatedly. 

Although there exist remedies to counteract the presence of pimples, such an effective cure to make them disappear forever still not exists. As a matter of facts, pimples are mainly caused by an hypersensitivity of the follicles to various stimuli, leading to inflammation and bacterial proliferation.

Blackheads: what are they?

As to blackheads, they are also known as open comedons and they consist of an accumulation of sebum and bacteria. As pimples, blackheads appear where the majority of sebaceous glands is present, that is face, nose, chin, neck, shoulders, and chest. 

Let's get things straight: on the one hand, when sebum and bacteria deposit onto the skin so as to obstrute pores, here that closed comedons appear, which are also known as non-inflammatory pimples. On the other hand, open comedons are commonly known as blackheads because when the substances that compose them come into contact with the air, they oxidize, thus taking on a dark color, similar to black or dark brown.

Why do blackheads form?

Let's now focus on what the main causes of blackheads are. 

The main factor causing the appearance of blackheads is the hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands, often caused by hormonal imbalances. Like pimples, blackheads can occur both in adolescence and post-adolescence.

Among the other causes that are responsible for blackheads, a frequent or polonged use of cosmetics containg petrolatum may make blackheads appear as a result of clogged pores that prevent sebum from escaping from the follicles.  

We should include also a fat and high-calorie diet and a poor skin cleansing that is carried out with unsuitable products for such type of skin. 

How to counteract the apperance of pimples and blackheads?

Let's be clear right away: removing pimples and blackheads on your own is certainly not the right solution for getting rid ofthem. Despite the temptation to squeeze pimples and the satisfaction one feels when squeezing blackheads, this method should not be used to fight the appearance of both. Although there is still no magical remedy that makes pimples and blackheads disappear forever, there are targeted solutions that counter their appearance and potential reappearance.
Let's see what they are:

• Daily cleansing: cleansing the face, or other affected areas, daily with specific products is certainly one of the best ways to reduce the occurrence of pimples and blackheads.
• Specific products: using products with specific formulations to combat pimples and blackheads. In the case of targeted products, you can opt for facial cleansers, toners, serums, creams, and masks. For cleansing, we recommend our Deep Pure Purifying Cleansing Gel; for toner, you can try our Pure Glow Face Lotion or Rosemary Hydrolate; for the serum phase, we suggest our Bioactive Anti-Imperfection Serum + Niacinamide; for facial creams, you can try our Stay Matte and Stay Pure, while as for masks, we recommend Bye Bye Impurità.
• Proper diet: choosing to follow a healthy, low-fat diet can reduce the appearance of pimples and blackheads. Drinking plenty of water and keeping the skin on your face and body hydrated also helps counter the development of pimples and blackheads.
• Consulting a dermatologist or endocrinologist: if the condition of your skin worsens or persists, consult a specialist who will prescribe targeted pharmacological treatment.

The Complete Beauty Routine for skins with pimples and blackheads

If you are looking for a complete beauty routine to counteract the presence of pimples and blackheads, we suggest you follow our Skin Care Routine for skins with pimples and blackheads.

Cleansing

As for the first step of your skin care, we suggest you our Deep Pure Purifying Cleansing Gel: it is a fresh cleansing gel that is specially formulated for combination and impure skins. Deep pure normalises sebum production, rebalances the skin mycrobioma, and leaves the skin cool and cleaned.

Its formula is rich with a mix of active ingredients with purifying and rebalancing actions such as succinic acid, nettle, green tea, and burdock. The essential oils of sweet orange and tea tree give Deep Pure a fresh and invigorating energizing scent.

Toner

After cleansing, apply a toner or hydrolate once a day. Our skincare routine offers two alternatives: Pure Glow Lotion or Rosemary Hydrolate. In the case of Pure Glow, it is a perfecting and exfoliating facial lotion containing 4% shikimic and succinic acid and green tea. It is enriched with burdock, nettle, and witch hazel to purify and rebalance the skin, while red grapes and aloe leave the face hydrated and soothed.

If you decide to use Rosemary Hydrosol, it is a refreshing, toning, antiseptic, astringent, revitalizing floral water, perfect for combination and impure skin.

Active/Serums

As to facial serum for combination skin with pimples and blackheads, we suggest you our Bioactive Anti-Imperfections Serum that eliminates imperfections and soothes the skin. It contains Constitutional Water of Melissa, which has purifying and soothing actions, a blend of moisturizing and sebum-regulating active ingredients, and Azelaic Acid, the number one enemy of blackheads and pimples.

The action of the Bioactive Anti-Imperfections Serum can be combined with Niacinamide, a serum with sebum-balancing and anti-imperfection properties.

Creams

For the daytime cream application, our beauty routine for skin with pimples and blackheads includes Stay Matte, a mattifying and smoothing facial cream with Rice Powder and Hyaluronic Acid, perfect for use as a makeup base thanks to its Primer effect. Stay Matte, thanks to its ingredients, helps even out the skin texture, minimize the appearance of enlarged pores and imperfections, and control shine for a dry and silky-touch skin.

For the nighttime facial cream, we recommend Stay Pure, a purifying and anti-imperfection facial cream based on Azelaic Acid and Shikimic Acid to regulate sebum production, prevent the formation of pimples and blackheads, and reduce redness caused by imperfections.

Eye Contour

As to the product to apply in the eye contour area, you can opt for our Wow 3 in 1 Eye Contour Cream for bags, dark circles, and wrinkles, which contains a powerful blend of natural actives to give a burst of energy to every look!

Weekly and Monthly Treatments

To enhance the effectiveness of the products in your skincare routine for combination and impure skin, you can follow weekly and monthly treatments to counter the appearance of pimples and blackheads.

For the weekly treatment, we suggest you our Bye Bye Impurità Mask, ideal for combination and oily skin. Its special formula, rich in purifying and decongestant actives, fights excess sebum and will make you say goodbye to imperfections and shiny skin, leaving your skin purified and velvety.

Regarding the monthly exfoliating treatment, you can use our AHA Peel with Italian fruit acids for exfoliating, regenerating, and smoothing action. For those with impure skin, it is essential to exfoliate the skin with gentle products, as impure skin is often very sensitive. For this reason, it is better to avoid overly aggressive treatments like scrubs and opt for gentler exfoliating peels that gently unclog blocked pores without aggressing the skin.

Conclusions

To sum up, we want to reiterate that there's nothing wrong or to be ashamed of if your skin has pimples or blackheads. They are natural manifestations of the skin that can appear, as we've seen, for various reasons. We've all experienced periods of psychological stress or had to take medications that have disrupted our skin's balance. It's all part of the natural functioning of our bodies, and there's no reason to be ashamed of a pimple here and there!

In any case, we've seen that there are remedies to help you take care of your skin and reduce the discomfort that pimples and blackheads can cause. So, don't worry – by following the right advice, you can manage to reduce their appearance and the associated discomfort!

If you're not sure about your skin type, take the test below! 👇