“Pore vacuums are generally safe to use, but be sure to use appropriate settings depending on your skin,” says Dr. Reszko. In other words, cranking the vacuum up to the highest setting won't necessarily extract more blackheads—but it may just leave you with your first hickey since high school.
According to board-certified dermatologists Joshua Zeichner, MD and Lily Talakoub, MD, the answer is generally yes. "Pore vacuums offer mild suction to help remove blackheads from the skin," Dr. Zeichner explains.
Poor results are only one of the risks of trying to vacuum your pores yourself – or have it done by someone without experience. If too much suction is applied to the skin you can suffer bruising or a condition called telangiectasias. “Telangiectasias are small broken blood vessels in the skin,” said Rice.
Overuse. According to Zeichner, you should start a vacuum once per week at first, as your skin begins to tolerate it, before progressing to twice or three times per week.
For starters, you should wash your face and disinfect the tip of the pore vacuum to ensure that you're working with a clean, germ-free surface and tool. Secondly, Dr. Zalka recommends gently steaming your face to 'open up' the pores and loosen the debris deep within.
Clean your face thoroughly first before you begin extracting. Make sure no excess dirt or makeup is left on your face before you open your pores, as these can aggravate the situation and result in pimples (which are a lot more annoying!). It's recommended that you use pore cleansers around two to three times a week.
Don't squeeze the pores on your nose
It's tempting to squeeze your pores. While it may get rid of the darker dots short term, it can also: damage skin tissue. enlarge the pores.
Pore vacuums are generally safe to use on blackheads and whiteheads, but not deep-rooted or very inflamed pimples. Be gentle. The biggest risks come from holding the vacuum in one spot for too long and turning the suction up too high. The result is bruising and broken blood vessels.
The recommended use is 1-2 times per week. How should you prepare the skin to assist with extraction? Cleanse and either have a steamy shower or steam bath to help loosen impurities within the pores.
How often should I suction my face? King doesn't recommend suctioning your face. Instead, she recommends other options, such as retinoids and salicylic acid. If you do want to try suctioning, she suggests limiting it to once per week.
The suction power on this thing is great.It doesnt work for pimples under the skin but works good for on the surface pimples. It can hurt a bit but its worth it. It gets all the junk out. After using this i out acne patch on my face to finish the job if there is anything left.
Close the holes temporarily with cold water.
Cold water makes your pores contract, which makes them look smaller. Try splashing some cold water on your face or holding a cold washcloth against the blackhead holes. This won't shrink them permanently, but it works as a good temporary fix.
Blackheads can sometimes go away on their own — it depends on how deep blackheads are in your skin. If a blackhead is close to the surface of your skin, it's more likely to go away on its own. However, some blackheads can be deeply embedded in your skin.
'You should absolutely not squeeze blackheads. Squeezing a spot can push the inflammation deeper and this can cause scarring of the skin,' she says. Squeezing a spot can push the inflammation deeper and this can cause scarring of the skin.
The stuff you squeeze out of them is pus, which contains dead white blood cells.
Bacteria make the pore swell up and turn red. Pus, a thick, white substance made up of bacteria and white blood cells, sometimes fills the pimple.
Whiteheads
In white heads, the white seed blocks the top of the pimple and hence, they are also known as closed comedones. As they are sealed off from the rest of the skin, whiteheads are tougher to treat than other forms of acne.
After five minutes, remove the washcloths and plastic wrap and keep the skin moist by applying a bit more moisturizer. The next step is to wrap tissue over each of your forefingers and gently squeeze to remove blackheads or clogged pores.
While cellophane tape could possibly remove surface dead skin cells, it's unclear how effective this method is in removing clogged gunk in your pores. Don't use masking, duct, industrial, or any other type of tape that could be harmful to your skin.
The Skin-Compromising Consequences
“Squeezing, picking, pulling, prodding—all of that can stretch the elastic around the pores, which makes them wider and larger, and they won't bounce back into shape. Ultimately, your pores will look larger and become increasingly more visible.
Prolonged exposure to the air causes the blockage to oxidize and darken. Because the pore gets stretched out of shape, it will fill back up again even after it is emptied. These stubborn pores are most likely to occur on the face, chest and back.