Skincare.com posted "Do Pore Strips Actually Remove Blackheads? FIND OUT!" featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel and Visha Skincare .
The article includes Dr. Patel's expert commentary on pore strips and how to get the best results when using them.
Most people have a fascination with their pores — expelling debris from them, making them appear smaller — all in an effort to achieve a smooth, imperfection-free complexion. Case in point: pore strips. These tiny adhesive strips are applied to your nose to work their magic and visibly pull dirt and oil from your pores when removed. There’s something so much more satisfying about them as compared to detoxing mask treatments but there’s some conflicting reports out there that say they might be doing more harm than good. So, what’s the deal with using pore strips? Do they actually work to clear your pores and, most importantly, how do they affect our skin? We found out.
HOW DO PORE STRIPS WORK?
Pore strips seem pretty self-explanatory. Each strip is coated with an adhesive that bonds to skin. To apply, you typically wet your nose, place on the strip, wait 10-15 minutes and then slowly peel it off. What’s left stuck to the strip is a combination of sebum and dirt extracted from your comedones or blackheads. “Blackheads happen when oil in the pores of the skin is exposed to air and oxidized, resulting in a black appearance,” says Dr. Purvisha Patel, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare.
It’s important to keep in mind that different people will see different results when it comes to using pore strips. “If the adhesive truly grabs the oil and pulls it out, voilá — the blackhead is taken out,” says Dr. Patel. “But the ability of the strip to adhere and clear the pores is a variable factor.”
The main catch (because there always is one) is to not overdo it. Pore strips are a form of exfoliation — they remove dead skin cells and debris from your skin’s surface — and like all exfoliation products, you need to use them in moderation. By over-exfoliating and over-using pore strips, you run the risk of dehydrating your skin which can cause your sebaceous glands to overcompensate by producing excess oil.