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Blackheads and ingrowns

After shaving as a young kid and not knowing any better until reaching 24ish and still doing the wrong thing until a few months ago, you can figure my face is a mess. My question is can the dark black marks under my chin and neck area ever be completely gone after some time. I have seen a mark improvement in my skin since wet shaving and this area still concerns me..
 
A quick check on google says blackheads are a form of acne. The control of this seems to be a combination of things and is very dependent on the individual's particular case. If your face has started to clear up, there is hope that the problem spots can be controlled also.

I can't recommend any product or treatment, but will recommend a google search. Choose the most sensible routing for you right now. I'd start with the free suggestions like cleaning the skin and keeping the skin free from excess oil.

Best of luck! Let us know how it is going from time to time. If you can discover what works and doesn't work for you, you can bet the answers will be valuable to others in this forum.
 
there are a few things you can do...change your pillowcase every night ,it absorbs oils from your hair and grinds it into your skin while you sleep...you MUST remove the blackheads and start fresh...get a good acne face wash,apply to a hot wet wash cloth,the rough side,and scrub the hell out of your face,rinse and repeat,dry with clean towel...the hot water has softened your fingernails,wait 20 minutes for them to harden back up...now,using a good 10x mirror and good lighting,go to work and squeeze all those blackheads out,get the roots ! and get all of them...you will have marks,they will go away in a few months....after you are done,wash again,same method...then use a stridex or other 2% acne pad,and start using the pads 3 times a day for a week,then twice a day...before you go to bed make sure and do a method washing with the acne face wash,dry,then apply the pad...you will see big results in a few weeks,especially if you add 5 glasses of water to your daily diet...
 
there are a few things you can do...change your pillowcase every night ,it absorbs oils from your hair and grinds it into your skin while you sleep...you MUST remove the blackheads and start fresh...get a good acne face wash,apply to a hot wet wash cloth,the rough side,and scrub the hell out of your face,rinse and repeat,dry with clean towel...the hot water has softened your fingernails,wait 20 minutes for them to harden back up...now,using a good 10x mirror and good lighting,go to work and squeeze all those blackheads out,get the roots ! and get all of them...you will have marks,they will go away in a few months....after you are done,wash again,same method...then use a stridex or other 2% acne pad,and start using the pads 3 times a day for a week,then twice a day...before you go to bed make sure and do a method washing with the acne face wash,dry,then apply the pad...you will see big results in a few weeks,especially if you add 5 glasses of water to your daily diet...

This sounds like some good advice to me.

Paul
 
there are a few things you can do...change your pillowcase every night ,it absorbs oils from your hair and grinds it into your skin while you sleep...you MUST remove the blackheads and start fresh...get a good acne face wash,apply to a hot wet wash cloth,the rough side,and scrub the hell out of your face,rinse and repeat,dry with clean towel...the hot water has softened your fingernails,wait 20 minutes for them to harden back up...now,using a good 10x mirror and good lighting,go to work and squeeze all those blackheads out,get the roots ! and get all of them...you will have marks,they will go away in a few months....after you are done,wash again,same method...then use a stridex or other 2% acne pad,and start using the pads 3 times a day for a week,then twice a day...before you go to bed make sure and do a method washing with the acne face wash,dry,then apply the pad...you will see big results in a few weeks,especially if you add 5 glasses of water to your daily diet...

I also agree that this sounds like good advice. You could also consider getting a professional facial at a spa/beauty place if you don't fancy doing it yourself.
 
For a significant percentage of people those marks may never go away.

Exercise caution in quick-fix solutions.
 
I thought the more often I washed my face and the stronger the soap was the better. I was wrong!!! A mild face wash, cool water and a light moisturizer cleans the skin, reduces the inflamation and tells your skin it has enough oil, so stop making more. If you use harsh soap, hot water, scrub and repeat too often your skin will fight back and produce too much oil. Be gentle. It will take a few weeks for your skin to change, but it will. If you still need help, see your doctor. There are so many pills and creams that work well with few side effects.
 
Bear with me for one paragraph.

I had one heck of a blackhead on my back. the Dr. said he could remove it with surgery, but other than that, it would always be there. (I don't suggest the following for face use) I got some full strength Tea Tree oil and had my wife put a drop directly on it to loosen the "gunk", then she'd massage it. I would shower and use a scrub brush, and it disappeared (over time) and hasn't returned in 15 years. She can't even see where it was. I had a second one forming and that disappeared only by using the brush and soap in the shower.

It wouldn't surprise me a bit if just face lathering for a few minutes every day works over time to get rid of them. You have nothing to lose by trying and waiting to see what happens.

I wouldn't use a soft spineless brush. I'd use a boar with backbone, or maybe, if your skin can take it, a low grade badger that is scratchy to get into the pores to break them up. You might also consider a loofa and some tea tree facial scrub. When face lathering I wouldn't deliberately try to beat the brush into the blackheads, just the normal course of face lathering and normal brush use.

Let us know what works please.
 
There are many pieces of good advice in here. I, too, would advise caution with being too harsh to your skin. The marks may or may not fade. They do with me, but I may be lucky.

You could also take a look at your diet. I know it might sound cliche, but I notice my skin getting more or less healthy depending on the amount of fried foods, processed foods, fruits, and vegetables I eat. The processed foods may be more or less significant than fried foods, I'm not sure, but I know more fruits and vegetables helps me and my skin to feel better.

Good luck, and if you find an answer, I'd love to know a good once-and-for-all solution.
 
Coming from someone who's dealt with Acne problems for quite some time... I've tried just about every product out there and didn't have a lot of luck until not too long ago.
As was said above, change your sheets/pillow cases as often as possible. Additionally (carefully) hold your face over a boiling pot of water, the steam will open your pores right up.
Then, the best thing I've ever found for cleaning my face... as of right now will never use anything else:
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Hello Feech, glad you've seen an improvement in your skin since wet shaving.

Everyones skin is different, and will therefore react differently to "treatments". Reading through the posts, it looks like you've got some excellent advice from the other members on your issues. It's important not to use any cleanser that's harsh/drying for the skin, as you will produce more oil to counter the drying effect. I have sensitive skin that used to be prone to some "outbreaks" and "black/dark marks" on the skin after they have gone, so I can appreciate your issue. There are no quick fixes, but there are some things that can help.

A few years back I started using Khiel's Facial Fuel Face Wash and Facial Fuel Scrub. The face wash is quite mild, and not drying to the skin. I use this every morning. The face scrub I use 2 or 3 times a week. Since I used these products, I've had no breakouts, and the skin is pretty good even if I say so myself! (though others have!).

Now regarding the black marks... A product that was recommended to me, was Biotherm White Detox Bio-A(2). It's like a clay mask, but you ONLY apply it on to the areas where the black/dark marks are. Keep it on for 20mins or so, and then wash off. Over a period of 4-5 weeks the marks I had disappeared or were greatly reduced.

TheWendysGuy recommends a professional facial, which is a good idea as you can get a proper facial cleanse, before you go into your own routine.

Oh, one other recommendation... WATER! Drink plenty of water (2litres) every day to keep your skin healthy. You'll notice a difference within 8 weeks!

Hope this all helps. Good luck!

Sorry for the War & Peace post
 
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