Our social media pages have been chock-a-block with videos of beauty gurus trying out the infamous black charcoal masks that everyone has been obsessed with lately.

The masks offer an intense pore purging, and many videos of the painful extraction method have gone viral.

Now, one aesthetic facialist has spoken out against the masks, claiming that they could be highly damaging to the skin.

 

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Andy Millward, a member of the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology and registered facialist, took to Facebook to pen a post against the masks after seeing them in action. 

"To anyone tempted by or intrigued by these 'Black Charcoal Peel Off Pore Masks'. DON'T. JUST DON'T!!"

"They look very damaging the skin. Literally ripping the surface layer of skin off (& probably the vellus hair with it) so of course it's going to feel soft & smooth underneath."

"As for all those "blackheads" it pulls out. The majority of the oils pulled from the skin will be sebaceous filaments and actually needed by the skin so will be replaced within 30 days anyway to ensure healthy skin balance," he said.

"Blocked pores are entirely different to sebum lined pores."

"As a one off, the skin is likely to recover without issue but continued use, stripping away the skins natural oils and irritating the skin is a sure fast track to secondary skin concerns. You have been warned!"

 

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So while the beauty gurus may make it look easy, it could actually be ding more harm than good.

Perhaps only applying the masks to areas that actually have blackheads would be the best bet, to avoid uprooting any necessary oils.

Just watching the video of the charcoal mask fail is making our eyes water…