Are those Blackheads or Sebaceous Filaments?

Oh what do we have here? Are these blackheads or sebaceous filaments? I'm a board-certified derm and honestly, it's a little bit of both and you're probably asking yourself right now like why you've told me a million times that they're so different. Let me break this down. Sebaceous filaments are completely normal. They're just oil and dead skin cells inside your pores. But when they become oxidized, especially the pore and then they look a little bit darker like blackheads. And when they get and maybe even a little bit inflamed, that's when we start true blackheads. It's almost like a spectrum of sebaceous filament, oxidized filament, that becomes oxidized, looks like a blackhead, but it's really oxidized sebaceous filament. Not treated, true blackhead. Guess what? It doesn't matter which one it is, is completely the same. Step 1: Salicylic Acid. Salicylic acid to keep the pores clear. You can either do salicylic acid cleanser once or twice daily if it's not very oily or if it's sensitive. But if your skin is very oily or you can use it as a toner. Step 2: Retinoids. These help speed up the cell turnover rate and will help unclog those and keep your pores clean. The cherry on top and my favorite ingredient is sulfur. A mask. Apply it to the area that's kind of congested. 10 to 15 minutes and rinse it off. Try to repeat this 10 days to keep them clean. You want to keep your hands off. And no squeezing. So call them what you want. Sebaceous filaments, oxidized filaments or even blackheads. Treatment is the same. Don't worry about knowing exactly. Just start with those active ingredients and give it about 3 to 4 weeks.