How do you use a blackhead tool?

The metal loop tool is called a comedo extractor. During professional extraction, sterilized equipment is used to clear the blocked pore, sometimes after exfoliating the skin. The loop applies even pressure to remove the blackhead. Sterile equipment and proper technique belong together; cleaning a tool alone is not a substitute for knowing how to extract safely.12

Extraction is usually offered when other acne treatment has not cleared the skin, rather than as the first treatment. Extraction takes time and can be expensive, even though the instrument looks less complicated than the appointment.2

Make sure the spot is a blackhead

A blackhead is an open pore blocked by oil and dead skin cells. Its dark colour comes from the contents reacting with oxygen, not from dirt. A whitehead has a closed opening, while a deep, tender lump can be a different type of acne. Do not treat every bump as something to press out with a loop.3

What to do at home instead

  1. 1Wash your skin with a gentle cleanser. Make cleansing a twice daily habit, and avoid scrubbing, which can irritate skin and worsen acne.
  2. 2Use a blackhead treatment rather than squeezing. Salicylic acid dissolves dead skin cells that can clog pores. Retinoids, medicines related to vitamin A, break up blackheads and help prevent new blockages. A pharmacist can help you choose an acne treatment.
  3. 3Use moisturizer regularly, choose skincare and makeup labelled noncomedogenic, meaning they do not clog pores, and remove makeup at the end of the day.
  4. 4Give acne treatment time to work. If you do not see results in 4 to 6 weeks, a dermatologist can help you decide what to try next.
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Will blackheads come back after removal?

Blackheads can return after extraction, so the word "removal" on the packaging is not a lifetime service agreement. Follow an ongoing skincare and acne treatment plan to help prevent new blockages. Repeated picking or popping can worsen acne and delay clearing; extraction does not replace prevention.2

When to stop and get medical help

Stop pressing rather than applying more force to a stubborn blockage. Arrange professional removal for deep, embedded blackheads. See a doctor if spots are deep, painful, numerous or causing scars, or if treatment is not helping. Hot, swollen, red skin can be a sign of infection; redness can be harder to see on brown and black skin.14

Where this answer comes from

  1. 1Blackheads: What They Look Like, Treatment & Preventionmy.clevelandclinic.org
  2. 2Pimple popping: Why only a dermatologist should do itaad.org
  3. 3Acne: Signs and symptomsaad.org
  4. 4Acnenhs.uk