blackhead

1. Medicine. A plug of keratin and sebum within a hair follicle that is blackened at the surface. Also called comedo.
2. An infectious disease of turkeys and some wildfowl that is caused by a protozoan (Histomonas meleagridis) and results in lesions of the intestine and liver. Also called enterohepatitis, histomoniasis, Also called infectious enterohepatitis.
3. Any of various birds, such as the scaup, with dark head markings.

Blackhead is the common name for a type of comedo (ne) , the characteristic feature of acne vulgaris. They occur mostly on the face, neck, and upper part of the back, because this is where sebaceous glands are most thickly distributed. These glands secrete sebum, a fatty lubricant, into the hair follices. The lining of the follicles, like the skin surface itself, continually sheds and renews its outermost layer, and this debris, along with the sebum, normally escapes onto the surface. When the lining fails to be shed properly the sebum accumulates below it in the hair follicle. The debris of skin cells, pushed outwards by the sebum contains the pigment melanin, and this accounts for the dark plug that closes off the pore. Inflammation may be caused by bacterial action and fatty acids formed in the sebum, resulting in papules (lumps) and pustules (‘boils’ or ‘plukes’). Male sex hormones enhance the activity of the sebaceous glands along with the stimulation of hair growth, accounting for their exuberant secretion, and hence the likelihood of acne, around the time of puberty, and for the fact that girls suffer less — though they are not entirely exempt.

— Stuart Judge

See skin.

Inflammation of the intestine and liver.

• infectious e. — a disease of poultry. See histomoniasis.

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Comedo. (Discuss)

This article is about the skin condition. For other uses, see Blackhead (disambiguation).

Blackhead
Classification and external resources
Blackheads on a nose.
ICD-9	706.1

A blackhead (medically known as an open comedo^[1] , plural comedones^[2]) is a yellow or blackish bump or plug on the skin. A blackhead is a type of acne vulgaris. Contrary to the common belief that it is caused by poor hygiene, blackheads are caused by excess oils that have accumulated in the sebaceous gland's duct. The substance found in these bumps mostly consists of keratin and modified sebum (an oily secretion of the sebaceous gland), which darkens as it oxidizes.^[3] Clogged hair follicles, where blackheads often occur, reflect light irregularly to produce a blackhead's "black" hue.^[4] For this reason, the blockage might not necessarily look black when extracted from the pore, but may have a more yellow-brown colour as a result of its melanin content.

In contrast, a "whitehead" (more commonly known as a pimple or a closed comedo)^[5] is a follicle that is filled with the same material, sebum, but has a microscopic opening to the skin surface. Since the air cannot reach the follicle, the material is not oxidized, and remains white.

Removal

Blackheads removed from a nose via a Bioré pore cleansing strip.

Blackheads do not necessarily need to be removed (the body often does this itself, without any complications), but they may be treated with acne medication, such as salicylic acid, exfoliants, topical retinoids, or they may be extracted using a comedone extractor or blackhead strip - an adhesive, tape-like strip which is adhered to the nose and removed about ten minutes later, taking the blackheads underneath with it. ^[6]

Severe cases may require oral medication.^[7]

See also

• Acne vulgaris
• Pimple
• Keratosis pilaris
• Propionibacterium acnes
• Milia

References

Quickacneremedy.com

1. ^ Medicine.net - Medical dictionary - definition of blackhead/open comedo
2. ^ Merriam–Webster Online
3. ^ Blackhead definition at encyclopedia.com
4. ^ Blackhead information at About.com
5. ^ Comedone information at About.com
6. ^ Acnetalks.com
7. ^ Skincarephysicians.com

v • d • e Disorders of skin appendages (L60-75, 700-709) Nail thickness: Onychogryphosis · Onychauxis color: Beau's lines · Yellow nail syndrome · Leukonychia shape: Koilonychia · Clubbing other: Ingrown nail · Anonychia Hair Hair loss Alopecia areata (Alopecia totalis, Alopecia universalis, Ophiasis) Androgenic alopecia · Hypotrichosis · Telogen effluvium · Traction alopecia · Lichen planopilaris · Trichorrhexis nodosa Hypertrichosis Hirsutism Acne/rosacea Acneiform eruption (Acne vulgaris, Chloracne, Blackhead) · Rosacea (Perioral dermatitis, Rhinophyma) Follicular cysts Epidermoid cyst · Trichilemmal cyst · Sebaceous cyst · Steatocystoma multiplex Inflammation Pseudofolliculitis barbae · Hidradenitis suppurativa · Folliculitis Sweat glands eccrine (Miliaria, Anhidrosis) · apocrine (Body odor, Chromhidrosis, Fox-Fordyce disease) skin appendage navs: anat, noncongen/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc

This Cutaneous condition article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - hudorm

Nederlands (Dutch)
mee-eter, kokmeeuw, blackhead (vogelziekte)

Français (French)
n. - (Méd) point noir

Deutsch (German)
n. - Mitesser

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φαγέσωρος, (μαύρο) μπιμπίκι

Italiano (Italian)
comedone, punto nero

Português (Portuguese)
n. - comedão (m), pústula (f) (Med.), enteropatite (f) infecciosa (Veter.)

Русский (Russian)
угорь

Español (Spanish)
n. - espinilla, comedón

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - pormask

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
黑头鸟, 黑头病, 黑头面疱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 黑頭鳥, 黑頭病, 黑頭面皰

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 여드름, 머리가 검은 새

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 頭の黒い各種の鳥, にきび

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حب الشباب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חטטית (בעור), חצ'קון (פצע בגרות)‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.