7 Ways To Prevent Blackheads On Lips

Getting rid of blackheads on your lips or around your lips is done the same way as blackheads on other areas of your body. Treatment focuses on breaking down the pore clogging sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria that get trapped in your pores. Using topical skin care products and safely extracting blackheads are the most effective ways to treat blackheads.

We'll give you 7 ways to treat blackheads on your lips including how to do a safe extraction. Plus find out what causes them and how to prevent future blackheads.

What are Blackheads?

Blackheads, or open comedones, are a mild form of acne that happen when dead skin cells, bacteria, and oil clog pores. The pore is open at the surface and when the debris comes into contact with air, it oxidizes and turns black or dark brown.

Blackheads are small, dark spots or bumps that most often occur on the face, but can happen anywhere on your body where you have oil glands.

Unlike most types of acne, blackheads are considered non-inflammatory, meaning they are not caused by a hormone imbalance or poor diet.

If left untreated blackheads can turn into inflammatory acne. This is where eating an anti-inflammatory, low GI acne diet can help.

Causes of Blackheads on the Lips

Dead skin cells, dirt, debris, pollution, or excess oil can cause a blockage in the pore. Since the pore is an open comedone, not a closed comedone or whitehead, air comes into contact with the contents of the clogged pore and oxidizes. This is what causes the dark brown or black color.

Blackheads on the lips can be caused by a few things. Not removing makeup and sunscreen at night, not using the right acne skin care routine, certain cosmetics and skin care products, and just oily or combination skin can all be a factor.

7 Ways To Get Rid of Blackheads on the Lips

Treating lip blackheads depends on your unique situation, but these are a few ways might help.

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If you have oily or combination skin, using a cleanser with AHAs like lactic acid or glycolic acid help exfoliate while removing excess oil, makeup and sunscreen. These can make skin too dry in people with sensitive, normal, or dry skin.

Salicylic acid is a BHA that helps dissolve dead skin cells on the surface of skin. Unlike AHAs, salicylic acid is able to penetrate deep into the hair follicle. This makes it a good choice for acne and blackheads.

Benzoyl peroxide can treat blackheads by killing bacteria and unblocking pores. Use it in a cleanser or as a spot treatment.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating regularly helps keep dead skin cells and oil from clogging pores.

Skin care products with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and salicylic acid are a great way to do this. These ingredients remove dead skin cells and reduce oil to help unclog pores.

Using harsh physical exfoliators can scratch and harm skin cells. If you can't resist, make sure the exfoliant is very fine to avoid damage.

Use Retinoids

Retinoids are a form of vitamin A that works by decreasing excess oil and shedding dead skin cells. They work because vitamin A is small enough to penetrate the skin’s lower layers, where it helps to unclog pores. They also boost collagen and normalizes cell renewal. This helps reduce inflammation and makes skin brighter and younger.

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Differin gel (Adapalene) used to be prescription, but is now available over the counter. Differin also makes cleansers and moisturizers that are great for an acne skin care routine.

Use Vaseline

The idea behind using petroleum jelly (Vaseline) is that the oil in the Vaseline softens and attracts the debris in the blackhead.

This DIY petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and brown sugar lip scrub works by softening the debris in your pores and exfoliating the top surface.

Vaseline is oil-based so it is able to soften the oily debris in your pores. Brown sugar is a natural AHA and works as a chemical exfoliator. The combination allows you to remove your lip blackhead easier. It's also a great addition to your skin care routine for preventing blackheads.

How To Make DIY Vaseline And Brown Sugar Lip Scrub

Mix 1 tablespoon of Vaseline with 2 tablespoons of soft dark brown sugar in a small jar. The darker the sugar is, the softer it will be on your skin. You can also just mix this lip scrub right in the palm of your hand if you are making a smaller amount by simply using a dab of petroleum jelly and a couple of sprinkles of brown sugar.

Gently massage on and around lips using tiny polishing motions. Use a cold washcloth to remove any excess Vaseline from your lips then gently pat into lips. This allows the moisturizing and moisture attracting properties of the lip treatment to take effect.

Use a cold washcloth to remove any excess Vaseline from your lips then gently pat into lips. This allows the moisturizing and moisture attracting properties of the lip treatment to take effect.

You can use this brown sugar and petroleum scrub every day to exfoliate your lips. But if they become chapped, just reduce the number of times a day you use the scrub.

Extract Your Lip Blackhead

Extracting your blackhead at home is risky. If you do it wrong, it's a huge blackhead, or skin has grown over the top, you can make it worse and run the risk of acne scars.

The general rule is to use topicals like AHAs and BHAs first, then extract if the blackhead doesn't go away on it's own.

If you're going to extract, or pop, your blackhead, there's a few things to do to make it as safe and clean as possible.

According to Dr. Sina Ghadiri, a UK-based Dermatologist and YouTuber, wearing clean cotton gloves during the extraction helps you collect the debris as it is gently massaged out of the pore.

Wear cotton gloves during a blackhead extraction to absorb the debris. Be sure to gently and smoothly massage the area around blackhead until it's completely extracted.

Try Natural Skin Care Ingredients

For some people, using all natural ingredients causes less irritation and works better than conventional treatments.

These are some of the best natural blackhead treatments for lips.

• Sulphur spot treatments work by unclogging pores. It has antimicrobial properties to fight acne-causing bacteria, too.

• Lemon juice is controversial and might cause irritation, but when used as an astringent, the vitamin C can help kill bacteria in the pores

• Manuka honey is made from the flowers of the tea tree bush, and it has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiseptic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. It helps keep hair follicles clean and control bacteria. It can be a cleanser or a mask.

• Tea tree oil has antimicrobial properties that kill bacteria that causes blackheads. It's best applied with witch hazel as an astringent.

• Witch hazel helps control oily skin with tannins. Tannins naturally reduce oil which causes clogged pores and blackheads. Use it on a cotton ball and apply as an astringent.

See A Professional

You can do more harm than good with blackheads, especially stubborn ones. And when topicals don't work after 6-8 weeks and you just can't seem to extract a blackhead, it's time to see a Derm or Esthetician. Both can do a clean and safe extraction, but only a Derm can prescribe medications that might help prevent future breakouts.

Prevention Tips for Blackheads on the Lips

Preventing blackheads on the lips is just as important as getting rid of them. Here are some tips to help keep blackheads from forming:

• Keep your lip area clean and dry with routine skin care

• Avoid picking skin, it can lead to acne scars and infection

• Use non-comedogenic and oil-free cosmetic and skincare products

• Avoid using heavy and oily cosmetic products on the lip area

Skincare expert and esthetician Renée Rouleau says, "When it comes to preventing blackheads, the key is to keep the pores as clean as possible by removing excess oil and keeping the skin hydrated."

Final Thoughts

Blackheads on the lips are a common but very treatable skin condition. Getting rid of them might be as simple as changing up your skin care routine or doing an extraction at home. Regular exfoliation, using AHAs and BHAs, and adding retinoids to can help. But when your blackheads aren't going away, or getting worse, it's time to see a Dermatologist or Esthetician.