Do you have blackheads on legs? Get insight on blackheads on thighs causes, after shaving, skin condition, how to get rid, cure, removal, pictures.
Blackheads on legs Meaning
Blackheads are signs of acne, or an indication of a serious underlying medical condition. Blackheads are mainly characterized by a dark skin appearance in which the pores of the skin become blocked. The pores of the skin are known physiologically as pilosebaceous units the hair follicles and their accompanying sebaceous glands, which secrete the oily substance sebum.
Sebum has a protective role in the skin, helping to keep it supple and hydrated. When sebum is overproduced, however, it can form plugs in the pores by clumping with epidermal cells that shed from the skin.
The plugs are known as comedones, with black-headed comedones known as open comedones; white-headed comedones (so-called whiteheads) are known as closed comedones. Blackheads are open to the air; the plug turns black because the sebum becomes oxidized, whereas whiteheads are not open to the air
Can you get blackhead on your legs?
Tips to handle blackheads appearance.
- Use steam to soften your skin before shaving.
Tight, dry skin facilitates ingrown hair growth, so you will want to take steps when possible to loosen and soften it. Shave after (or during) a shower to take advantage of the steam’s effect on your skin and leg hair.
- Avoid shaving at close intervals.
Exert less pressure and refrain from pulling your skin taut; this will leave your leg hair slightly longer, reducing the likelihood of short, sharp hairs breaking back through your skin in either direction.
- Shave with the grain.
Leg hair often grows downward, toward the foot, though most people will have stray hairs that defy convention. When you shave against the grain, it can cause the remnant of the hair to bend and curl, in turn increasing the chance that it’ll curve inward.
- Rinse between every stroke.
As overly fastidious as it might feel, a clean razor won’t drag dirt, dead skin, or any other microscopic debris into (or under) your skin.
- Lay a cool washcloth on your leg afterward
Cool, light pressure will reduce inflammation, and contract your pores.
- Wait longer between shaves.
Longer leg hair is the surest way to avoid ingrown. If you don’t want to stop shaving altogether, give your hair and skin sometime between shaves to recuperate since repeated shaves is close succession will only agitate the irritated sites.
Blackheads on Legs
Control tips:
- Proper hygiene
Shower twice a day and wash your thighs with a mild cleanser designed for the face. Avoid harsh scrubbers and instead use your hands to wash your thighs.
- Dry out your thighs after washing
Allow your thighs to dry. Use a towel to lightly pat your thighs and rid them of any moisture.
- Apply topical acne medication cream
Spread a layer of a topical acne medication that includes resorcinol, sulfur and/or salicylic acid onto your thighs. These ingredients have been shown to break down blackheads. Apply the product everywhere on your thighs that you have seen blackheads, as topical medications will help prevent more blackheads from forming.
- Apply adequate sunscreen
Put on adequate sunscreen when wearing swimwear to protect your thighs from sun damage. Acne medications may increase the risk of sunburn.
- Put on breathing or loose clothes
Wear clothing that is loose in the thighs. Tight clothing can rub and therefore irritate your skin, which can cause more acne.
- acne surgery
Dermatologists can use a tool called a loop extractor to loosen and remove blackheads. Microdermabrasion may also be used to unclog pores.
Blackheads between Legs
Causes of blackheads between legs:
- Obesity
People who are obese have often been found to have blackheads between legs since their thighs rub against each other as they are walking or exercising. Rubbing thighs can cause appearance of small bumps leading itchy skin.
- Friction
Excess friction and sweating between thighs can lead to growth of blackheads bumps that appear like pimples. Furthermore, if you are fond of wearing very tight clothing, you will only be worsening this problem.
- Hormonal imbalance
Hormonal imbalance is a common cause of blackheads on inner thighs to some women. You can easily tell that the cause is hormonal imbalance if they darken during some stages when there is a lot of a hormonal change such as during your monthly cycles, lactation or pregnancy.
- Exposure to sun
Too much exposure of your thighs to direct sunlight especially during sunbathing can cause not only darkening skin on your thighs as well as dark marks on inner thighs if you end up with sunburns and these sunburns can be itchy causing blackheads like pimples.
- Medication and drugs
Some medications such as oral contraceptives have been found to cause between legs to have pimples that have blackheads. In case you are currently using some medications and this problem seem to be affecting you, consult your physician to be certain if the drugs or medications might be causing it.
- Acanthosis Nigricans Conditions
This is a condition that often causes discoloration as well as dark patches on the skin including the skin on your thighs making them to itchy leading to appearance of small bumps that have blackheads.
- lack of thigh gap
To some people, this problem results from lacking thigh gap or having thighs that are so close to each other. This problem is what affects obese people as seen already.
- Shaving with Razor & other bikini hair removal techniques
Excessive shaving for those who are a bit hairy can cause blackheads on inner thighs. This problem is often for people who use old razors that irritate their inner thigh skin and thus darkening it.
- Diabetes and insulin resistance
Research has shown that people who are insulin resistant often suffer from blackheads on thighs. This perhaps can be the connection. You will suffer from dark skin around your neck, armpits and other body parts.
