Quick Facts About Pore Strips That Could Save Your Complexion and Give You Clear Pores

Ok, so your pores are clogged and looking like they need a quick clearing. You reach for a papery pore strip, paste one on the bridge of your nose, and wow—you can’t believe that all that dark dirt was lodged in there. But applying those pore strips all the time, as fascinating as they may be, can backfire and bring on breakouts. We give you the lowdown on getting clear pores with a strip:

How it works: The paper thin bandage-y looking strip adheres tightly to your skin. When you peel it off, you’re taking all the blackheads, dirt, oil, whiteheads and gunk with you. It’s meant to only be used on the nose, where oil collects and has the highest concentration of blackheads.

Yes, they can be good: You’ll marvel about how much gunk is in those tiny crevices, and the paper works like a wax, which pulls off everything it’s stuck to.  You’ll notice less blackheads and clear pores. But skip it if your skin is super dry: Oilier types have more sebum in their skin, and benefit from doing a max of three-times-a-week.

But be cautious: The thing about pore strips? They can be addicting. Sure, it’s kind of cool to think how clean your skin can be without all that dirt, but oil is necessary to make your skin healthy, and taking it all away with a strip all the time, will dry it out (even if you’re oily).  Used too often, your skin will get red and irritated. It can also trigger breakouts, since your oil glands will go into overdrive to compensate for the lack of oil. And hands off if your skin is inflamed, swollen or sunburned, since it can cause even more damage and pain to those areas.

If you want to give it a try at home we also found this great recipe for a pore cleaning facial mask

Do you have any other ways you like to clear pores? Let us know in the comment section!