Skin pores are an essential part of our skin’s health because they keep it soft and supple from the oil glands inside each pore. When properly maintained, you can keep your pores clean and unclogged by dirt and excess oils. That leaves you with smoother and clearer looking skin with tight, nearly invisible pores.
Skin pores on your face can become enlarged and more prominent as a consequence of age, skin type, genetics and sunlight exposure. And let’s not forget that we occasionally give in to the urge to pop a particularly large and stubborn pimple.
That is a definite no-no!
Apart from causing possible infection, the improper handling of a blackhead or pimple could lead to damage of the pore’s collagen and elastic support tissues. These tissues give the skin its structure. The damage could prevent the pore from shrinking back to its normal smaller size and could even cause scarring. You can prevent this potential tragedy if you follow this guide.
Dermatologists’ Tips to Reduce Pores on Face
There is a long-standing belief that you can permanently shrink your pores. By using various home remedies like an ice wash or a facial steam. Unfortunately, these only provide a temporary fix that quickly goes away once the cooling or warming effect fades off.
While the ice wash gives a skin-tightening feeling, it also stimulates the skin to bring a rush of warm blood to the face. However, it gives you a somewhat rosy glow. The steam facial softens the debris and sebum clogging the pores. And making them easier to wash off and brightening the skin.
Dermatologists recommend a very basic facial cleansing regime to clean your skin. To keep your pores free of oily build-up that attracts dirt and bacteria and make the pores appear bigger and more visible.
Use Mild Facial Wash/Cleanser:
Cleanse your skin using a mild facial wash twice a day. This is probably the easiest and quickest way to reduce the appearance of large pores. Be careful not to over-wash your face. This could trigger the oil glands to compensate the dryness by producing more sebum.
Exfoliate your Skin
Gently exfoliate your skin to soften and remove the pore-enlarging build-up of dead skin cells, dirt, makeup and natural oil. Exfoliating reveals the newer, brighter skin underneath. Clean pores also appear smaller, making the skin look and feel smoother and softer after removing all that skin debris.
Topical Solutions
An extra step you can take is to treat trouble spots with topical solutions that contain benzoyl peroxides, salicylic acid, retinoids or alpha hydroxy acid. They can help treat signs of sun damage, kill acne-causing bacteria and somewhat reduce the size of skin pores.
Please note that, you should always consult a registered dermatologist to before using any kind of chemical solutions.
Dermatologists’ Recommended Large Pores on Face Treatments
If you have done your regular facial cleansing regime but still find yourself with visibly large pores, don’t lose hope. Dermatologists have several effective treatments you could explore at their clinics to deal with this dilemma.
Microdermabrasion:
This is a non-invasive, non-chemical procedure that involves spraying the facial skin with micro crystals to gently abrade the skin. It removes the outer layer of dead skin cells. This encourages the skin to produce more collagen and elastin. That helps plump up the skin and make the pores appear much smaller.
Chemical Peels:
It may sound painful but it is actually quite mild and very effective. The doctor uses different prescription strength acids (salicylic, lactic, retinol or trichloroacetic) to remove the outer layer of dead skin cells. What come out from underneath is newer, fresher and softer skin.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) Photofacial or Photorejuvenation:
This procedure involves the use of intense pulsed beams of broad spectrum light to target the dermis, or lower layer of the skin, to stimulate collagen production. This renewed collagen growth is what will appear to shrink large pores. It gradually eliminates wrinkles as well as smoothen the skin’s uneven texture. The treatment also constricts the collagen and shrinks blood vessels below the epidermis to help reduce skin redness and age lines. A variant procedure is called Fotofacial RF. Which uses both radio waves and light waves to treat the skin’s damage.
Laser Skin Resurfacing / Re-tightening:
This procedure is used by doctors to treat deep wrinkles, skin discolorations, acne scarring, severe sun damage and other skin blemishes. A laser is used to remove extremely fine layers of the skin to treat the problems. It is the most invasive of all skin treatments and will require a longer recovery period. It is also the most expensive procedure to undertake.
Photodynamic Therapy:
This procedure uses a photosensitizer or light-activated solution to minimize the size of the oil glands on the face. It improves the skin’s texture. This helps take care of lessening pore size significantly with very little downtime after the treatment.
3 Effective Home Remedies to Reduce Pore Size
A visit to the dermatologist’s clinic for an expensive specialized pore reducing treatment may not be within your budget. So here are a few quick and easy home remedies that may do the trick.
Apple Cider Vinegar
ACV makes a wonderful toner and astringent to help shrink and tighten your pores. It also has the added advantage of being both anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial which help treat acne breakouts.
To make your toner, mix equal amounts of apple cider vinegar and water in a bowl. Soak a cotton ball or pad in the mixture and gently apply to your skin. Be sure to have washed your face well before applying the toner. Leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing off. Then apply a light oil-free moisturizer to complete the day.
Sugar Scrub
Make your own sweet pore-cleansing scrub with three ingredients you have in your pantry. Mix together a tablespoon of olive oil, two tablespoons of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. Rub the mixture gently on your skin for a few seconds, getting a good scrub while you’re at it. Wash everything off after 30 seconds.
Honey and Yogurt
Honey has a great reputation for its healing properties. It is antibacterial and has a load of potassium to help kill off pore-clogging bacteria. Yogurt contains lactic acid that helps dissolve any debris embedded in the pores.
Simply mix together equal amounts of honey and yogurt and apply generously to your skin. Wash everything off after a few minutes.
Final Thoughts
People have said that there is nothing you can really do about the pores you get from genetics – you just have to live with them. But we are fortunate to have the latest dermatological science behind a lot of cutting edge treatments that belie this old adage. By taking the time to do a few easy skin cleansing procedures and trying out a couple of pore-shrinking home remedies, you can have smoother skin with barely visible pores. Or if you have a little extra cash to spend, you can treat yourself to a specialized facial procedure at the dermatologist’s clinic.
Whichever way you choose to minimize and tighten your pores, you will definitely end up with fresher, healthier and younger looking skin.
About the Author:
M Pimentel
M is a happily married Filipino mother to three wonderful little daughters, ages: 8 years, 5 years, and 4 months old. Her daily life is a struggle between being the Executive Content Director for Project Female and deciding who gets to watch television next.
