Blackheads in ear result from clogging of hair follicles on the skin that appears in form of bumps. The name blackheads came about as study showed that the heads of these bumps are usually black. Dead skin cells and sebum are what make up blackheads. When the hair follicle has a collection of dead skin, blackheads form.
Huge Painful Blackheads in ear canal
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There are times the blackhead is very painful especially when it is inside the ear. Painful blackheads in most cases are because they have certain infections. It is the infection that causes the blackhead to be very huge and painful. In such a case you must see a dermatologist since home treatment may not be sufficient. Before seeing the doctor you can try OTC pain killers to relieve the pain.
Blackheads behind ear
The black heads can either occur in the ear or behind the ear. However, blackheads rarely occur behind the ear. This is because, there are no hair follicles behind the ear and the follicles contribute a great deal to formation of blackheads.
It is important to exam your ear once in a while so that a blackhead behind the ear does not go unnoticed and untreated. This is in order to get early treatment to avoid infections which may complicate the condition of the black spots.
Causes of blackheads in ear
You may be wondering what some of the causes of the blackheads on your ear are. It is important to study the causes and some of them are discussed below;
- When the sebaceous gland produce more than necessary oil, blackheads are likely to form in the ear. In most cases, blackheads are associated with very oily areas of the body. This is because of the overproduction of oil mentioned above. The oil drains into the skin pores and leaves them clogged.
It is not only the skin pores but also hair follicle openings. Clogging of the pores maybe because of a number of reasons which include; sebum, dead skin cells, and any form of dirt. Sebum turns black as soon as it comes into contact with oxygen. In rare cases, the blackheads may be either yellow or grey.
Excessive oil production is actually the leading cause of blackheads in the ear. When the oil gets into the pores in the ear the pore become increasingly compact and upon exposure to air causes the pores to clot.
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Hormonal imbalance leads to too much production of sebum. This hormonal imbalance is shown by formation of blackheads. We can therefore conclude that formation of blackheads in this case serves as a sign of hormonal imbalance. These changes are most common during pregnancy, menstruation and puberty. Birth control pills are another reason for formation of blackheads.
Acne can cause black dots in ear.
- The hair follicles in the ear are another reason for formation of the blackheads. This happens when the bacteria, sebum and dead skin cells come to contact with hair follicles. When the hair follicles when together with sebum, bacteria or dead skin cells blackheads develop.
- There are also some drugs that when taken lead to formation of blackheads. They include androgens and lithium. Corticosteroids also lead to formation of blackheads.
- Dehydration is another reason for formation of blackheads. The skin in the ear needs to be hydrated all the time since any excessive dryness leads to creation of an environment where blackheads comfortably pop up.
- Poor hygiene of the ears leads to formation of blackheads. This is especially when the dead skin is not shed off and cleaned well for a period of time. Regular shedding off of the dead skin is very crucial if you need your ears to stay away from formation of blackheads. Poor hygiene leads to irritation of the skin in the ears causing formation of blackheads.
Home remedies to blackheads in ear
Ear wax remover
You can get rid of blackheads by dissolving them using earwax remover. The reason earwax can work miracles in dissolving blackheads is because earwax and blackheads are very similar. Keratin and sebum are what makes up blackhead. Earwax on the other hand is made up of keratin and dead skin.
Earwax is relatively cheap compared to other acne medications. There is a procedure which you should follow when using earwax to get rid of the blackheads on your ears. The procedure is as follows;
- Get your ears dried completely before applying any of the earwax.
- To the area with blackheads in your ears, apply the earwax.
- It should be applied in the same way you apply your lotion.
- You should apply enough wax on the skin so as to leave a visible layer.
- Allow the wax to stay in contact with the skin for ten minutes. After the ten minutes, you notice bubbling as the top of the blackheads dissolve.
- Five minutes after the bubbling is noticed, pick a clean piece of tissue paper and wipe off the wax.
- You should wipe off carefully without causing any irritation to the skin.
- Ensure the piece of tissue used is soft and friendly to the skin.
- Using warm water, clean up the sections with some of the earwax left.
- You should concentrate more on the areas that are very oily and have the blackheads.
- Use a soft facial cleansing scrub to ensure all the ear wax is cleaned off.
- You should then pat your face until it is dry.
- To prevent drying of the blackheads, apply a reasonable amount of moisturizer on the areas that have the black heads.
- As mentioned earlier, leaving the blackheads dry makes them worse as dryness of the skin is one of the causes of blackheads.
The tops of the blackheads are what dissolve immediately. For the whole bump to disappear completely, you must repeat this procedure at least two times in a day for about five days. On the fifth day of following the above procedure to treat the blackheads, you notice that they disappear completely. Before going to your doctor for other prescriptions, you should try earwax first.
Popping
You can rid of blackheads in your ears by popping them. However, success of getting rid of the blackheads by popping is determined by how well you do the popping. You should be keen enough to realize that you should not pop just any blackheads. You should be careful to pick on the very old ones. Popping the small blackheads that are not grown irritates the skin around.
It is important to note that, if a blackhead us ready, it will not require application of too much pressure. You should therefore not bother with blackheads that are not ready to be popped as they require a lot of pressure. Too much pressure on the ear is likely to lead to straining of the ear area which causes discomfort.
To ensure that the popped blackheads heal, there are some things you will need to do after the popping to prevent any possible inflammation.
To begin with, use a cotton wool dipped in warm water to rub the popped up areas. Apart from that, you are advised to apply salicylic acid which helps in minimization of the pores.
