Those stubborn zits that look ready for the picking are called whiteheads, and you should approach these with caution before you give them a good squeeze. Whiteheads are completely unique in their formation and treatment, especially in comparison to other blemishes.

For more insight on these tricky blemishes, INSIDER talked to a few skincare professionals on their causes, and how to treat them properly.

First, let's establish what acne exactly is.

Before we get into whiteheads, we have to understand what acne is in general, and what causes it. According to Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, celebrity cosmetic dermatologist and founder of PFRANKMD, it is a disease of the hair follicle and the pores that lead to them in the skin.

"The process occurs when pores first become clogged," Frank said. "Acne is multi-factorial and has many different causes. Although acne has been blamed on everything from poor cleaning habits to greasy food and emotional stress, it appears that sensitivities to androgen or testosterone-like hormones play the most dramatic role. When glands produce too much oil, the pores can become blocked, accumulating dirt, debris, and bacteria."

The term "whitehead" tends to be incorrectly used as a blanket term for any small blemish that has a protruding white center, but according to Heyday skin therapist Joanne DeLeon, they’re much more specific than that.

"A whitehead is a small soft bump that appears to be just under the skin’s surface and does not have a severe delineating border," DeLeon said. "They are usually small; no larger than the tip of a candle wick and they are not red or inflamed."

Even if you can't notice them at a glance, almost everyone has them.