There is just something so satisfying about squeezing a blackhead until it pops out of the skin. You know it's not really great to do it, but you can't help it—it's a primeval desire and it must be satisfied!

But what happens when you can't get no satisfaction? (Sorry, but I had to.) You obsess over your clogged pores, or worse, you keep digging until your blackhead turns into a full-on red, inflamed pimple.

Fellow editor Aimee and I both know this struggle, so when we had the opportunity to try out a pore vacuum, we took it. Here's what happened when we used the electric device designed to suck out blackheads and other debris.

Thoughts

Will a pore vacuum actually suck out blackheads?

It depends on several factors, including how deep your blackheads are and the size of the attachment you use. Aimee was able to suck out some gunk from her chin using the bigger head with the stronger suction. She also said that it brought some stuff closer to the surface of her chin so she could later squeeze it out with her fingers.

I personally couldn't get anything to come out of my nose.

Will it leave a hickey on your face?

It definitely can if you leave it in one spot for too long, as Aimee found out. She did say that her resulting tiny circular bruise was mostly invisible, and that her 5-year-old daughter didn't even notice and "she notices everything." Plus, the bruise lasted no more than a day and a half.

I mostly experienced a bit of redness using the smaller pore-section head, but one of the areas I used it on looked a tiny bit bruised for about a day. But it was only noticeable to me, even without makeup.

Is it worth getting?

Yes? No? I'm torn on this one because on the one hand, the fancy electric comedone extractor pulled out some gross stuff from Aimee's face. It also was really satisfying to use. But it left some light hickey-like bruising.

However, we didn't steam our faces open before we used it, which is recommended. We also didn't have very congested pores at the time. So I could see this working better for someone else, especially if they used it on a whitehead right after taking a steamy shower.

The one thing I did like was the microdermabrasion head. That was much gentler on my skin and seemed like it would be good for mild manual exfoliation.

I think the take-away is that a pore vacuum may be better for some than others. And if you do get it, make sure you steam open your pores—and maybe don't use it on date night.

A More Gentle Way to Unclog Pores

I personally will stick to chemical peels to clear out my pores. The acids work to dissolve dead skin and fight acne. I use Sunday Riley Good Genes, a highly potent lactic acid, but there are a lot of really good options that are much cheaper than the $105 Good Genes. For instance, Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads (from $37.99).

For some serious decongesting, try getting a med-spa chemical peel.

RELATED READS:

What Is a Chemical Peel

Learn all about the skin-resurfacing treatment and the problems it can help.

What Is Microdermabrasion, and Can It Give You Better Skin?

Multiple pore vacuums include a microdermabrasion head. See how it works here.