This Vibrating Extractor Has Saved My Skin

I've always been so lucky to have effortlessly clear skin. That was the case for me all through high school, college, and my early 20s, when I'd fall asleep with foundation on and wake up to a blemish-free complexion.

Since I hit 28, that's all gone downhill. I've adopted a super regimented (and expensive) skincare routine and always wash my face, but my dermatologist says that hormone levels can fluctuate at any age and directly affect the skin on our faces. Fantastic.

Skip ahead three years and I'm still using prescription topical acne medications daily. While my skin has improved, it isn't totally clear and the stubborn blackheads that plague my nose remain. But last month, while scrolling Instagram like the millennial I am, I stopped to read a post shared by Lo Bosworth about the Dermapore Ultrasonic Pore Extractor from Dermaflash.

"Ok, dropping the complete #skincare routine," her post begins before launching into all of the serums and supplements in her arsenal. "[I do an] at home facial with @dermaflash extractor tool — I am deeeeeeply obsessed with this thing." Naturally, I immediately started searching and came across the details of this vibrating extractor that's available at Nordstrom.

Shop now: $99; nordstrom.com

According to the brand, the Dermaflash Dermapore Ultrasonic Pore Extractor is a "unique two-in-one ultrasonic device that unclogs pores and infuses your favorite skin care products, for smaller pores and clearer skin." I ordered it and waited impatiently for a week for it to arrive.

During that week, I spent a ton of time researching how to best use this handheld tool and felt like I had it down before it even made its way to my bathroom. The Dermapore has two modes: One that vibrates continuously in "extract" mode for cleaning out pores, and another pulsating vibration in "infuse" mode, meant to be used afterward with skincare products.

Both the brand and tons of the five-star reviews stress that skin has to be cleansed first and remain very wet while using it to extract all the sebum (dirt, oil, dead skin cells) from pores. This, I learned quickly, is essential for the blackhead extractor to glide easily across my face. When my skin wasn't damp, it felt pinched against the tool and was noticeably more red. But, as I kept my skin wet, I pressed down lightly on the pore extractor against my nose, forehead and chin, and watched in a mix of horror and gross satisfaction as all the gunk that's been haunting me came right out. I then switched modes (and turned the small metal tool backwards) and felt super pampered as it pulsed my moisturizer and skin oil into my face.

Since that first religious experience, I've used my Dermapore twice weekly for over a month and my pores are visibly smaller, my skin is no longer dotted with blackheads, and it feels softer, too. If this $99 tool keeps it up, it will quickly replace facials that use blackhead extractors that aren't as efficient (and are more expensive) than my handy little extractor tool.

To have your own swoon-worthy extraction moment, shop the Dermaflash Dermapore Ultrasonic Pore Extractor at Nordstrom.