Pustules, Whiteheads, Blackheads. Skin Geeks please Help!

[Mrs.Clooney]

As much as I am loving my course, I am finding it frustrating that I am having to unlearn certain information, only to replace it with info I don't agree
with . Anyone who has read my 'Eponychium vs Cuticle' will understand what I mean.

Now I am confused about Pustules, whiteheads and blackheads. I understood that a pustule was like a whitehead which is a closed comedone as it is sealed in. Once the plug of sebum, dead skin cells, dirt etc...... becomes exposed to air it changes to a blackhead which is an open comedone.

Now firstly, my tutor says that a pustule is not the same as a whitehead and that a whitehead is not a closed comedone.

Secondly, she says that a blackhead is a closed comedone because it is closed by the blackish plug, and that an open comedone is a pseudo pore. How can a pseudo pore be a comedone as it is just a large pore with no sebum in it?

Please help skin geeks. If I am incorrect then please correct me. If I am correct then why am I been fed this information? I would also be interested to hear from those who have followed the CIBTAC diploma, because apparently this is the way CIBTAC teach it!

 

[dee]

hi hun as far as i was taught , a pustule isnt really the same as a white head , a whithead is usually thickish , whereas a pustule is more liquid (hope this sounds right )
i was taught a blackhead occur due to the sebum etc oxidising with the air , hence it turns black , so am the same as you really ,
probably not much help i know but just thought i would let you know you aint insane , lol :hug:

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Thanks dee, what about open versus closed comedones? Is a blackhead an ope or closed comedone and is a pseudopore an open comedone?

 

[becca boo]

I dont know if this will help but....

Pustule is a papule containing pus. An infected papule (pimple/hardened sebum trapped in the papalliary canal) Those ***** zits we love to squezze that most people reffer to as a white head.

Milia (whitehead) often caused by cosmetics are those hard white dots some people get usally around the eyes or mouth and have to be removed with an lancet.

Comedomes are blocked hardened sebum and dirt trapped in a pore or papillary canal

 

[weezie]

Papule- Lump under the skin, no pus, red, may develop into a pustule

Closed comedone/Pustule/Whitehead-Raised skin with bacteria-pus and white blood cells inside, more usually occur around hair follicles.

Open Comedone/Black head- oxidised sebum and debris, occur in pore openings

Milia- Hard white lump of keratin trapped under the skin (usually found on dry skin) can not be removed by squeezing, they need lancing

I've never heard of a pseudo pore! what is a "false/fake pore"?

She is wrong! This is the CIDESCO sylabus and the way I was taught when I did the course 3 yrs ago!

:lol:

 

[weezie]

Pseudofolliculitis is irritated skin seen mainly on males necks due to shaving irritation. Irritated (but not infected) hair follicles.

 

[Lellipop]

Lmfao When I read the title of this thread I thought christ Tracey must have a mega skin problem lol sorry mate :lol:

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Papule- Lump under the skin, no pus, red, may develop into a pustule

Closed comedone/Pustule/Whitehead-Raised skin with bacteria-pus and white blood cells inside, more usually occur around hair follicles.

Open Comedone/Black head- oxidised sebum and debris, occur in pore openings

Milia- Hard white lump of keratin trapped under the skin (usually found on dry skin) can not be removed by squeezing, they need lancing

I've never heard of a pseudo pore! what is a "false/fake pore"?

She is wrong! This is the CIDESCO sylabus and the way I was taught when I did the course 3 yrs ago!

:lol:

Well this is what I thought regarding an open comedone, but my tutor says different! Now at college, the CIDESCO girls get taught exactly the same as the CIBTAC students except in more detail. So why the difference !

Thanks weezie xx

 

[tinkywinky]

A pustule is a spot in so leymans terms with puss inside it, so it has a white/yellow appearance and can be extracted

Not sure then what she means by a whitehead; does she mean milia?

I am confused now!

A comedone is a blocked pore where oil is blocking the pore itself.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

A pustule is a spot in so leymans terms with puss inside it, so it has a white/yellow appearance and can be extracted

Not sure then what she means by a whitehead; does she mean milia?

I am confused now!

A comedone is a blocked pore where oil is blocking the pore itself.

Yes, but comedones can be open or closed, so join the club. Still confused.com :lol: xx

 

[The Malteser]

Why is there always such confusion with these terms?

May I suggest that you get a skin specialist book or a dermatology book. If these books are written by experts then that is good enough. I hate to say it but tutors can be confused and often don't have the skills/confidence to get across the differences.

