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Skin concern · Acne & Congestion
Blackheads and clogged pores
Congestion you can see and feel: across the nose, the chin and the centre of the forehead.
Blackheads are blocked follicles whose contents have oxidised at the surface. They are stubborn because the blockage sits below the opening, which is exactly where at-home scrubs and strips cannot reach, and why squeezing at them so often leaves a mark that outlasts the blackhead.
How we approach blackheads and clogged pores
Professional extraction works because the congestion is softened first. Warmth and a gentle acid or enzyme step loosen the plug so it lifts rather than has to be forced, and the surrounding skin is calmed afterwards.
Common signs of blackheads and clogged pores
- Dark dots across the nose and chin
- A gritty texture under the fingertips
- Pores that look larger where congestion sits
- Blackheads that return within weeks of squeezing
See a physician first. Skinholic provides cosmetic treatments only and does not diagnose or treat medical conditions. If anything on your skin is changing, painful, bleeding or will not heal, please see your family doctor or a dermatologist first.
What can contribute to blackheads and clogged pores
- Oil mixing with dead cells inside the follicle
- Heavy or occlusive products
- Infrequent or ineffective cleansing of makeup and SPF
- Skin that naturally produces more oil
Treatments that may help
At our Aldergrove clinic, these may help.
Which one suits you depends on your skin, your history and how much recovery you can take. A practitioner confirms the fit in person.
Acne FacialsA clinical facial for congested, breakout-prone skin: extractions, decongesting actives and, where it suits, a laser or machine step, chosen around how inflamed your skin is that day.Often the first step
Chemical PeelsProfessional peels at a strength chosen for your skin and your week, from a light refresh with no visible flaking to a deeper resurfacing pass.
DermaplaningA single-use surgical blade lifts away vellus hair and dead surface cells, so makeup sits flat and the products that follow are not working through a layer of fuzz.
Apocalypsis Phyto-PeelA plant-based resurfacing peel for clients who want genuine renewal without a traditional acid protocol: botanical actives working with the skin’s own turnover.Still deciding?
Let a practitioner look first.
The right treatment depends on what is driving the concern for you. A free consultation in Aldergrove is where that gets worked out.
Free consultation • Aldergrove clinic • no obligation
Reading the pattern behind blackheads and clogged pores
With blackheads, your practitioner looks at where the congestion sits, usually across the nose, the chin and the centre of the forehead, and checks for the gritty texture you may notice under your fingertips. They will ask whether heavy or occlusive products are part of your routine, how thoroughly makeup and SPF come off, and whether blackheads return within weeks of squeezing or reappear quickly after pore strips.
Acne Facials are often weighed when congestion sits across the forehead and chin or blackheads keep returning, with extractions and decongesting actives chosen around how inflamed your skin is that day. Chemical Peels are matched to congestion and blackheads at a strength chosen for your skin and your week, and the Apocalypsis Phyto-Peel suits congestion with sensitivity. Clearing the plug often makes a pore look smaller, though pore size itself is largely inherited.
What happens when you come in?
Your first visit is a free consultation at the Aldergrove clinic. A practitioner looks at the area in good light, asks how long you have noticed it and what you have already tried, and checks anything that would affect which treatments are suitable: medication, recent sun exposure, previous treatments.
You then hear which of the options above suits your skin, what it realistically achieves, how many sessions it usually takes and what recovery looks like. If the honest answer is that none of them will give you what you want, or that something needs a doctor first, you will hear that instead.
Worth mentioning at your consultation
- When you first noticed it, and whether it has changed since
- Products and treatments you have already tried
- Any medication, supplements or diagnosed skin conditions
- Holidays, events or sun exposure you are planning around
Before you book
Questions clients ask about blackheads and clogged pores.
Strips remove the very top of a plug and leave the rest behind, which is why the blackhead reappears quickly. Professional extraction after proper softening removes more of it and is far less likely to mark the skin.
Many clients settle into every four to six weeks, which tracks how quickly their skin re-congests. Your practitioner will suggest a rhythm after seeing how yours behaves.
Clearing the congestion inside a pore often makes it look smaller, because what you were seeing was partly the plug. Pore size itself is largely inherited, and we will not claim to change it.
Ready when you are
Bring your blackheads and clogged pores to a free consultation.
A free consultation, in person, with a plan you can take away and think over.
Start Your Skinholic Journey
Free, in person and with nothing to sign on the day.