Blackhead

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) 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. Clogged hair follicles, where blackheads often occur, reflect light irregularly to produce a blackhead's "black" hue.^[2] 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) is a follicle that is filled with the same material, sebum, but lacks a small opening to the skin surface. Since the air cannot reach the follicle, the material is not oxidized, and remains white.^[3]

See also

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

References

1. ^ "Definition of Blackhead". Medicine.net. 1999-11-09. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10439. 
2. ^ "Blackheads (comedones)". About.com. 2008-04-14. http://adam.about.com/encyclopedia/Blackheads-comedones.htm. 
3. ^ "Definition of whitehead". eMedicineHealth.com. 1999-11-09. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10438. 

This cutaneous condition article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Acneiform eruptions Puberty Cutaneous condition stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Apocrine Whitehead Look at other dictionaries: Blackhead — bezeichnet Blackhead Range, einen Gebirgszug in den nördlichen Catskills von New York, USA. Blackhead Mountain, einen Berggipfel in der Blackhead Range Blackhead Point, auch Tai Pau Mai, ein Kap in Hong Kong. Blackhead (Kanada) in Kanada… …   Deutsch Wikipedia Blackhead — Black head , n. (Zo[ o]l.) The scaup duck. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Blackhead —   [ blækhed, englisch], Tiermedizin: Typhlohepatitis …   Universal-Lexikon blackhead — comedo, 1837, from BLACK (Cf. black) (adj.) + HEAD (Cf. head) (n.). So called for its appearance …   Etymology dictionary blackhead — ► NOUN ▪ a plug of oily matter in a hair follicle …   English terms dictionary blackhead — [blak′hed΄] n. 1. any of various black headed birds, esp. the scaup duck 2. a black tipped plug of dried fatty matter in a pore of the skin ☆ 3. an infectious disease of the intestines and liver of turkeys, chickens, etc. caused by a protozoan… …   English World dictionary blackhead — UK [ˈblækˌhed] / US noun [countable] Word forms blackhead : singular blackhead plural blackheads a small black spot on your skin, caused by dirt or oil blocking a pore (= one of the small holes in your skin) …   English dictionary blackhead — Scaup Scaup (sk[add]p), n. [See {Scalp} a bed of oysters or mussels.] 1. A bed or stratum of shellfish; scalp. [Scot.] [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) A scaup duck. See below. [1913 Webster] {Scaup duck} (Zo[ o]l.), any one of several species of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English blackhead — Broadbill Broad bill , n. 1. (Zo[ o]l.) A wild duck ({Aythya marila}, or {Fuligula marila}), which appears in large numbers on the eastern coast of the United States, in autumn; called also {bluebill}, {blackhead}, {raft duck}, and {scaup duck}.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English blackhead — /blak hed /, n. 1. a small, black tipped, fatty mass in a skin follicle, esp. of the face; comedo. 2. any of several birds having a black head, as the greater scaup, Aythya marila. 3. Also called enterohepatitis. Vet. Pathol. a malignant,… …   Universalium 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”