Top 4 Tools for Blackhead Removal and Management

Open comedones, or blackheads, are a common skin care concern among people of all ages. Often linked to acne or even being caused by cumulative exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, these individuals are seeking a convenient solution to this recurring skin care concern and they may be turning to your clinic for help. Give these prospective patients exactly what they’re looking for with these four tools for creating the ultimate blackhead removal and dermal rejuvenation treatment package; it takes a holistic approach to skin care and blackhead management so you can offer complete, well-rounded results.

Tool #1: Education

Converting a prospective patient during the consultation process isn’t easy, particularly if they don’t fully understand the complexities of their aesthetic concern or they happen to have unrealistic expectations for their potential treatment outcomes. This is what makes education such a valuable tool in any aesthetics treatment package. Include extra time in your consultation process to cover this step to provide clarity and transparency to your patient, earn their trust, and ensure you’re both on the same page when it comes to managing expectations.

For prospective patients presenting with blackheads, start by offering a more clear definition of what a blackhead is and the underlying factors that may be contributing to their skin care woes. Consider covering the following points: 

• Start by explaining that oil production is the underlying factor in the proliferation of blackheads. Essentially, blackheads are a simple mixture of sticky sebum (oil) and dead skin cells that settles into open pores.
• Unlike whiteheads, where pore openings are blocked and bacteria becomes a concern, blackheads remain open. For this reason, the combination of oil and skin cells becomes oxidized in the pore, making it appear black.
• Blackheads are often concentrated around the nose, chin, and center of the forehead because that’s where skin happens to produce the most oil.
• Blackhead treatments and extractions are best left to the professionals, as applying too much pressure or squeezing skin to “pop” a blackhead could cause dermal trauma, leading to raw skin, a risk of infection or scarring, or perhaps further breakouts.

It might also be useful to review the potential causes of blackheads to help patients better consider how their daily activities may contribute to their skin care concerns and the other underlying factors that may be at play. These factors may include a combination of genetics, environmental elements (sun exposure, pollution, and more), makeup and comedogenic skin care, diets heavy in high-glycemic index foods that promote inflammation, overall activity level, inconsistent or inadequate skin care, and more.

Finally, it is important to note that in the large majority of cases, blackheads are an ongoing skin condition because the underlying complication causing blackheads is often excess oil production. For this reason, blackhead treatments should be considered an ongoing aspect of a regular skin care program. To help your patients achieve their best results—and to improve customer satisfaction, patient retention, and your return on investment (ROI) as added bonuses—it’s best to focus in on recommending a complete treatment package that incorporates complementary treatments and at-home skin care products or kits. Following, we list the other three tools you can add to education to create this ultimate treatment package for blackhead removal and dermal rejuvenation.

Tool #2: Skin Care

In some non-severe cases, a patient may simply not need major intervention. In these cases, where blackheads are minimal and skin otherwise looks healthy and oil production is normal, prospective patients may just need advice on a recommended skin care routine that better meets their skin’s needs. In more severe cases, where further aesthetic treatments may be required alongside manual extractions, the right skin care products can be the perfect complement to help skin recover post-treatment, while boosting results and maintaining healthier, clearer skin post-treatment. Of course, adding a trusted and science-backed skin care line to your practice can also boost your ROI, particularly when the products are designed to complement your treatment technologies, such as Venus Skin™.

Available exclusively to Venus Concept partners, the Venus Skin™ skin care line includes a collection of products and kits that have been expertly formulated to help improve texture, combat photoaging, and speed up healing post-treatment with all of our energy-based Venus Concept devices. For patients combating excess blackheads, the Venus Skin™ Renewal Cleanser may be a useful addition to your blackhead removal and dermal rejuvenation package. This calming cleansing gel is specially designed to remove pollutants and excess oils from the skin’s surface and is suitable for all skin types. It also prepares the skin for maximum absorption of actives, allowing your patients to reap more of the benefits of their serums and moisturizers, while assisting in oil control. By bundling this product or a complete skin care kit as part of a comprehensive  treatment package, your aesthetics clinic can boost profit margins by building a better patient-focused service experience that covers all the in-clinic and at-home skin care steps for dermal rejuvenation and blackhead removal into one convenient solution. It also provides patients with added value so you can avoid discounting your services to stand out from the competition.

Tool #3: Skin Resurfacing Treatments

Best for treating and minimizing enlarged pores before they become blackheads, skin resurfacing treatments can help get to the root of the problem, creating a smoother skin surface and offering up fewer spaces for oil and dead skin cells to get stuck and collect. Of course, with this option, it’s important to note to patients that this is more of a preventative measure to be bundled with a current treatment solution to eliminate blackheads and reduce reformation. In other words, it’s important to manage patient expectations and let them know that this treatment must be accompanied by an extraction treatment, whether that’s manual blackhead extractions or with the next tool—but we’ll get to it shortly!

While there are a host of skin resurfacing treatments available to explore, Venus Viva™ offers all the benefits of a powerful radio frequency-based skin resurfacing device in a lightweight, tabletop device. Ideal for the treatment of enlarged pores alongside scars, dyschromia, striae, and other uneven skin texture and damage concerns, Venus Viva™ allows for manual control of ablation and coagulation for enhanced treatment efficacy. Equipped with SmartScan™ technology for increased flexibility and control, and state-of-the-art technology that’s safe for all skin types, Venus Viva™ offers patients noticeable results with low downtime.

Tool #4: Dermal Rejuvenation Treatments

The fourth and final tool to complete your aesthetic clinic’s new holistic blackhead treatment package is, of course, dermal rejuvenation treatments. These treatments address blackheads without applying undue pressure to “squeeze” out impurities, minimizing the risk of further skin damage while providing a more comfortable treatment to prospective patients.

Oftentimes, patients seeking treatments for blackheads are on the lookout for quick and comfortable solutions that deliver immediate results. While manual extractions can be effective in removing blackheads, this process can be time-consuming and doesn’t offer a more comprehensive skin care solution. In comparison, Venus Glow™ is a complete dermal rejuvenation solution that empowers aesthetic providers with a treatment solution that offers the patient the immediate results they’re after while boosting your ROI. A cost-effective dermal rejuvenation system, Venus Glow™ offers a powerful tri-modality approach to skin care, utilizing an adjustable vacuum that gently opens and deep-cleans pores, a 360-degree rotating tip that micro-massages skin and helps to remove dead skin cells and surface debris, and two ultra-fine jet streams that deliver saline deep into pores. In all, dirt, debris, dead skin cells, and excess sebum are suctioned away, leaving little for the reformation of blackheads and offering patients an instantly rejuvenated complexion with a natural, healthy-looking glow. In all, dermal rejuvenation treatments offer a powerful aesthetic solution to blackheads and are the cornerstone of any comprehensive blackhead treatment plan. With Venus Glow™ in your toolbox, you’re sure to deliver the quick, convenient, and outstanding results patients are after—meaning an upswing for your aesthetics clinic.

Ready to start introducing a comprehensive blackhead removal and skin rejuvenation treatment plan that’s sure to attract new patients to your clinic? Contact a Venus Concept expert today!