Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

Or too good to be true.

Blackheads can be stubborn. Sometimes, they are just no match for treatments like exfoliating, steaming, and using at-home comedone extractors. Enter: pore vacuums. You might have seen ads for them pop up on your IG’s Explore page and wondered if they actually work. (Let's be real: the pore-clearing action does look a little too good to be true.) We tapped beauty industry pros to weigh in on if the devices are actually worth the hype.

They’re exactly what they sound like. “They are small suction devices to remove debris from pores,” says dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, M.D. They remove small, loose blockages through manual exfoliation, dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., further explains. “If used on a regular basis, they can improve radiance of the skin, similar to the effect of a treatment like microdermabrasion,” he says.

The catch: They have limited use when it comes to treating large, deep blackheads and are not effective when removing whiteheads (blockages that have only a very small orifice connecting them to the surface of the skin), Zeichner says.

Both Zeichner and Bhanusali say other methods of exfoliation can be safer than pore vacuums. “Using a cleanser with salicylic acid can have a similar effect over-time and is much less traumatic,” says Bhanusali. “Additionally, an occasional medical-grade facial can have this aspect of treatment as part of it.” He goes on to say that the benefit of a medical-grade facial is that it would be done by an expert who would minimize risk.

Watching a pore vacuum at work via YouTube is one thing—actually using one correctly is a totally different ballgame. Remember—misuse can lead to inflammation, light bruising, or even broken capillaries (and, obviously, no one wants that).

Zeichner suggests using pore vacuums on clean, dry skin, and running the device from the middle of your face outward in short, single strokes. “The key is constant motion,” he says, explaining that you don’t want to let the vacuum stay in one single area for an extended period of time. “Applying too much pressure in one area can cause trauma to the skin.”

Additionally, here's what to avoid when using a pore vacuum.

Interested in trying the device yourself? Zeichner says to opt for ones that offer different levels of suction (which can minimize the risk of trauma). He adds that some of these devices can be equipped with a microdermabrasion tip—which can be friendly for sensitive skin. Our picks include the following.

Kristina Rodulfo, beauty director and writer, tried the PMD Personal Microderm Classic: a device meant for microdermabrasion (using spinning discs made of aluminum oxide crystals), but also offers pore-clearing suction. The benefit, the brand claims, is to stimulate increased blood flow and circulation. It "triggers the body's essential healing process, which builds collagen and elastin and leaves the skin firm and radiant." With the help of Sandra Lee (famously known as Dr. Pimple Popper) Rodulfo sought to erase her blackheads.