Blackheads are something we are all familiar with, but did you know they are also called open comedones? Blackheads are usually caused by a pore that gets clogged with keratin (skin protein) and sebum (oil). Given the black color many believe these spots are clogged with dirt, but really it’s the exposure to air that oxidizes the clogged pore and turns it black. Don’t worry though, most blackheads can be extracted with a trusty comedone extractor!

A whitehead or a closed comedo (single for comedone), unlike a blackhead, is a completely blocked pore. Similar to a blackhead, keratin (skin protein) and sebum (oil) combine to block the pores. Whiteheads can be extracted using a comedone extractor as you see in most of my videos, but often, a superficial nick in the skin must first be made in the skin to allow easy extraction.