August 15 2022

Making sure to treat your skin well is an important part of everyday life, and knowing how to do that is essential for your comfort. Whether it's through a daily skin routine or a weekly facial, keeping up with your routine can help prevent discomfort through acne, dry itchy skin, blackheads, and more. 

Sebaceous filaments are just one other potential problem that you can have that can cause painful, uncomfortable acne. So we want you to know what exactly a sebaceous filament is, and how you can treat them properly. 

What Are Sebaceous Filaments? 

Sebaceous filaments are structures in your face that are prone to buildup. Your face naturally produces a product called sebum, a substance that is meant to lubricate and hydrate the skin with an oily texture. And sebaceous filaments are the facial structures meant to help distribute this sebum across the skin. However, for a lot of people, sebum can be overproduced, causing the sebaceous filaments to, in a sense, overflow and get clogged up. Oftentimes, when they have become overfilled, they are mistaken as being clogged pores, acne, or blackheads, mostly on the nose. Funnily enough, this is actually not considered a form of acne at all - though it can cause breakouts if left unaddressed. So essentially, a sebaceous filament is a part of your face, but they become discolored and visible when they have an excess of built-up sebum. 

Sebaceous Filaments VS Blackheads 

Now we can hear what you are thinking - if a sebaceous filament isn’t a blackhead, what is a blackhead? What is the big difference between blackheads and these sebaceous filaments if they are not one and the same? Well, there are some key differences between them, which can affect the way they should be treated. This is why knowing the differences can be important. For one, they have different makeup. Blackheads are a form of acne - a clogged pore. They prevent oil from coming out and can cause pain and discomfort like acne typically can. 

A sebaceous filament, however, is somewhat hairlike, built into the pore, and doesn’t get plugged off. There is also a difference in extraction. When a blackhead is extracted, alongside the yellowed sebum and dead cells, the plug from the top of the pore can be visible. When a sebaceous filament is extracted, there are times when you will not see anything, and certainly not the darkened color they can take on while visible in the skin. 

How to Treat and Prevent Buildup 

Prevention is one of the best treatments for sebaceous filaments because it helps keep them from forming together. You can make sure to prevent visible filaments with a few simple steps, giving you relief from any potential acne that would otherwise develop. For one, you should make sure to wash your face daily. When you first wake up, your face will have a buildup from the past eight hours spent asleep. Wash off this buildup, using a cleanser with salicylic acid (derived from aspirin) can be especially helpful as salicylic acid is a treatment for sebaceous filaments when they do show up. It is capable of pushing past the facial oils for a deep clean of the pores and can be found in a variety of facial cleansers and acne treatments. 

Avoid harsh scrubbing too, as irritated skin can make the problem worse. You should also make sure to cleanse your face before you go to sleep to wash off the grime and oil that has built up throughout the day, as well as after exercising. 

Weekly facials can also help to gently deep clean your skin often, giving it a fresh start to each week so it can look its best until your subsequent treatment. They can even be customized to fit your skin type and address these issues directly if they prove to be persistent. Products such as tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide are also known to help treat any persistent buildup.

If you are looking for a nice facial to get you started during your skincare journey, or looking for professionals to help teach you how to best care for your skin, stop by one of our Square One Salon locations to get started with one of our amazing estheticians. You can book with us online, call, or you could visit one of our Ohio locations instead.