Pore Strips Are Fun — But Are They Harming Your Skin?

If you haven’t intensely examined a freshly used pore strip with gross fascination, some (a.k.a. the 21 million and counting who tune in to Dr. Pimple Popper's latest) might say you haven't lived. Saving up to buy a package was basically a high school rite of passage, and once you partook in the whole routine, an obsession was usually promptly born. To this day, pore strips are a mainstay in many skin-care regimens across the globe.

Here’s the thing, though: Skin-care aficionados argue that not only are pore strips ultimately ineffective, but that on top of that, they’re actually bad for your skin. Mention them on Reddit’s r/skincareaddiction, for example, and you’ll get schooled within minutes by members who take their routines very seriously. Curious to know how much of this pore strip slamming was fact or fiction, we went straight to the experts.