Take a close look at your bare face under bright light. Unless you are exceptionally blessed or have been particularly diligent about skin care, chances are you have at least a few bumps, large and small, scattered across your facial skin. Some of them may be the same color as the rest of your skin while others may be darker, or black in color. These bumps or lesions on your skin are called comedones. You may know them by the more commonly used terms ‘blackheads’ and ‘whiteheads’.
Typical locations for comedones are the forehead, nose, and chin. Those that are extremely tiny are known as micro-comedones. Comedones appear when your hair follicles become blocked with dead skin cells and sebum. They tend to give rise to acne if left unattended. Sometimes, they are accompanied by inflammation too. The good news is that it is possible to avoid them and to treat existing ones.