Pore strips are unlikely to cause any real damage. However, they may cause redness and skin irritation, especially for those with skin disorders like rosacea or psoriasis, or for patients using prescription acne medications.
Now for the good news: If your skin is on the normal or oily side, dermatologists say that you can benefit from using pore strips to treat blackheads. "Oily skin does best with pore strips since there are more blackheads to address," says Dr. Patel.
While they may seem helpful in the immediate, they actually cause way more damage than not. In fact, they make your pores bigger over time!
While pores strips possibly can be effective at removing buildup inside the pores, the effects are not long-lasting, and the strips can cause more harm than good to the skin.
Ultimately, while satisfying and instantly gratifying, pore strips aren't an effective long-term solution for blackheads and skin texture. However, they are okay to use in moderation if you have an oily skin type or need a quick fix for clear-looking skin.
Can Pore Strips Cause Damage? Pore strips are unlikely to cause any real damage. However, they may cause redness and skin irritation, especially for those with skin disorders like rosacea or psoriasis, or for patients using prescription acne medications.
They work best when they are used right after your skin has been exposed to moisture. Applying pore strips right after a shower or after the skin has been exposed to steam are both perfect times. Moisture helps pores slightly open, loosening the plugs and allowing for easier removal.
King recommended applying moisturizer to the skin after using a pore strip, which can help combat dryness.
If strip is difficult or painful to remove, wet strip thoroughly until it slides off easily. Forceful removal of the strip should be avoided and may cause skin abrasions. If this occurs, discontinue use and consult a physician. Do not use more often than once every three days.
Hydrating skin favourites such as hyaluronic acid can help moisturise the skin and give the complexion a boost, especially after using a nose or pore strip as this removes any barrier of debris blocking the way for nourishing ingredients to absorb into the skin helping you see result quicker.
Since the strip only sticks to the surface of your nose, it misses all the debris and oil hiding deep inside your pores that can build up and lead to pimples or blackheads, Nagler explains. So while they may leave your skin looking and feeling super clean, they don't provide a real deep cleansing.
Because pore strips aren't strong enough to remove blackheads, but are able to pull out sebaceous filaments, they end up stripping our skin of our natural oils and getting rid of the pore's protection from bacteria.
PLEASE DO NOT DO MULTIPLE STRIPS IN A ROW.
It can be very tempting — and satisfying — to squeeze out or pop blackheads. However, squeezing out blackheads can create several problems: You may not remove the entire blackhead. You may even push the blackhead further into your skin, which can cause painful irritation.
Pores can become clogged with excess oil, dead skin, or dirt, or they can appear more prominent as a result of too much sun exposure. Other factors that can influence pores becoming clogged include genetics and hormones.
Treatment Areas. While pore strips are most commonly used around the nose area, they can also be used on the chin and forehead.
When used properly, though, nose strips can clear the pores temporarily and make them appear smaller, Shah says. Shari Marchbein, a New York City-based dermatologist, points out that strips need to be used repeatedly, as often as once or twice a week as pores can quickly get clogged again.
According to the experts at Beautypedia, you may have successfully removed the top layer of blackheads, but the root of the problem—the excess oil—remains, and they'll probably just recur. Repeatedly using strips may even rob the skin of natural oils and lead to dryness, which can ultimately exacerbate breakouts.
Are Pore Vacuums Effective at Clearing Pores and Blackheads? “Pore vacuums certainly can be an effective tool in helping to regularly clear pore congestion, however they're not essential component to a skincare routine,” says Dr. Reszko.
To help open your pores a bit, Jeong also recommends steaming your face prior to using a pore strip. Doing this, she says, will help your pores loosen their grip on any debris that is clogging them, making that debris easier to extract.
The OG pore-unclogging master (and possibly the most popular), Bioré strips have stood the test of time because they really do work. The brand claims its strips are twice as effective in just one use as other options out there, and they work to get rid of build-up, dirt, oil, makeup, and blackheads instantly.
Pore strips give a quick, albeit temporary, improvement of blackheads. So in that respect, pore strips do work. But for a long term fix for blackheads, pore strips aren't the best way to go. Once you've yanked the strip off of your face, go ahead and take a look at what's been captured by the glue.
Not only are nose strips bad for those with sensitive skin, but they can also worsen other skin conditions. Pore strips can exacerbate rosacea-prone skin, especially if they contain irritating ingredients such as alcohol and astringents. They can also aggravate extremely dry skin, eczema and psoriasis.