Having blackheads in your ear can be embarrassing. You will constantly feel that others are noticing them and that others are thinking that you have totally put aside your personal hygiene practices. Not only are they ugly, but they can be painful because the skin around them is usually inflamed which puts pressure on the nerve endings.
What causes Blackheads in the Ears? Blackheads form in the ear because of clogged pores. Dirt enters the ear and it mixes with oil that is on the surface of the ear. Also, dead skin cells join with the oil and the dirt to form the blackhead in the pore. Bacteria is not involved. The mixture turns black due to oxidation.
What causes the Pores in the Ear to Become Clogged?
There are numerous reasons why the skin pores within the ear can become clogged. Here are the top ones:
- Your hormones levels might be off. Hormones can change without warning. This does not mean that you are entering into a dangerous hormonal imbalance situation, but it can affect skin pores. If a skin pore is enlarged, the chances of the development of a blackhead are increased.
- If you are under a lot of stress, you are going to affect the level of oil that is produced within your ear. Also, stress increases the body’s inflammatory response which can affect the size of skin pores. Their openings can become enlarged allowing more dirt to enter.
- Genetics plan a big role. I personally have a problem with blackheads forming on my back. My father had the exact same problem with his back for years. In other words, the size of skin pores in the ear is different from person to person. If you have larger pores than the average person, you are most likely going to develop blackheads somewhere on your body.
- Nowadays, doctors are prescribing medications to counter the side effects of other medications. The chances of having skin problems are increased because of some medications. You may wish to speak with your doctor if you have noticed an increase in blackheads forming within your ears if you had just recently added or if you had changed a medication.
How to Treat Blackheads in the Ear
Treating ear blackheads in done in the same fashion as the treatments for blackheads that usually form around the mouth and on the side of the nose. Nevertheless, you do have to be careful with the lining of the ear because of its delicate skin.
Here are some tips for the treatment of blackheads that have already formed within the ear:
- You need to wash the inside of your ear while in the shower. Make sure that you use a shower gel that does not foam a lot and that is oil-free. You do not want to enhance the blackhead problem by introducing even more oil into your blackheads. These washings will help to reduce the amount of dirt that is trapped on the entrance to your skin pores. Blackheads are not closed, so washing the surface of them will reduce the size of them.
- The term exfoliating might sound scary to most people. It is simply the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. We are shedding dead skin cells all of the time. You might be surprised to learn that dust found in the home is filled with them.
- Exfoliate the outer part of the ear in a delicate fashion. This is easily done in the shower and doing it once a week will be fine.
- You can also buy acne medication over the counter at your local pharmacy. Of course, always consult with a pharmacist to ensure that a certain product does not cause problems with medications that you might presently be taking. These medications that are for acne should contain salicylic acid. This acid is able to help to unclog pores.
- You can also try to extract the blackhead. This should only be done with an extraction tool, never with your fingertips or something intrusive such as a bobby pin. You will need to soften the pore beforehand by holding a warm moist facecloth to it for about a minute.
- Next step is to sterilize the extractor. A quick way to do so is to hold it over a flame with a few seconds.
- These extractors will have a loop at the end. Place the loop over the top of the blackhead. Now apply some pressure and pull the loop across the surface of the blackhead. This motion should remove material from within the blackhead.
If you have successfully removed the blackheads from within your ears, ensure that you follow the preventive measures outlined in the next section of this article.
Nevertheless, if you are finding that blackheads are reappearing, it might be time to see a dermatologist. A dermatologist will be able to prescribe medications that may reduce your outbreaks.
How to Prevent Blackheads in the Ear
There are several tactics that you can use that will reduce the chances of developing blackheads within the ear. Prevention is necessary because the removal of blackheads does cause a lot of stress because of the delicate location.
Here are the tactics to remove the incidents of blackhead in the entry to the ear:
- Avoid blocking air that enters into the ear. If you are constantly wearing earbuds for your cell phone, or headset while listening to your favorite music, reduce the amount of time that you spend wearing such devices. Blocking your ears is going to allow moist to build up and also the amount of oil that moist is going to increase. This type of environment makes the forming of a blackhead more likely.
- Do not constantly block air from entering into the ear by wearing earplugs while sleeping. I personally do so because of the amount of noise outside of my bedroom window, but I know that I am just asking for trouble. It is best to allow air to flow into the ear so that moisture will not build up. Excessive moisture means that the likelihood of developing blackheads will be there.
- I have seen many people that stick a finger into an ear to scratch it. This is a big no-no, you do not know what you are introducing into your ears since different matters might have been lodged underneath your fingernails.
- It is also a good idea to rinse out your ears periodically when showering. There is no need to introduce tons of soap suds in your ear canal, but a small amount of soap and water is fine. Simply rub a soapy facecloth along your ear and then rinse it off.
- Avoid rubbing aggressively your ears while washing them in the shower. This can cause inflammation of the skin that lines the ear. Inflamed skin stretches the pores. A pore that is enlarged is heaven to blackheads.
- Try to avoid foods that cause inflammation of the skin. For instance, avoid the consumption of foods that are sugary. Also, starchy foods can also create inflamed skin cells. Here are some foods that you can try out that reduce inflammation: omega 3 eggs, spinach, mushrooms, and even almonds.
How to Extract a Deep Blackhead near the outside of the Ear
Some blackheads are hard to remove because they are deep into the skin. Do not pick away at it because you are just going to succeed in damaging the surrounding skin. It is best to use an extraction tool. I recommend the Blackhead Vacuum Pore Cleaner (click to see on Amazon).
How to Get Blackheads out of Children’s Ears
You can first of all try to loosen up the oil and dirt that is present. This can be done by applying a mixture of boiled milk and lemon juice. Once the grime has become loose, lightly squeeze the blackhead. If you are afraid of introducing bacteria into the ear canal, you should contact a dermatologist. A dermatologist can perform a super quick extraction.
