104 GQ.CO.ZA MAY 2017Words byStephen J PraetoriusSKINCAREEliminating
blackheads
the right way
Clear skin, closed pores, can’t lose
F
rom shaving properly to
remembering to moisturise,
combatting oil to managing
acne as a grown-ass adult, you’ve
got a lot on your plate when it comes
to taking care of your face. But
even with all that ef ort, chances
are that at one point or another,
a blackhead or two is going to pop
up somewhere between your ears.
Life’s just unfair that way.
Now, though they may be less
conspicuous than their pulsing
acne cousins, blackheads can
be just as unsettling. And if left
untreated, they can and will get
exponentially worse. h at’s why it’s
important to do everything in your
power to fend them of at i rst sight.
Here, a few of our best tips on how
to clean out clogged pores and
regain clear, pothole-free skin.Step away from the strips
We’ve all seen the commercials:
a pretty girl, lamenting the ‘poorquality’ of her obviously l awless
skin, applies what appears to be
a piece of tape to her nose. h en,
what we’re told is 10 minutes later,
she removes the tape, scrunching
her little brow upon seeing all the
muck now stuck to it. It’s all very
convincing. Unfortunately, it’s
also kind of bullshit.
h e fact of the matter is,
while skin strips may work in the
short term to get rid of of ending
blackheads, they do nothing to treat
the root of the problem – the oil, dirt
and dead skin cells buried deep in
your pores. On top of that, they’re
not at all gentle on skin, especially
if it’s already vulnerable due to
dryness, breakouts or sunburn. So
instead, we suggest trying a pore
extractor, like this double ended
Blackhead Remover from h e
Body Shop (R85). h e same tool
a dermatologist would use, it’ll help
to force out all the gunk that’s really
ground in there, so your blackheadproblem won’t come back to haunt
you before you know it.Get your hands on the
right stuff
Looking for a solution that’s a little
less hands-on? h en the i rst thing
you need to do is swap out your
regular grooming products for
those that contain a few key
blemish-i ghting components.
One such ingredient: salicylic acid.
Found in products like Eucerin’s
DermoPURIFYER Cleanser (200ml
R140), it’ll help keep blackheads
at bay by unpacking pores and
encouraging skin to shed dead
cells. Another ingredient, retinoids,
like those in Dermaceutic Activ
Retinol 0.5 Anti-Age Serum (30ml
R1 000), are another option, acting
similarly but with the added bonus
of also i ghting wrinkles. Sounds
like a win-win to us.Exfoliate every so often
While dirt and oil are often seen as
the biggest culprits, in actuality it’s
often your own dead skin cells that
choke pores the worst. For that very
reason, exfoliating is a must if your
skin is particularly blackhead-prone.
h at could mean switching up your
soap to something like L’O r é a l
Men Expert Pure & Matte Deep
Exfoliating Wash (150ml R90).
Or it could mean going heav y-duty
and investing in an exfoliating
face brush, like this one from
Dermalogica (R295). Either way,
scrub well for best results.As always, moisturise
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say
it again: only good things will
ever come of moisturising. h at
sentiment holds true just as much
here as it does any where else. Aside
from keeping the skin’s oil content
in check, applying lotion on the
regular also keeps cells healthier for
longer, so they’re less likely to i nd
themselves buried in your pores.Leave it to the pros
Want clear skin on your face, but
don’t want to put in all that work?
Well, you’re not the only one, which
is why facials are a thing. So suck up
your pride and go get one. Trust us,
your face will thank you. Plus, you
might even enjoy it.Eucerin
DermoPURIFYER
Cleanser
200ml R140The Body Shop
Blackhead
Remover
R85Dermaceutic
Activ Retinol 0.5
Anti-Age Serum
30ml R1 000Dermalogica
exfoliating face
brush R295L’Oréal Men
Expert Pure &
Matte Deep
Exfoliating Wash
150ml R90CLEAR,
CLEAN
PORES