I stopped using pore strips after a dermatologist in Chicago told me why they're bad

Was at a conference in Chicago last fall and sat in on a dermatologist's talk. She showed a diagram of what happens when you rip a pore strip off. It's not just oil and dirt. It's also the top layer of your skin and sometimes the lining of the pore itself. She said that repeated use can actually make pores look bigger over time because the skin stretches. I had been using them once a week for years. Now I just do a gentle clay mask and some light extractions. Has anyone else switched to something different?

3 comments

3 Comments

susanm567d ago

My coworker Karen used pore strips for years and now swears by those silicone pore-cleaning tools instead.

finley_price247d ago

Didn't I see something about this on a skincare subreddit... someone said the silicone tools can actually push bacteria deeper into your pores if you're not careful. I guess it makes sense if you already have acne prone skin like me.

robertb477d ago

Oh man, that diagram sounds rough. I actually read a similar thing in a skincare blog a few months back, they said pore strips are basically like pulling a bandaid off a fresh cut every time. They also mentioned how the adhesive can leave behind microscopic tears that take a while to heal. I switched to using just a warm cloth and a gentle cleanser with salicylic acid now. It takes longer to see results but my face feels less angry afterward.