Teenagers and blackheads, what's the current thinking?

[BaconAndAvocado]

DS2 aged 14 has some blackheads on his nose.

I can remember my mum squeezing mine out at that age. Would this be the right thing to do?

If not, what because they look awful.

Glycolic acid? Like the pixi glow tonic or similar. It’s helped with reducing my blackheads, alas it isn’t just a teenage infliction!

Nose strips work pretty well 😘

Black head strips. Even gets the stubborn ones!

Nose strips

Film yourself squeezing them. Post video on Sporner Corner.

^THIS

Oh yes, squeeze. Film. Post in Sporners corner. Then do the other stuff!

DS1 (15) has loads on his nose too. But he won't let me near them and refuses to use anything on them (other than washing his face with soap in the shower). So frustrating, I could squeeze them out in seconds! But he's having none of it. All discussion of the subject is banned!

No to nose strips. Knackers the skin. Salicylic acid and niacinamide are what you need. CeraVe SA cleanser is excellent and The Inkey List does a great niacinamide. If they don't shift that way get one of the removal tools and make sure DC opens up and softens the pores first with a hot cloth.

My teens all mutter darkly about bodily autonomy if I try to squeeze their spots. I’ve even tried bribery, unsuccessfully. It’s very frustrating. I just have to make do with Sporner Corner.

Try to work out whether they’re actually black heads or are in fact sebaceous filaments - need to be handled slightly differently (and expectations of the latter managed as they’ll never go completely...) - I agree with @Sparkletastic though.

@Roomba

DS1 (15) has loads on his nose too. But he won't let me near them and refuses to use anything on them (other than washing his face with soap in the shower). So frustrating, I could squeeze them out in seconds! But he's having none of it. All discussion of the subject is banned!

Oh my god, leave him alone then! He's more than capable of squeezing his own spots if wants to, and if he doesn't, he doesn't. You're only going to make him feel self-conscious about it if you nag at him about it.

I always remember my mum telling me it 'broke her heart' to look at my skin .. and I was like .. great! Turns out I had a hormonal imbalance that only Yasmin could fix, which I didn't find out until I was 28 because my doctors were Catholic and not only refused to prescribe the pill, but also didn't tell me it was an option I could get elsewhere.

Leave the lad alone. He will know what his skin looks like, you don't have to go on about it.

My teens have blackheads and some days y eyes are glued to them, but they want they to keep them for some reason.

NO nose strips, they do more damage than good
You want BHA (salicylic acid) from paulas choice or nip fab

This is a good article

https://metro.co.uk/2017/05/20/why-you-need-to-stop-using-pore-strips-to-try-to-clear-your-nose-of-blackheads-6649635/

don't squeeze! that can result in scarring.

my teens use a supermarket own brand salicylic acid face wash and a moisturising salicylic acid spot on gel for inflamed areas.

Hot cloth cleanser then decent acid toner on the tzone. Wish I had had this as a teenager - really noticed the difference when I started in my late thirties.

Liz earle hot cloth cleanser:
www.johnlewis.com/liz-earle-cleanse-polish-hot-cloth-cleanser-100ml/p147611?sku=230453388&s_ppc=2dx92700053881035664&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjw59n8BRD2ARIsAAmgPmI1gUgV7GkVeRCn9Fcto-COUvP1BoPfFLihirD6sz3vnuAHqSyYIs8aAoaVEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Toner:
www.lookfantastic.com/pixi-clarity-tonic-250ml/12611695.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&thg_ppc_campaign=71700000073533399&adtype=pla&product_id=12611695&gclid=Cj0KCQjw59n8BRD2ARIsAAmgPmKxg7kngs45-k95BR_sJijuQHiYYzsu_sw4HeTwPExSSFCyexuEjhkaAjuhEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Get him to use these - should last 6-8 weeks then judge if it's been effective. If you can, get him to extract the worst after cleansing, but even without this will help

My teens have blackheads and some days y eyes are glued to them, but they want they to keep them for some reason.

I had a group of first year uni students who, every Monday morning, handed out an award for 'zit of the week'. They genuinely seemed to consider it an honour to win!

(They never made the award to anyone who was upset about their spots, just a group of about 15 of them who sported their spots like war medals.)