While at home, there are more preparations that can help in popping blackheads.
First of all, you can use egg white in popping of the blackheads. Crush the egg white in a bowl and apply it on the ear area with blackheads. Leave it there for ten minutes then rinse with warm water. You can also make a mixture of the egg white with cornmeal then apply it gently on the blackheads around the ear.
In addition to that, you can use a mixture of warm water and baking soda. The mixture is gently massaged on the ear blackheads then rinsed after fifteen minutes. The mixture applied on the blackheads is meant to exfoliate the skin around the ear allowing the blackhead that is ready to pop out.
Another mixture that is effective for use to pop blackheads is a mixture of lemon juice, baking soda and warm water. Allow the mixture to remain on the area with blackheads and the ready ones will pop out. Use warm water to rinse that area so as to ensure the pores do not remain clogged.
How to pop blackheads in ear
There are steps that when followed lead to excellence in using the popping method to get rid of the blackheads. The steps are as follows;
- Clean the ear area using a mild cleanser
- To soften that area, do the steam treatment.
- Bend your ear towards a bowl filled with hot water.
- Let the steam run over the area with the blackheads.
- The steaming process leaves the blackheads more visible hence you are in position to wisely pick the ready to be popped blackheads.
- Since our environment is full of disease causing bacteria, it is good to cover the fingers that will be used in popping with soft tissue.
- Wrapping the fingers ensures that you keep the skin around the ears free from any other infections.
- Push the blackheads down carefully using the covered fingers.
- Apply some more pressure and ensure you move your hands upwards as you press.
- This ensures you maintain your activity only on the affected area and you do not interfere with the rest of the skin on the ear.
How to clean blackheads inside the ear
One of the most important things to do to ensure the blackheads do not keep on developing is to clean the ear properly. The already existing blackheads should be cleaned too. Hygiene is important since as earlier mentioned, clogging of pores by dirt is one reason you may be having blackheads.
Cleaning of the ears is not done in the same way as the other body parts are cleaned. Since the ear is a very delicate organ, you are advised not to use dripping water when cleaning it. The best thing to do is to dip a cotton cloth into warm water and wipe off the dirt.
Even that, more trouble happens when the blackhead is inside the ear. In this case, you need to be more careful to avoid damaging the ear drums. If the blackheads are inside the ear, get someone to help you.
First of all, ensure the person cleaning your ears up has washed their hands. If necessary, they could get hand gloves. The person cleaning your ears should soak a cotton cloth that is very soft into warm water. The cloth should be folded well enough that it gets through into the ear and cleans up the blackheads.
How to remove blackheads in ears
Even though the blackheads may at times be invisible, they can be very irritating. This is especially because the skin around the ear is relatively thin and is easily irritated. Removing a blackhead that has developed in the ear can be very difficult.
The ear is a very sensitive part of the body. In fact, it is easier to get rid of blackheads in the nose as compared to the ear. When acne treatments are used incorrectly to treat blackheads in the ear, there is likelihood that you develop an infection.
There are several ways through which blackheads can be removed. They include the following;
- Proper cleaning of your ears is the very first important step. Most people overlook the need to clean their ears. It is important to use your face towel to clean your ears each time you take a shower.
You are likely to assume that cleaning the ears involves use of cotton swabs to get rid of the ear wax or any other dirt. Too much use of cotton swabs to clean your ears may cause excessive discomfort to your ears.
It is advisable that you use a cotton cloth to wipe the ears dry after cleaning them. A mild cleanser can also be used to clean your ears and most importantly get rid of dead skin cells. Dead skin cells are one of the reasons you are having blackheads.
- In addition, exfoliation can be used to remove the blackheads. Accumulation of dead cells on the skin areas around the ear is something that happens every day. Simply washing that area without putting extra effort may not eliminate the dead skin cells completely. It is therefore advisable that you use an exfoliant that is gentle enough.
Exfoliating the skin is majorly aimed at getting rid of the dead skin cells as well as any accumulated dirt. This helps to keep the skin around the ear healthy enough. It is difficult to get blackheads on a healthy and well taken care of skin.
- Another way through which you can remove blackheads is by opening up the pores. Blackheads could show that the pores are clogged. This requires that you keep your skin pores open to avoid any possibility that the blackheads that you are having are because your pores are clogged.
You are advised to pick a cloth and dip it into warm water then hold it on the skin around the ear for about five minutes. The skin pores are opened up and removing blackheads becomes very easy.
- There is also a tool you can use to remove blackheads and it is referred to as blackheads extractor. It is very important to understand that this tool is better when used by a professional. It is difficult to see the blackheads in the ear on your own. You therefore need someone else and most preferably an ear specialist to do that.
Ensure that the ears are cleaned up first before using this tool. Ensure that the hands of the person using this tool on you are clean as well. This is so as to avoid any possible infections. The procedure when using a blackhead extractor is as follows;
- Open the pores using a warm cloth.
- Get the blackhead disinfected using alcohol.
- Put the extractor on the top part of the blackhead then gently.
- Press downwards.
- Do not put too much pressure.
- Ensure that you are not forcing the extraction of the blackhead since if it is not ready to be extracted it will cause scarring.
- It is better left alone rather than forced.
Videos of blackheads in and around the ear
Watch the included videos that will give you more insight in understanding how blackheads appear inside the ear or any outer part of the ear. Note that, the videos are generated from internet sources. Therefore, it is only through proper diagnosis by a doctor that you could be able to establish whether what you are having around or inside your ears are blackheads.
