What are ways to get rid of sebaceous filaments?Updated a year ago
6 ways to get rid of sebaceous filaments
#1. Salicylic acid/beta-hydroxy acid (BHA)
Salicylic acid, a type of beta-hydroxy acid (BHA), is the best ingredient for clearing and preventing sebaceous filaments. It’s an oil-soluble chemical exfoliant that helps loosen both oils and dead skin, to unclog pores very effectively.
On its own, it won’t impact sebaceous filaments overnight, but using it over several weeks or months can help reduce them, and aid in prevention. You can find salicylic acid at a 2% concentration in many over-the-counter products, including cleansers, toners, and serums.
#2. Oil cleansing massage
Oil cleansing is our Lab team’s go-to when we need a deep cleanse, especially for those of us who wear makeup. It’s incredibly effective at sebaceous filaments removal, especially if you’re already using BHA.
Oils are the ultimate lubricants, after all. They create a slippery layer that makes it easier for the contents of your pores to slide out.
Users often see a difference within just a few weeks, especially if they take their time with the massage. However, it’s also important to keep things gentle and avoid applying too much pressure, since an aggressive massage can damage the skin.
#3. Clay mask
Clay masks are not great at getting rid of sebaceous filaments on their own, but combine them with BHA and oil cleansing, and magic happens. This trick was very popular on skincare platforms a few years ago.
It’s often called the “grits method,” in reference to the texture of the SFs when they come out of the skin, or “the Fifty Snails method” after the skincare blogger who first described the process.
Here’s how to carry it out:
- Apply a BHA product to clean skin, and leave it on for five minutes. If you’ve used an SA cleanser, rinse it off, but leave serums and tones on the skin.
- Apply a clay mask over the areas of your skin where you’re prone to sebaceous filaments. Leave it on for the directed amount of time, and then rinse it off.
- Massage your skin with the oil cleanser for between 30 seconds and several minutes, once again focusing on the areas where you have sebaceous filaments. You might even notice a gritty feel as the keratin plugs slide out!
- Once you’re done, splash your face with water and massage gently to emulsify and remove the oil cleanser. Finish with a gentle, scaled-back version of the rest of your skincare routine.
#4. Retinoids
If you’re working to prevent or remove sebaceous filaments, chances are you also want your pores to look small at the end of the process (as opposed to just empty). Nothing refines skin texture and unclogs pores as well as a retinoid.
While research on sebaceous filaments is minimal, there is one case study where a retinoid made for an effective sebaceous filaments treatment. The patient in the study was able to get rid of her sebaceous filaments by using retinoic acid once a day for six weeks.
Retinol works on the skin pathways responsible for cell regeneration within the dermis. Over time, it improves numerous skin functions, including regulating desquamation and speeding the cell-shedding process. While using retinoids may lead to some visible flaking at the beginning, after a few weeks it’s an incredible solution for sebaceous filaments.
There are a few different types of retinoids, so it’s important to choose options like retinoic acid or retinaldehyde that can have a more noticeable impact on the skin.
#5. Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs)
Alpha-hydroxy acids like glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid can also help reduce sebaceous filaments. AHAs are incredible exfoliants that help slough off surface dead skin with precision.
While they don’t have the oil-clearing power of BHAs, keeping dead skin shedding optimally still helps clear sebaceous filaments, just at a potentially slower rate. Plus, AHAs have other benefits - they’re able to attract moisture to the skin, and research shows that they have anti-aging and wrinkle-softening effects.
#6. Moisturizing
Yes, moisturizing will help clear your sebaceous filaments! Hydration plays a significant role in how well your skin sheds dead skin. When the stratum corneum is dehydrated, it struggles to shed dead cells evenly, which can lead to visible sebaceous filaments and clogged pores, often alongside flakiness and dry patches.
With regular moisturizing, the skin maintains proper desquamation, to reduce the severity of sebaceous filaments and prevent new ones from forming.