Blackheads on Legs and Thighs
Causes include:
- Shaving
Using a dull razor that pulls at the hair, but doesn’t completely remove the follicle, can cause blackheads on legs and thighs. The hair follicle opening becomes clogged and blocked with oil and dead skin cells. One thing you can do is to stop shaving. If that’s not a possibility, shave less frequently and when you do shave, here are shaving tips to help you reduce the appearance of dark pores.
- Alternatives to Shaving
While shaving is the quickest, easiest and cheapest method for hair removal, it might be necessary to stop shaving. You can try alternative methods like depilatories, waxing or laser hair removal, but remember these methods have their own set of problems like triggering growth or development of pimples that have blackheads when using regularly.
- Poor skin hygiene
Unlike Proper hygiene reduces the chance of blackheads on legs appearing by regularly exfoliating the skin to get rid of dead skin and blockage from sebum, dirt, and impurities that can get into the pores . These mixtures of ingredients are great to use for exfoliating the skin and help alleviate dark pores on the legs.
- Lack of Massage
Massage legs with healing oils or lotions with healing ingredients like aloe Vera to increase circulation, keep skin moisturized and healthy but lack of massage with these ingredients inhibit circulation thus promoting appearance of blackheads on legs.
- Mask of Pregnancy
This change occurs when the level of estrogen rises then it stimulates excess melanin production such that the freckles and moles may appear as blackheads on the legs or arms. The discoloration is temporary and usually disappears after delivery or, in some cases, after you finish breastfeeding.
- Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions may include severe skin rash to folliculitis that eventually appear as blackheads. It is also seen that people with sensitive skin also develops pustules in the waxed area.
- Keloids
They are blackhead bumps that appear past a wound’s bounds and it may keep growing weak after the skin heals. More common in dark skin, keloids can form anywhere, but often they’re on earlobes, shoulders, the upper back, chest, or cheeks.
- Warts
They are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), but different strains affect only certain body parts and they are contagious also.
- Folliculitis
They are causes small, red bumps or black-headed pimples and such that the bacteria may infect the hair follicles, often on your neck, legs, armpits, or buttocks.
- Dermatofibroma
These bumps are harmless but they can bleed if they are prick since they have nerves and blood vessels hence they appear like blackheads.
Blackheads on Legs and Arms
Treatments include:
- Peel off blackheads
Using strong peeling oil since the legs and arms might appear darker than the normal skin; you are advised to use the skin peeling oil first before using the other skin whitening products.
After applying the peel, you will not wash it off until after three day, you will though notice a big difference but also you may redo it if the blackheads on legs and arms are way too dark.
- Apply whitening cream
The problem of blackheads is very much on people without thigh gap and this is why you may have a dark underarm thighs. Since the inner thighs rub together most of the time, it causes friction that leads towards appearance of bumps that are blackhead. Use the cream in the morning and at night every day.
- Laser Treatments
It utilizes quality or pulsed light waves which are transmitted directly to affected area. These techniques applied in laser to remove blackheads on legs, allow pulses of light to be absorbed by the bump cells, making them to disintegrate and get destroyed.
- Dermabrasion
It involves a manual exfoliator tool used combination with some of the topical treatment creams such as the glycolic acid to assist to remove these blackheads on the legs since these dead cells harbor blackheads that have formed from deposited of excess melanin cells.
- Chemical Peels
They are minor peels that are better and safer for the skin on the front part because it tends to be lighter and thin. It is also, advisable to avoid deeper peels as they may cause serious problems to the legs instead of helping to remove blackhead bumps from legs.
Blackheads on Legs Skin Conditions
Blackheads appear due to pores being blocked by the following process:
- The sebaceous glands overproduce sebum and skin cell overgrowth may also be a factor.
- The excess sebum clumps together with dead skin cells and blocks the hair follicle (the base and canal in the skin from which a hair grows)
- The open comedone exposes this plug of sebum to the air, resulting in oxidation of the oily, waxy substance, turning it a black color.
Stimulants of blackheads on legs include:
- The male sex hormone androgen triggers greater secretion of sebum and higher turnover of skin cells, and its production surges in both boys and girls during adolescence.
An excess of androgen hormones in adult women may increase the risk of blackheads and other forms of acne, as well as hirsutism (excessive hair growth). Androgen disorders are also linked to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), with some evidence that acne is more likely in people with PCOS
- Cosmetics, cleansers and clothing that block or cover pores.
- Heavy sweating or high humidity
- Dietary factors, disease or medications that encourage rapid skin cell turnover.
Blackheads on Legs after Shaving
Prevention tips:
- Put on looser clothing
Friction is a factor with ingrown hairs. Dress appropriately when you are moving around, in loose-fitting clothing that allows your legs to breathe instead of tights. Try exercising in shorts, sweatpants, or athletic pants.
