You're supposed to massage it well into the skin using circular motions until you feel oil grits – AKA sebaceous filaments – coming out. These are tiny, grain-like particles, whitish-brown in colour and they feel gritty to the touch, hence the name.
The skin's normal process of producing sebum can cause sebaceous filaments to become noticeable. This is more likely to occur in people with more oily skin or larger pores, compared with people who have drier skin and smaller pores. Several factors can determine pore size, including: age.
You can use glycolic acid, tea tree oil, and salicylic acid to cleanse your pores and reduce the appearance of sebaceous filaments over time. Washing your face with a mild cleanser, exfoliating your face once a week, and eating a balanced diet can prevent sebaceous filaments from being visible.
Research shows a link between people who consume foods with a high glycemic index and those with acne vulgaris, which is caused by inflammation of the sebaceous glands. These types of foods include pastas, breads, and cereals made with white flour, as well as white rice and sweeteners.
"Any active ingredients that work to exfoliate the skin will improve the look of sebaceous filaments," says Dr. Linkner. "Common examples of active ingredients include retinol, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid."
If you have typically oily skin, this means that there is an overproduction of sebum, a natural oily substance that is intended to lubricate the skin. Whenever this overproduction of sebum occurs, the sebaceous filaments can fill up and resemble very enlarged pores.
Sebaceous Filaments: How Can I Treat Them? Make a date with your dermatologist, who can prescribe a topical retinoid like Altreno or Arazlo, which helps speed up cell turnover with minimal irritation. (For similar results without an rX, Dr. Hartman recommends La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel .
Sandra Lee, MD—plucks sebaceous filaments out of a patient's nose. The tiny skin concerns look similar to the hairs on a kiwi, practically microscopic in appearance. In the clip, Dr. Lee uses a surgical tweezers to pluck out the sebaceous filaments, many of which are already popping out from the patient's pores.
Having dry, dead cells on the surface of your skin will keep oil trapped underneath. This causes it to build up inside your pores, potentially making sebaceous filaments worse (not to mention they'll appear more visible if the surrounding skin is dehydrated).
Those with larger pores and oily and/or acne-prone skin types often find their sebaceous filaments to be more visible to the naked eye, says Dr. Castilla.
Zinc reduces sebum production, says Dr Sarin. “Studies point out that zinc has been shown to be lower in patients suffering with acne versus those without acne,” confirms Dr Sethi.
Antioxidants like vitamin C will prevent blackheads by reducing sebum oxidation which causes the dark colour of a blackhead. AHA's & BHA's will help to clear any congestion that lies within the pores and dissolve sebum and dead skin.
Moisturizer prevents your skin from overproducing oil, which can reduce acne and sebaceous filaments.
Sebum and dead skin cells in one tiny, white package. Cute! Medically, a whitehead can be called a closed comedo. (All types of pimples start as comedones.)
Pustules are a type of pimple that contains yellowish pus. They are larger than whiteheads and blackheads. Pustules appear either as red bumps with white centers or as white bumps that are hard and often tender to the touch. In many cases, the skin around the pustules is red or inflamed.
Most derms consider retinol to be their go-to pore de-clogger, and it can also help with sebaceous filaments too. “Topical retinoid creams help push clogs to the surface, decrease oil production and tighten the appearance of pores,” says Dr. Susan Bard, an NYC-based, board-certified dermatologist.
If you find your spots on the scalp are sebum plugs, they help to keep the hair shafts healthy, and thus the whole of your hair. They protect the hair and skin against bacteria, too, so it is important not to try to remove them, simply because they are there.