While it is true that strips can give you smooth skin, they do not clear blackheads. Pore strips aka nose strips eliminate upper layers of dead skin cells by utilizing a powerful adhesive, thus assisting your skin feel smoother and softer. But they do not do anything to treat the cause of the blackheads in the first place.
It is how they're similar to Band-Aids, which most of us know from experience have a tendency to pull out hairs (and sometimes skin) when you remove them. Nose strips will extract anything on the surface of your noses such as hair, dirt, and oil, but Shah says what they won't do is prevent the buildup and blackheads from occurring in the first place.
Do Blackhead Strips Work?
Do Strips Remove Blackheads?
Stick-on, peel-off pore strips are favorite among people who want to get rid of their blackheads quickly, or at least it seems that way. There’s something oddly satisfying about applying a strip, then peeling it off to see all the gunk that’s been hiding in your pores.
Although initially satisfying, those blackheads inevitably come back, so you have to go through the process all over again sooner or later. Is that just the way things are, or is there a better solution? We think you’ll love knowing what function, but first: How do pore strips work? It depends on how you use them. In case you apply the strips without wetting the skin on the nose with warm water first or fails to make sure they stick to all the creases of the nose, you likely won't get great results.
You also need to leave them on for around 15 minutes to allow the adhesive to bind to all the gunk on your skin. You need to use strips repeatedly, as often as once or twice a week as pores can quickly get clogged again. Pore strips can assist in (very) temporarily to improving the appearance of pores, but there is no permanent change or improvements to the skin achieved with such a stripping.
How Do Strips Assist in Fighting Blackheads?
What Assists in Blackheads?
What can you do to take care of blackheads over the long term? The solution is, thankfully, simple: Begin with a gentle cleanser free of harsh components. Anything that leaves skin feeling tight and uncomfortable is likely drying out your skin. Avoid use of overly emollient moisturizers on blackhead-prone regions.Use a well-formulated leave-on salicylic acid (BHA) exfoliant. BHA is distinctively beneficial for blackheads because of its ability to penetrate through oil to reach deep down into pores, where blackheads start. BHA also assists in shedding built-up dead skin and has calming qualities to aid in minimizing the visibility of redness.Make use of mild, oil-absorbing products to cut down on excess oil on skin’s surface. A clay mask like our SKIN BALANCING Oil-Absorbing Mask or a mattifying product like SHINE STOPPER Instant Matte Finish with Microsponge Technology can do wonders.
What is a Pore Strip?
Anatomy of a Pore Strip
Even though there are tons of different types available, pore strips always come from the same essential components. The strip itself originates from of a non-soluble woven substrate that's the thin fabric-like body of the thing. Underneath the stripping, there's a polymer that attaches to the oil plugs in your pores, and a non-tacky resin to assist the patch in sticking to your nose. Even though there are not much design of the strips, there have been some cool additions lately.
For instance, Bioré now has charcoal-infused strips to mop up more oil purportedly. Other strips are available in kits with extra steps, which comes with a secondary, moisturizing stripping to assist in counteracting any dryness. Pore strips can also have other components like fragrances or colorants, so if you have sensitive or allergy-prone skin, you may want to skip the stripping.
Wetting the strip before putting it on will make it sticky. If you let it dry it will give it a pulling power. The instructions on a box of pore strips generally state: Wet your nose with the right amount of water. After peeling any backing off, smooth the pore strip on your nose, beginning from the bridge and working outwards, and let it rest for about 15 minutes. It is one case where there can't be too much water—it's essential for the resin to be wet so that it will stick to your skin. The water also invigorates the oil-grabbing polymer. Water offers a positive charge, which allows the polymers to bond to clogged pores, which have a negative charge. During the 15 minute drying period, the activated polymers work to stick to the outermost layer of skin, plus excess sebum and hair that clogs pores.
When you pull the pore strip off, you can witness the outcome—but you might be mistaken about what you're observing. When eliminating a dried pore strip, you want to begin from the outer sections going inward, take caution not to move too quickly. Don't treat this like a strip of hot wax. Enjoy the stalactites and stalagmites peeking out visually if you'd prefer, but don't get too attached to those grits because what you're seeing may not be what you think it is.
The technical term for the tiny dots on your nose you're trying to eliminate is known as keratotic plugs. These keratotic plugs comprise of dead skin cells, dirt, and hair. Blackheads, which are oxidized sebum clogged within your pores, are a kind of keratotic plug that lives deeper, beneath your skin surface. While the stripping may successfully remove the upper portions of dirt and oil, they're not going deep enough to de-clog hardened plugs of oxidized sebum—you know, the blackheads you bought pore strips specifically to target.
Will Using A Strip Remove Blackheads?
Can a Strip Clear My Blackheads?
So, unfortunately, pore strips won't clear up your blackhead condition; they can, however, give you smoother skin. Pulling off existing dirt and oil does assist your skin in feeling smoother and softer. But strips aren't doing anything to treat the cause of the blackheads in the first place.