- Stop tweezing and waxing
When the hair is pulled entirely out at the follicle, its tip has to break back through the skin as it grows. This can easily lead to ingrown hairs when the tip fails to break through, or curls back around into the skin. Those with coarse or curly hair are at particular risk.
- Avoid skin products with alcohol
Alcohol can cause your skin to tighten and dry out, worsening irritation. This in turn will exacerbate ingrown hairs.
- Alleviate the pain with cortisone cream or aloe Vera.
Apply either of these liberally to soothe red, irritated skin. Don’t attempt shaving, waxing, or any other general hair removal for a few days.
- Laser your leg hair.
The ultimate solution, laser hair removal is an option for those who have chronic issues with ingrown hairs. Treatment inhibits regrowth entirely, so pursue this only if you’re looking to give up leg hair entirely.
- Avoid shaving area with razor burns
Leave the bumps alone to allow your irritated skin to heal and any ingrown hairs to emerge naturally.
- Use electrolysis
If shaving bumps are so severe you are unable to get rid of them. Electrolysis removes the hair follicle, preventing the hair from growing. Electrolysis may help individuals with persistent ingrown hairs.
- Use a physical or chemical exfoliant
Use a rough sponge along with an antibacterial cleanser to decrease bacteria on the skin and coax out hairs growing in the wrong direction. Try a chemical exfoliant, such as a lotion with alpha hydroxy acid or retinoid cream to exfoliate skin and allow ingrown hairs to emerge.
How to get rid of Blackheads on Legs
They include:
- Salicylic and Glycolic Acid
Used of beta-hydroxyl acid and salicylic acid are basically meant to help in breaking down oil in clogged pores. According to dermatologist, combination of salicylic acid attracted to fat/oils and concentrates at the surface of the pore to dissolve the plugs.
Additionally, glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxyl acid which is derived from sugar cane, helps clear dead skin and debris on the surface. These two work well in tandem.
- Retinoid
These work on receptors in the skin to improve the way skin grows and sheds so that it is less likely to form acne. The outer skin layer (epidermis) evens out and gets thicker while the outer dead layer of keratin material sheds more efficiently.
- Microdermasbrasion
Dermatologist can also provide chemical peel treatments and come done extractions which are office-based procedures known to help improve skin texture and appearance.
- Pore Strips
It can provide immediate improvement of some types of plugged pores but the blackheads will recur unless a proper skin care regime is followed routinely as a preventative measure and this according to specialist.
Blackheads on Legs Removal Naturally
Natural cure:
- Exfoliating with baking soda
This is one of the common uses to heal blackheads on legs where baking soda is with combined apple cider vinegar because it contains astringent and anti-bacterial properties but water can also be used instead of apple cider vinegar. Baking soda is an ingredient that is often used in microdermabrasion which as a method of exfoliating, can aid in minimizing blackheads on legs when done regularly.
- Clay Masks
Clay masks (with kaolin) gently exfoliate and help absorb existing oil, but it will accumulate again shortly after the product is used, therefore, it needs to be done on a regular basis for best results.
- Black Pepper
It is a homemade cure to treat blackheads on legs and the following steps are used in getting rid of these ugly formations:
- Take two teaspoons black pepper seeds and grind them into coarse powder.
- Add a little water to the black pepper powder to form a paste of spreadable consistency.
- Apply the black pepper paste on the parts affected by blackheads.
- Allow the pepper paste to dry for 15 minutes and then scrub it off using wet fingertips.
- Run some ice cubes over it.
- Mixture of Lemon and Sugar
This is another cure of blackheads on legs since Sugar will remove the blackheads from the skin pores and lemon will give the blemished skin an even tone.
- Sea Salt
The mineral properties of the sea salt will effectively exfoliate the skin and extract the dirt accumulated in the skin pores thus unclogging of pores will give your skin a clean and fresh look.
- Orange Peel
These remedy is basically done at home to help in curing the blackheads on legs appearance and following the precautions state below:
- Take two teaspoons powder of orange peel.
- Add about three tablespoons of rosewater and make a paste.
- Apply the paste in even layer all over the affected parts of the skin and leave to dry.
- Once the paste dries completely wet your hands and gently scrub off the orange peel paste from the skin then wash with cold water.
- Tomato Juice
Tomato juice or paste is an effective remedy for inner thigh acne that helps in cleaning and unclogging the blocked pores. Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamins A, C and K along with antioxidants that help in drying out the acne from within.
- Radish Seeds
Radish seeds have amazing bleaching agent and acne fighting properties that help in removing acne from the inner thighs and other parts of the body along with removal of freckles. A mixture of radish seeds, milk and honey can be used to reduce the inflammation, redness and irritation caused by acute acne.
- Garlic
Garlic is a multipurpose home remedy that has amazing benefits for skin, hair and health. The benefits of garlic for hair loss treatment are time tested. The minerals zinc, sulfur, calcium and allicin found in garlic makes it a powerful anti-fungal and antibiotic remedy that helps in cleansing the skin in the inner thighs and curing acne fast.
REFERENCES
- Skin problems and treatments : http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/ss/slideshow-lumps-bumps-skin