Blackhead & Whitehead

[Marco Luci]

Types of Acne
Not all acne is the same. Simplistically, acne can be divided into red
bumps and blackheads/whiteheads.

Blackheads
Blackheads, also known as open comedones, are follicles that have a
wider than normal opening. They are filled with plugs of sebum and
sloughed off cells and have undergone a chemical reaction resulting in
the oxidation of melanin. This gives the material in the follicle the
typical black color.

Whiteheads
Whiteheads, also known as closed comedones, are follicles that are
filled with the same material, but have only a microscopic opening to
the skin surface. Since the air cannot reach the follicle, the material
is not oxidized, and remains white.