I'm 20 and male. Just recently I started getting a lot of blackheads and increased sebum production under my nose and in my nose crease, and the area seems to have become really red. The skin is not raised and does not feel irritated or dry but it's red and bumpy from blackheads and sebum plugs in the pores. What can I do to help with the redness? I moisturise with an oil free moisturiser that does not clog my pores and I use a cleanser every day. I've tried using the cleanser more often and less often but it does not seem to have an effect. I just ordered some BHA 2% salisylic acid solution, do you think that will help?
I have a similar problem around the creases of my nose and I did try BHA which helped a little, but not completely. I'll tell you what has worked for me though and has completely alleviated the problem.
I massage jojoba oil into those areas around my nose before I cleanse for around 5-10 minutes, I then leave it on whilst I brush my teeth and then cleanse once in the shower. Jojoba oil is non-comedogenic (it doesn't clog pores) and it quickly disolves sebum plugs and I feel them pop out as I'm massaging it in.
At first applying oil to your skin sounds crazy, but it really does work!