In brief -

pustules - pus is visible at entrance to follicle, inflamation

papules - hardened lumps within dermis, no obvious exit onto surface. These can often be very painful and red

milia - sebum trapped in follicle, over keratinisation of follicle entrance means that sebum does not reach surface of skin - no oxidisation occurs and sebum remains white

comodomes - oxidisation of sebum trapped within follicle, usually easily removed with care and hygienic practises

open or enlarged pores - over stretched entrance to follicle, over production of sebum causes dilation of entrance, beauty products cannot improve this condition

Experience will improve your awareness of these and other conditions. Get to grips with as many faces as you can, don't be shy ask family and friends if you can do a skin analysis on them, perhaps you could also recommend products for them. If you see a skin feature which you are not familiar with ASK or get that book out. Ain't skin great - I love it, even my own!!

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Why is there always such confusion with these terms?

May I suggest that you get a skin specialist book or a dermatology book. If these books are written by experts then that is good enough. I hate to say it but tutors can be confused and often don't have the skills/confidence to get across the differences.

In brief -

pustules - pus is visible at entrance to follicle, inflamation

papules - hardened lumps within dermis, no obvious exit onto surface. These can often be very painful and red

milia - sebum trapped in follicle, over keratinisation of follicle entrance means that sebum does not reach surface of skin - no oxidisation occurs and sebum remains white

comodomes - oxidisation of sebum trapped within follicle, usually easily removed with care and hygienic practises

open or enlarged pores - over stretched entrance to follicle, over production of sebum causes dilation of entrance, beauty products cannot improve this condition

Experience will improve your awareness of these and other conditions. Get to grips with as many faces as you can, don't be shy ask family and friends if you can do a skin analysis on them, perhaps you could also recommend products for them. If you see a skin feature which you are not familiar with ASK or get that book out. Ain't skin great - I love it, even my own!!

Thank you for this info, but I have to follow the CIBTAC notes which is why I feel I am unlearning what I have already learned IYKWIM.

 

[becca boo]

I just found a kinda cool website for ski News Letters

 

[tinkywinky]

Tell me about it;

I've been qualified for 7 years now and am going to get some books out and have a good read as I feel I have forgot most of what I was taught lol no I haven't just want to re-read and learn again

blooming skin it's not easy training to be a beauty therapist is it Mrs Clooney. Personally it's one of the hardest things I ever did as I wasn't very good at biology and remembering names of everything



lol!!

 

[huberella]

Why is there always such confusion with these terms?

May I suggest that you get a skin specialist book or a dermatology book. If these books are written by experts then that is good enough. I hate to say it but tutors can be confused and often don't have the skills/confidence to get across the differences.

In brief -

pustules - pus is visible at entrance to follicle, inflamation

papules - hardened lumps within dermis, no obvious exit onto surface. These can often be very painful and red

milia - sebum trapped in follicle, over keratinisation of follicle entrance means that sebum does not reach surface of skin - no oxidisation occurs and sebum remains white

comodomes - oxidisation of sebum trapped within follicle, usually easily removed with care and hygienic practises

open or enlarged pores - over stretched entrance to follicle, over production of sebum causes dilation of entrance, beauty products cannot improve this condition

Experience will improve your awareness of these and other conditions. Get to grips with as many faces as you can, don't be shy ask family and friends if you can do a skin analysis on them, perhaps you could also recommend products for them. If you see a skin feature which you are not familiar with ASK or get that book out. Ain't skin great - I love it, even my own!!

This is the same information I was taught as well

 

[bombini]

Tracey I would go with what your course tutor says tbh

I was taught same as Weezie except that I wouldn't class a pustule and a whitehead as the same thing.

When you leave college and start working in a salon all the product training you do will teach you a different thing anyway lol

eg. at college they taught us to exfoliate oily skins more and dry skins less when i did my Decleor training it was opposite way round as they believe exfoliation stimulates the oil production therefore more beneficial for dry skin and less for oily. Yet there are some ranges that don't believe in exfoliation at all !!

You can argue it until the cows come home but we will all never agree on everything so it is best if you follow tutors notes.

I know you have your notes but does the course reccommend any text books ? I usually found the books explained things better than the notes at college but they were NVQ.

 

[weezie]

Tracey I would go with what your course tutor says tbh

I was taught same as Weezie except that I wouldn't class a pustule and a whitehead as the same thing.

Go with what the course note say I guess, the multiple choice would probably be easy to figure out what answer they want for this question. Ask her for a previous test paper example.

I supose I would say a whitehead is a type of pustule, or maybe just a pre-pustle. I guess I may be wrong. A boil can also be a pustule.

Main Entry: pus·tule
Pronunciation: ps-()chü()l, -()t(y)ü()l
Function: noun
1 : a small circumscribed elevation of the skin containing pus and having an inflamed base
2 : a small often distinctively colored elevation or spot resembling a blister or pimple

This is an excellent description of all these things and Bomini is right a pustule is not a whitehead as such it is a infected whitehead.
http://www.michellestrait.com/acne_minireport.pdf

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

I just want to say thank you to everybody for your replies. When I go back to college I think I may just have a wee word with my tutor as 2 CIBTAC CIDESCO student's notes inform them that a white head is a closed comedone and a blackhead is an open one, as I thought. Thank you.