Comedo

The comedo (plural comedones, from the Latin " come more ," eat, eat, therefore also known as blackheads ) is the primary efflorescence of acne. Previously, the blackheads were called Zehrwürmer and Dürr maggots.

A comedo is formed when the channel of the sebaceous follicle due to excessive keratinization, hyperkeratosis, is clogged. Horny lamellae condense to form a plug, which completely closes the output of the follicular duct. Through the incorporated pigment melanin in conjunction with the oxygen of the air, the shutter may darken, it oxidizes.

They are mainly used in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin ) before, if you have oily skin often all over her face.

Indicator for the comedo is the presence of comedones. These can frequently, such as during puberty, persist for months and years. Here a distinction is made between open and closed comedones. In the closed comedones the follicle exit is closed, it shimmers a whitish papule through the sebaceous horn - graft. They tend to ignite, and a purulent melting, since the pressure can not escape to the outside. Since the production of inflammation is high, is also spoken by a lower storage. The open comedones are yellow and the follicle opening gapes, it's a black head visible. This is not about dirt, as is often assumed, but an oxidized by oxygen horn -lipid graft.

Therapy

Many dermatologists warn, express comedones. There is a danger, while pressing a portion of the bacteria deeper into the skin and thus to prepare the way for the formation of extensive abscesses.

For removal of comedones different manufacturers offer keratolytic "Clear -up Strips". This patch- like strips are intended to solve the plug and remove the dead skin completely. In a test of the magazine Öko-Test from the year 1999, the strips performed poorly. Thus, for the " most ... not even the scales that would go away with a simple scrub " had been removed, but has been torn out rather " just a couple of hairs ." In addition, the safety of ingredients partially contained was doubted.

Other ways to combat blackheads are products that contain salicylic acid, adapalene and / or benzoyl peroxide. The salicylic acid helps to open the pores, so that the excess sebum can escape from the pores by peeling the top layer of skin. Adapalene and benzoyl peroxide have a similar effect.

Another aid against blackheads are ointments with high zinc oxide content, because they activate defense and healing processes in the inflamed skin. The most effective are mostly professional treatments by dermatologists and beauticians. It will be opened so that the comedones can be degraded by endogenous phagocytes with a cannula clogged sebaceous follicles.

Etymology, historical background

The term " blackheads " for the first time in the 1691 Dictionary " The Germans language family tree and Fort wax or Teutscher vocabulary " of the linguist by Kaspar Stieler published refers to the widespread until the 19th century belief diseases are primarily due to parasites. As a result, we also spoke with comedones of parasites, or Zehrwürmern Dürr maggots, leeches like the eyes fixed on the body, settle and would live by body secretions.

Although medically disproved long ago, the linguistic expression has kept to this day. The phrase " pull someone the worms from the nose " is beside the common technical vocabulary of comedones witness this development.