The
Complexion (part II)
BLACKHEADS are a form of acne indicated by little
black specks on the skin, chiefly about the nose,
forehead, and chin. Each speck marks an obstructed
outlet of the sebaceous glands, and if pressure is
made on either side, something having the appearance
of a small white worm may be pressed out. Upon careful
examination this so-called worm proves to be a mass of
hardened sebaceous matter, which has assumed this
shape by being pressed through the small outlet of the
follicle. The black speck, giving to this little
cylinder of fat the appearance of a head, is, shocking
as it is, simply an accumulation of dirt. The
technical term for one of these little masses is
comedo. When examined under a microscope, they are
frequently found to contain a whole
family of parasites--male, female, and their
numerous progeny.
Obviously there is but one way of getting rid of
black-heads, and that is by forcing them out of the
clogged pore. They cannot be drawn back whence they
came, and in pressing them out before the skin is
properly softened and prepared for their ejection, the
patient must be very careful not to rupture the
delicate tissue, causing either an ugly little scar
or, more likely, an enlargement of the opening which
immediately fills up again, each time increasing in
size and becoming more malignant in appearance.
Blackheads may not only be removed without leaving
any scar, but once rid of them the patient need never
again be troubled with them, if the advice here given
be carefully followed.
For two or three weeks, until the skin is
thoroughly softened, apply one of the creams or skin
foods, formulas for which may be found in these pages.
Make this application at night, after washing the face
well with a pure hygienic soap and hot water. Be sure
to rinse the soap well out of the face and dry the
skin thoroughly before applying the cream or skin
food.
At the end of two or three weeks of this treatment,
the blackhead may be forced out by pressure of the two
thumbs. If a moderate pressure will not eject it, make
no more heroic attempt, but try the green-soap
treatment, which rarely, if ever, fails.
Green soap may be purchased at any drug store, and,
by the by, is not green. It is about the consistency
of a custard.
Before using the green soap, bathe the face in warm
water as hot as can be pleasantly borne. Then wring
out cloths in hot water and lay over the face,
renewing them frequently. Continue this operation for
fifteen or twenty minutes. Anoint the face with the
green soap. Rub it well into the pores for five or six
minutes. Rinse the soap from the face with hot water,
using the camel's-hair face-scrubbing brush so as to
remove all the soap and as many of the blackheads as
will come. Dry the face and anoint it with a skin food
or cream. Continue this treatment every night until
the blackheads have disappeared.
TREATMENT FOR OBSTINATE BLACKHEADS
Occasionally very obdurate blackheads will require
pressure, but usually the green soap will remove them
without more heroic treatment.
Where the blackheads appear on the back, and also
upon the breasts, the same treatment is required. Soap
and water and friction, combined with an emollient,
mean death to blackheads. Apart also from the mere
cleanliness derived from the friction of the brush, it
has the most important effect of so stimulating the
circulation that the obstructed glands are opened,
their stagnating contents broken up, dissolved, and
carried off.
NEW REMEDY FOR BLACKHEADS
Doctor Hebra, of Vienna, a world-renowned
dermatologist, advises the following for curing
blackheads:-
Bathe the face at night with the following lotion:
Rose water, pure alcohol and glycerine, 10 grains
each; pulverized borax, 5 grains.
After five minutes, apply this mixture: Pure
alcohol, 80 grains; green soap, 40 grains. Wash off in
the morning.
Acne appears under various forms and names. In
confluent acne, the pimples appear in groups,
suppurating and running together. A course of sulphur
baths is recommended. Friction and frequent bathing
are advised, and as soon as possible the camel's-hair
face brush.
In acne indurata, the pimples appear to be under
the skin. The same treatment should be followed.
The use of a camel's-hair face-scrubbing brush
cannot be too strongly recommended.
It removes from the face the dust and foreign
matter that has collected there during the day, and it
penetrates and dislodges from the pores of the skin
any secretions that may have become clogged there.
I do not believe any one can keep the face clean,
except by the aid of a brush.
A pure soap will not hurt the most delicate skin.
On the contrary, it is a necessary detergent, and the
women who have the most beautiful complexions in the
world--notably English women--are those who have
scrubbed their faces with soap and water from
childhood.
Its use should not be restricted to women. As a
matter of fact, the male epidermis differs in no
respect from the female, except possibly that it is
tougher. Both are equally benefited by the use of the
face-scrubbing brush. Your stalwart six-footer may not
long for the pink and white cheeks of the dainty
sixteen-year-old girl, yet he will surely appreciate
the exquisite feeling of cleanliness and freshness
which follows the scrubbing process. I have also been
informed that the use of the brush is an excellent
means of softening the beard before shaving.
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