What Is Skin Scrubbing And Can It Banish Large Pores?

Again, scrubbers are mainly exfoliation devices that, used as directed, are gentler than rough face scrubs or microdermabrasion (which should be avoided by those with ultra-sensitive, rosacea-prone or acneic skin types). Like any exfoliant, warns Malik, “don’t use it more than three times a week.”

Don’t use it on dry skin

The most effective way to deep-cleanse skin with a skin scrubber is to “choose a sulphate-free facial cleanser, apply it to the skin with water like you normally would when washing you face, use the device, then rinse,” says Malik. Don’t put neat, undiluted cleanser on your face before passing the scraper over it, as some devices seem to suggest: unless it’s a cleansing oil or balm, this can dry skin out. And never use the device on dry skin: water allows the sonic vibrations to form and build. Without it, you’ll drag the skin and won’t get the de-clogging benefits of the vibrations.

It helps actives penetrate – a bit

These devices have an ‘infuse’ or ‘enhance’ mode that can be used every day, where the rounded back of the spatula becomes as a gentle massage device to work serums and creams deeper into the skin, enhancing their benefits. But is that a claim that can be substantiated? Slightly, says Malik: “the device’s oscillation helps to remove surface debris from the surface of the skin, and that allows active ingredients in products to penetrate more evenly.

Plus, there’s one study (funded by L’Oreal in support of their Clarisonic devices) that suggests that massage gadgets at certain frequencies can amplify the anti-wrinkle effect of products they are combined with.” So yes, scrubbers may boost your skincare somewhat, although Malik cautions that more research and data are needed to verify their efficacy.

Gently purging pores is key to keeping them ‘small’

You can’t ‘shrink’ pores: their size is genetically determined. But if they consistently pump out a lot of oil (which happens if you have oily or combination skin), they get blocked more easily, dilating them and making them look larger. Skin scrubbers, provided you keep them scrupulously clean, can keep these blockages at bay. Alternatively, gently exfoliating, sebum-dissolving, skin-calming salicylic acid is a pore purifying go-to for skincare professionals. “Congested pores definitely respond well to a salicylic acid-based cleanser, says Malik.

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