And one concept we can’t seem to get away from is the ever-present pore strip. These were popularized by drugstore brands decades ago, and we’ve seen variations of this product that range from knockoff brands to DIY peel-off pastes to now hydrocolloid patches. As board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., has previously told mbg, they can cause irritation if you’re not super careful. “The adhesive can traumatize the skin, so be sure to use them carefully and follow the instructions,” she says. And sure, peeling off a pore strip might feel pretty satisfying, but they don’t actually do anything to stop those blackheads from dusting your nose. “Pore strips can temporarily remove top layers of dead skin cells, but they won’t do anything to prevent the buildup of blackheads,” King adds. Often they are small round dots that go over a single zit to speed up its healing time. However, now there are larger options that can cover areas of the face like your forehead, nose, and chin. So instead of using the potentially damaging pore strips, users have been cleaning out their pores with these trendy options. What do the experts have to say about this new development? As board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D. (and mbg Collective member!), explains in a recent TikTok video, “Using a hydrocolloid patch as a nose strip is actually much more gentle than a classic nose strip, which I like, but the problem here is that you are potentially changing the skin microbiome underneath that patch; this can potentially lead to worsening acne,” she says.
