Can You Put Elmer’s Glue On Your Face?

Model Victoria Brito (known by her fans as "Vickatrillion") basically has invisible pores. We know this for a fact because we worked with her yesterday on a photo shoot and had the chance to inspect her perfect skin sans makeup. So, what's her secret? It might surprise you: Elmer's glue.

Insisting that she wasn't kidding, Brito proceeded to tell us about the tip she picked up from watching daytime talk shows: She smears glue on her skin, waits for it to dry, and then peels it off. "You can literally see the blackheads like little dots on the glue," Brito told us. We were admittedly doubtful, but Brito's radiant complexion was compelling evidence.

Before reaching for the glue ourselves, though, we decided to check in with some experts to figure out if it's actually safe. According to dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden, it's not the best route to take. “Although Elmer’s acts very similar to a pore strip that sticks to blackheads and pulls them out from the pore, it could lead to potentially hazardous issues on the skin," he says. "The ingredients found in glue have been shown to lead to allergic reactions." Well, yikes.

Dr. James C. Marotta, plastic surgeon and skin-care expert, doesn't recommend the glue trick, either. "You should typically refrain from applying something to your face that isn't meant for your skin, even if Elmer's is nontoxic," he says, noting, "The glue could actually clog your pores more, and you could also harm your skin when you remove it." Celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas agrees that it isn't wise to use products on your face that are meant for other purposes. "If we're talking about food, though, that could be therapeutic," she adds.

All this leads us to think that Brito's amazing skin might have more to do with genetics than her glue routine. But, that doesn't mean we can't take her tip and apply it to another product — it's a good idea to keep pores clear in order to reduce their appearance. For a gentler, safer way to clean 'em out, we recommend a face mask with activated charcoal like GlamGlow's SuperMud, which can be used as a spot treatment to pull the toxins out of particularly congested pores.

So, with all that said, we'd like to know: Have you ever tried this glue trick? If so, what were your results?