Do Blackheads Go Away On Their Own? + How To Treat Them Naturally

Blackheads are something of a bummer. On the grand scale of things to feel bothered about, you could certainly do worse; but they are pesky little things, no? They pop up and overstay their welcome time and again. 

Like most forms of acne, yes, blackheads (sometimes called sebum plugs) can go away in time—it just takes a while given their tricky nature. 

"Blackheads are a common form of acne. People with oilier skin are more likely to get blackheads, but anyone can get them. They form when pores get clogged by dead skin and excess oil," says board-certified dermatologist Raechele Cochran Gathers, M.D. "Blackheads are often very stubborn, and while they generally do go away, it can take months or even years for them to go away on their own."

And another caveat with acne: You can also have various degrees of severity. "Some blackheads may go away on their own, especially if they are located close to the surface of the skin. Some blackheads tunnel deep into the skin and are unlikely to resolve on their own," says Ife J. Rodney, M.D., FAAD, founding director of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics.

The reason they can clear up on their own—if they do at all—is because of your skin's natural renewal cycle. Given your body is constantly creating and sloughing off skin cells, it makes sense that some of that debris will expel on its own.

Prevention, we know, is often the best medicine. Keeping blackheads at bay is really just about adequately cleaning your pores with the right ingredients, like AHAs, BHAs, enzymes, retinols, and other exfoliators. Cochran Gathers agrees: "Cleansers with salicylic acid, clay masks, and chemical exfoliants with alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids can all help to exfoliate the skin and make your skin less prone to developing blackheads."

But, please note, as Rodney reminds us, "While these are excellent for blackheads, they may take a few weeks to work and may have side effects like dryness and irritation of the skin." 

Let's say, oh hypothetically, you have a handful you want to attend to right now. There are plenty of products on the market that target this exact issue, from clay masks to tools. They typically work by either pulling out gunk from the pores (as in the case of charcoal, for example) or wiggling down into the pores to dissolve oil and grime (like salicylic acid). In a pinch, you can even DIY a mask with items in your kitchen.