Deep blackhead on DS's forehead. Ideas for removal

[sunshinechaser]

My DS is 14 and has started getting bumpy, slightly spotty skin as he's going through puberty. He had a raised bump on his forehead which has now fallen off but it's left a really deep black mark that I presume is a blackhead. He's a bit self conscious about it so I wondered if anyone had recommendations for skincare for teens that might help.
He currently uses Cerave blemish face wash that contains salicylic acid and niacinamide and applies salicylic acid lotion twice daily. This usually keeps his skin in good condition but not sure how long this will continue to work as his skin gets spottier with age.

My daughter was sent to hospital where the gave her a talk about the side effects of roacattane , suicidal thoughts were inclusive she decided not to take it , a friends daughter got it but she suffered from a very dry face and mouth . Daughter was told even though they didn’t approve of it but a couple of sun beds may help

I haven't rtft but just want to say, try dots for spots. They are mini hydrocolloid plasters and my sil had had pretty good results with her ds using these.

Lol. He was a large lazy cat who loved lying on his back being pampered. Miss him so much.

In hindsight I should have upgraded his food but didn't know any better.

Salcura skincare for acne skin - amazing stuff

salcuraskincare.com/collections/oily-acne-prone-skin?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxqC6BhBcEiwAlXp45wHdDe4gC5fMD84AMb_vuvN3FtsHAX_vesxc_JoJaxgE7ekqZlKHOBoCGiwQAvD_BwE

@Nettie1964 I have just spent a rather long, absolutely horrifying time on YouTube. 😧

I used to find putting my head under a towel over a sink of boiling water used to really open my pores. Then you splash with cold water on your face. You can also buy pore cleansing strips (mostly aimed at the nose or chin but you can use anywhere on the face). If you steam the face, pat dry and then use a pore strip it should extract whatevers in there. Then cold water. Also apply teatree to the affected area afterwards.

www.gladskin.co.uk/pages/about-gladskin

There’s actually some newer research, I’m trying to find it, that suggests the suicide risk is not what it was originally thought to be for Roaccutane. There’s actually also some research that suggests some antibiotics (including those commonly used for acne) can cause depression, and I think my daughter may have suffered from that.

We actually saw a good improvement in mental health after using Roaccutane. Perhaps because it actually worked and acne itself can cause mental health struggles. That’s not to say there can’t be considerable side effects, obviously fully avoiding pregnancy is also a consideration. But just to mention regarding the mental health aspect.

Spot plasters are very good at clearing up whiteheads . Or hydro-colloid plasters....

They might be good for blackheads too? You can get in poundland & use overnight.

It's. It too dark to be a blackhead. Squuuuueeeeeeeeerze it! I don't know how you can resist tbh.

*it's NOT too dark that should say.

So last night I put some of my salicylic acid charcoal face mask on his blackhead, took it off then he massaged the spot for ages with an oil cleanser then had a hot, steamy shower. We then used a sterile needle to scratch the surface of it and tried to squeeze it but nothing came out 😭 It's stuck fast! We used cotton buds on either side for ages with lots of pressure but nothing! Went to bed with some Sudocreme on it.
I'm going to get him set up with Dermatica too as I also noticed two other deep blackheads in the folds of his nose so would be good to use something to prevent these elsewhere.

You're fannying around with this and that liquid and gloop, its all unnnecessary, blackheads come out with a really hard push and squeeze, you're not doing it hard enough. Or poke it with a needle a bit as well, scrape it with something.

@soupfiend I just said we scraped it with a sterile needle. A god few times. I couldn't have squeezed it any harder. It was bleeding and his forehead was all red. After about 20 mins squeezing we gave up.

Well you said you scratched the surface, Im talking about a dig around

Yes they will bleed sometimes. I also wouldnt squeeze with cotton buds you cant get any decent pressure with them or purchase on the surface. Fingers, go in for the kill.

<hump>

others have mentioned this but I would be considering that this may not be a blackhead.

@helpfulperson it's hard to photograph but in really life you can see it's definitely a blackhead. His forehead is his worst area for spots. It has a clear ring round it and the black dot is in the middle. If it's a verruca then god knows how you treat it as I don't fancy using Salatac or Bazuka gel on his forehead. Also these gels treat the hard skin round a verruca and he doesn't have that. It's definitely not a mole.

Oh... The other thing you can try is toothpaste on it overnight. Apparently it does actually work as it dries it out and reduces inflammation. It can also make it more poppable.

Could you keep going with the steaming/shower and clay mask and oil cleanser minus the squeezing, and see if it loosens up after a while…poor kid. I hope he didn’t look injured going to school today 😢 Toothpaste is specifically not recommended in the current advice.

@Peachy2005 yes that's exactly what I'm going to thanks. His head looks fine actually despite all the squeezing last night. The joy of having young bouncy skin!

Oh how disappointing OP. But thank you for trying. It was very frustrating before 😆

You need to push down not together to get it to pop out.

yes, stretch and push down.
Some people just have no technique