Avoid a popular product for removing blackheads at all costs – it will stretch your pores, my 5-step method reduces them
A POPULAR blackhead removal product should be consigned to the beauty bin of shame.
That’s according to one beauty fan who complained it did nothing but stretch your pores.
She knows what she is talking about having suffered the despair of unsightly pimples.
She’s been plagued with them but now she has formulated a method to reduce them.
“I have a 5-step skincare routine that I religiously follow twice a day,” she said in a post on Reddit.
But she had particular scorn for one popular blackhead remedy.
“Avoid nose pore strips at all costs,” she urged fellow Redditors.
“They might remove them temporarily but they can stretch your pores leaving them bigger and they will just fill back up again,” she said.
Her tried and tested methods worked for her and she said they reduced the appearance of her blackheads.
She admitted some of her blackhead busters might sound counter-intuitive.
But she swore by them, including cleansing with an oil-based cleanser – it had worked for her.
“Sounds contradictory, but oil attracts oil,” she said to the doubters.
Next she waved the flag for beta-hydroxy (BHA) and alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA).
They are used in a variety of cosmetic products treating different skin conditions.
She used BHA in the form of salicylic acid. “This is a chemical exfoliant that is oil-soluble,” she wrote.
Our Redditor recommended another chemical exfoliation, this time with AHA.
“This will remove any dead skin and prevent things from getting worse,” she said.
There are many face masks on the market, but she advised trying clay masks for blackhead treatment.
“They draw out oil, this can used after using a BHA which will help to loosen the filaments,” she said.
Dermatologist-approved anti-aging tips
Dermatologist Dr. Brendan Camp shared his dermatologist-approved tips with The U.S. Sun.
- Stop using tanning beds.
- Don’t use sunscreen to contour your face.
- Wear driving gloves to protect your hands from the sun. He likes Coolibar Gannett UV Gloves UPF 50+, $15.99 to $39.
- Exercise, stick to a healthy diet, and get enough sleep.
- Don’t drink excessively or smoke.
Finally, it was time to bring in the big boys of skincare, retinol or tretinoin.
“They help to regulate how much sebum you produce and increases cell turnover to help keep your pores clear,” she said.
She signed off reassuing Redditors that blackheads, no matter how unsightly, were normal.
“You probably won’t be able to permanently remove them, but the products listed above will definitely help make them smaller and/or less visible,” she said.