white heads

ive had white heads on my face under my skin for years and im getting sick of them. im getting older and would like to have nice skin for once, i dont know what causes them to be under my skin and i dont know how to get rid of them. ive tried a couple of times to pop them but ive had to dig them out. the puss is hard and then i have to pull it out and then it bleeds. is there anything that will make them go away?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
White head is a yellowish or blackish bump or plug on the skin and is a type of acne vulgaris. It is caused by excess oils that have accumulated in the sebaceous gland's duct.

Cleanse the area thoroughly and apply a good mild exfoliating scrub on that. Apply a medicated cream or gel containing resorcinol, salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. This helps is soaking the oil and helps in peeling away the blackheads. If benzoyl peroxide leaves your skin dry, apply an oil-free moisturizer after 10 mins of applying benzoyl peroxide.

If the symptoms still persist then please consult a dermatologist and get cysts ruled out. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.