To stop future blackheads keratotic or plugs from developing, you have to either carry out a deeper exfoliation or sign up for extractions a salon close to your place. And no, you won't make your pores tinier with pore strips, either. You can only hope that you don't stretch them out more by keeping them clear of dirt and dead skin cells with a regular scrub or exfoliating peel. And if you love the satisfaction of a used pore strip dappled with gunk, keep on keeping on—it's not going to do any harm.
Blackheads Composition and How Pore Strips Works on Them
Pore strips pull out the skin’s natural oils along with the lining of the pore, leaving the skin damaged over time. Your blackheads will stay in place, lurking and lingering, while you remain in awe at the spots you think is blackheads (but, we repeat, isn’t) left over on the strip.
We repeat: the things you’re seeing pulled out on the stripping isn’t proof of blackheads. It’s likely a bunch of essential pore linings that should remain within the pores. Or it may be the very top of a blackhead resting on the surface layer of your skin, with the ‘roots’ of blackheads stuck in your pores. The majority of what comes out from the skin using pore strips are sebaceous filaments. Blackheads are a clogged plug, so pore strips are unlikely to be efficient enough to lose and extract those. There’s a distinct difference between blackheads, and the things we think are blackheads that need to be removed but are sebaceous filaments. Sebaceous fibers are the lining of the pore, designed to assist your skin in maintaining a healthy oil balance. These can make pores appear large, and can at times look black because oils start to oxidize near the opening of the pore. Sebaceous filaments are entirely beneficial to the skin’s function and shouldn’t be removed, especially by aggressively yanking them out. If you do eliminate them, your skin will naturally replace sebaceous filaments with new ones. You know, because it needs them.
Difference Between Blackheads and Sebaceous Filaments and Should I Strip Them Off?
A blackhead, meanwhile, is a hardened plug or blockage of the pore. Unlike a sebaceous filament, it’s not a free-flowing oil, but a hard, solid plug.
A blackhead prevents oxygen from entering the pore, allowing bacteria to grow, swelling to develop, and spots to form. You should remove blackheads; however, you should stay away from a sebaceous filament. The best way to determine the difference is to ditch the magnifying mirror because our eyes can deceive us and make us think sebaceous filaments are blackheads. Instead, feel the skin properly when you're cleaning.
You won't be able to touch a sebaceous thread, but you can feel a blockage or blackhead in the skin surface. Because pore strips aren’t strong enough to remove blackheads but can pull out sebaceous filaments, they end up stripping our skin of our natural oils and getting rid of the pore’s protection from bacteria.
As a result, the pore is left open (and seemingly clear) to nasty stuff getting in and causing blockages. It is Amazon's leading concealer in the UK at the moment. So not only are pore strips not fixing the complications we think they will, they can worsen the condition. The harsh removal of pore strips can also lead to trauma to our skin’s outer layer (you can tell when it hurts to pull the nose strip off), resulting in broken capillaries and redness if continuously used.
Are blackhead strips bad for skin?
Even though blackheads strips are a safe way to remove blackheads, sometimes they might do you more harm than good. Here is what you need to know before using a blackhead strip.
Blackhead strips might be bad for your skin
The way blackhead strips adhere to the skin can result in irritation and even destroy the complexion. One side of each pore strip is glazed with an adhesive that sticks to your surface and appends to the debris within pores. Pulling the blackheads off your skin can leave the complexion looking inflamed, red and flaky. Pore strips can also result in spider veins and broken capillaries on regions with thinner skin, such as around the nose. And in case you use a nose strip over a damaged pore, it could tear the skin and leave a nasty scar.
Blackhead strips can make skin problems such as acne worse
Not only are blackhead strips bad for those with sensitive skin, but they also have the capability to exacerbate other skin conditions. Blackhead strips are very harsh on rosacea-prone skin, especially if they comprise of irritating ingredients such as menthol. They can also aggravate very dry skin, psoriasis, and eczema. Furthermore, blackhead strips should not be used sunburned skin.
Blackhead strips won’t make blackheads go away
When blackhead strips are pulled off, they only eliminate the tops of blackheads together with healthy skin cells. Getting rid of the debris within skin pores can also make them look larger since they are more exposed. It might look like you are getting rid of blackheads, but they will rapidly return using this method.
Blackhead strips the skin of natural oils
Similar to cleansing too much can be bad for your skin, using pore strips frequently can mean stripping your skin of its natural oils. Natural oils are what keep your skin balanced and healthy. Your skin requires this natural barrier to keep the good stuff, such as moisture, whereas keeping the bad stuff, such as free radicals, out.
Open pores are more susceptible to infection
Once you remove the debris from your pores, they are more likely to collect bacteria, dirt, oil, and other impurities. While pores are open and clear, it’s much easier for them to become infected. It’s very important that you make an appointment to see your dermatologist at the first sign of infection, as scarring can happen quickly and is often difficult, if not impossible, to reverse.
