Blackhead Removal Tools Derms Hate | What To Use Instead

You might think that blackhead removal tools are a great way help get rid of blackheads, especially after watching influencers on social media go on and on about them. But dermatologists actually think most of them do more harm than good.

Here are 5 blackhead removal tools Derm's actually hate, and better ways to remove blackheads.

Cleansing Brushes

Cleansing brushes with rotating bristles, like Clarisonic, can actually spread bacteria and move acne from one area to another. Using them everyday can actually cause long term damage.

According to Dr. Luke Maxfield, a Board Certified Dermatologist in North Carolina and popular YouTubers, "Cleansing brushes used at home can actually lead to scratching and roughing up the skin. They cause more harm than good. A much better option is to use chemical exfoliation like AHAs and BHAs."

Dr Maxfield goes on to say that using silicone brushes is a cleaner option, but using your hands or a clean washcloth can be just as effective.

Replacing bristled cleansing brushes with silicone brushes is a much better option because they are cleaner, but cleansing with a clean washcloth or your hands also works well.

Use Silicone Brushes Instead

Silicone brushes, like Foreo devices or PMD beauty, are a better choice. These are generally pretty good at breaking up makeup and oil-based skin care products and many use a microcurrent which can help lift sebum and debris out of pores. Just make sure you keep it clean between uses.

You can do a great job of cleansing without using brushes at all. Just use your hands, a gentle cleanser, and follow with microcellular water on a cotton pad to remove makeup, sunscreen, and skin care products. A clean washcloth is a great way to apply cleanser.

Bottomline: Bristly cleansing brushes can cause more harm than good, stick to silicone brushes or none at all.

Pore Strips

These are one of the most hated blackhead removal devices on social media and there's a lot of misinformation going around about them.

People like them because they give an immediate, so satisfying, result. You put it on your blackheads and pull it off to find tiny hairs and hopefully the contents of your former blackhead.

Lots of people are using pore strips on non-blackheads and don't realize it. And using them more than once a month can actually cause more harm than good.

"Many people use pore strips to treat blackheads when what they really have is sebaceous filaments and trichostasis spinulosa, which are little vellus hairs in the follicle. Neither of these skin problems are blackheads," says Dr. Muneeb Shah, a Board Certified Dermatologist and YouTuber. "This can cause inflammation and you're not really treating the underlying problem."

Treating the right skin condition might come down to seeing a Dermatologist who can recognize nuances in your skin.

Use Niacinamide, Retinol, and Salicylic Acid Instead

Niacinamide helps control oil production which helps prevent new blackheads from forming. Retinol is vitamin A which is small enough to penetrate lower layers of skin and unclog pores. Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid that penetrates deep into hair follicles and breaks down oil and dead skin cells.

Using topicals to remove blackheads is much more effective at removing debris from pores than pore strips. And they are a safer option to use long term.

Bottomline: Pore strips work to remove the tiny hairs that can gather debris in pores, but are not a great choice for real blackheads. Stick to niacinamide, retinol, and salicylic acid for effective blackhead removal.

Pore Vacuums

Pore vacuums might be fun to watch, but the results are short-lived and your skin can react by producing more oil. Yes, you have a built-in camera and can vividly see all the gunk coming out of your face. We admit, it's so satisfying.

But the results are usually short term and you can cause permanent damage to your blood vessels when they're used wrong.

"I hate pore vacuums. They lift out all the junk in your pores, like oil and dead skin cells, but they don't solve the underlying problem and can irritate the skin. This means your skin will start overproducing oil and can become inflamed making skin worse off in the long run," says Dr. Shah.

Pore vacuums can cause bruising and permanent damage to blood vessels, called telangiectasias. It's very common when the suction is too high or the vacuum isn't moved fast enough.

Use Topicals Instead

The safer way to go is by sticking to topicals. Retinol, salicylic acid, and niacinamide are better for your skin to unclog pores, control oil production, and get rid of blackheads.

Bottomline: Pore vacuums will give you a temporary fix but can make blackheads worse over time. They can also cause bruising and permanently damaged blood vessels when used wrong.

LED Masks

LED masks have had more research than most, if not all, blackhead removal tools on the market.

UV radiation, UVB/UVA, is on the non-visible spectrum of light. These both have short waves or radiation and cause significant damage to your skin.

But the visible light spectrum use targeting chromophores to absorb light at a specific wavelength. This allows it to be used for skin conditions.

According to Dr. Maxfield, "Blue light is a short wavelength so it is better for skin conditions that are close to the surface of skin, like acne and hyperpigmentation. Red light targets deeper into the skin, making is reduce oil production and stimulate collagen."

Blue light causes a chemical reaction with poriferans which kills C. acnes bacteria. Blue light kills acne-causing bacteria, decreases inflammation, and decreases oil gland size. Red light decreases oil production.

LED masks aren't really effective for blackhead removal because they don't work well on non-inflammatory acne.

LED masks are great for treating Acne Vulgaris, and light therapy won't interfere with other acne treatments. It might actually make them work better, especially if you use a chemical exfoliator first.

Bottomline: LED masks don't specifically target blackheads so use topical chemical exfoliators instead. But for inflammatory acne, LED masks work very well.

Final Thoughts

Many blackhead removal tools are touted on social media as being a quick fix for blackheads. But in reality, many of the most popular devices are harmful to your skin, or just misunderstood.