I don't think there is a cure for blackheads.  If you tend to have an oily patches in your complexion the pores always seem to get blocked.  The only thing that I have found any good is only a temporary measure, that is pore packs.  I use them on my chin and nose twice a week.  You all seem to be younger than me as I am in my forties.  I have only just discovered pore packs and they are the only things that give me temporary clear skin.  Love reading everybody elses ideas will be trying some of them myself.

Of course its a relevant Q; kids grow into teenagers & (most) teenagers get blackheads.

My understanding is that blackheads are caused by enlarged pores trapping grime in your natural sebum (skin oil). Sqeezing enlarges the pores so definitely don't do that. You probably already had an excess of sebum & a gung-ho attitude (you or your sister) towards squeezing to deal with. My sister squeezed my blackheads & so got me started. Excess sebum can be a good thing as later in life you won't wrinkle as easily. (I haven't)

There doesn't seem to be any way to shrink the pores permanently. So cleaning's the go. Pick a cleanser (I like 'em milky; you might like foamy) & use it twice a day. Follow this up with an astringent (witchhazel is traditional); this temporarily shrinks your pores so less gunk can get in. During the day use a light moisuriser with a sunscreen in it & at night let your skin breathe. Throw out all liquid foundations immediately! (They definitely make it worse; I've been down that road). Always put your light moisuriser on as a barrier before applying any makeup at all. Try to get by without foundation altogether (it really does make it better). Just use a little dusting of powder (even an erase stick; blended lightly) if you feel you have to. I've been surprised at how little I really need to use powder if I put on a little (powder) blusher without any 'base'.

Once a week its nice to do a mask or a scrub. Stay away from greasy masks; try a peel-off. You can make your own scrub with yoghurt, wheatgerm, nutmeg mixed (as long as you aren't allergic to dairy). After you've washed it off, use the cleanser & astringent again.

As for breakouts.. I use a ti-tree oil anti-pimple stick. If you aren't in Australia, Blackmores makes an anti-pimple gel that works just the same.

Internally, you need to drink plenty of water. Cut out all the soft drinks etc until you are getting 2 litres a day into you; add a squeeze of lemon if you want. And take a Zinc suppliment. Lots of fresh fruit & veges is good if you want to go that far but water & zinc are the most important.

I'm 48yo; I still have enlarged pores.. But I hardly ever get blackheads now. Good luck

Rosalinda

I had acne when I was a teen. It continued on into adulthood. I didn't let it bother me too much but sometimes it was a pain in the @ss.

Anyway, I found a few things that had a fair amount of impact. Now I don't get it any more. Well, very rarely.

I changed my diet at one point to loose weight. At that point I noticed a massive reduction in skin problems. So you might want to fool around with your diet a bit. I'm figuring on oily foods, tomatoes and a few other things but I'm sure there are a lot of things that could cause it and it would vary for each person.

A see reductions when ever I get my teeth cleaned. I'm suspecting that the germs that cause tooth stuff could be related. Or perhaps the immune system is relieved when you get my teeth cleaned.

Another thing I found is that soap is bad for face skin. I use that stuff that ladies use for removing make-up and stuff. And also some stuff my friend gave me from avon or regal or marykay or one of those silly pyramid companies.

Sun block is also a tool. I find that exposure to the sun can trigger problems.

Pro Active maybe?? It doesnt just clear pimples but it attcks all skin blemishes and treats black/white heads. Yeah its expensive but think how much money you have lost trying every product. Im going to start getting proactive soon to have a try, if i dont like it i ll stop getting it, im like you and buy everything at the shops and nothing works for me.

Also on foxtel on the health channel, i once seen to rub either a peeled tomato or tomato skin on blackheads.

Avon products never worked for me, but they could for you. I think they make my skin very dry and make me get pimples.

HI! I havent tried it myself, but i have heard that avon sells blackhead things that gets rid of them..