I bet you have heard somewhere before that you shouldn’t wash your face in hot water as it opens you pores, or you need to splash cold water on your face to close your pores, or you need to use toner to close your pores. Well these statements are simply not true.
Pores do not open and close, we can use ingredients to minimise pores and make them appear less visible but this is only temporary.
Pore size is genetically determined, some people will naturally have bigger pores, this is more likely in oilier skin types. But there are other factors such as ageing, inflammatory skin conditions or UV damage.
It is important to state that it is completely normal to have pores visible on the skin, if you pores are particularly large or oily you can use ingredients and treatments to help to minimise them but you will never get rid of them completely. The perfect images that we are subjected to on social media are simply not reality.
One of the first things you have to do it to determine what type of pores you can visibly see;
Pores due to blackheads often have a dark centre and can be of varying sizes, if you squeezed them debris will come out. I’m guessing at some point in your life you have got your nails and tried to have a good old squeeze but it really is not good for your skin as it can cause inflammation and is only a temporary fix. I will come on to ingredients that can help a bit later.
Pores due to sebaceous filaments can be perceived as blackheads and people can often try squeezing them but nothing comes out only sebum, they do not have plugs in them but they can appear slightly darker in the centre.
Pores secondary to rosacea inflammation can be large, small and can appear quite deep in the skin. they can happen as a result of the skin thickening and the inflammation present.
Pores can appear larger and more visible with age, as the skin starts to lose its elasticity the skin has no bounce back, so the stretched skin can make pores appear larger and more visible.
UV damage can also cause large pores to be visible on the skin, the UV rays penetrate the skin and over time damage our cells, DNA and age us more quickly. The collagen which has been damaged and depleted over time can make the pores appear larger.
So what can you do to minimise the appearance of these pores?
You want to be using a gentle exfoliator on the skin, ones containing a combination of AHA’s and BHA’s would be ideal. AHA, alpha hydroxy acid, exfoliate dead skin cells away and help to plump and hydrate the skin. common ones are glycolic and lactic acid, glycolic acids are smaller molecules and can be more irritating to the skin. BHA, beta hydroxy acid, salicylic acid is drawn to oil in the skin, so it has the ability to penetrate the pores and clean out the dirt and the debris. So rather than you squeezing its a much kinder alternative for your skin.
Most toners contain alcohol which drys your skin out and it would also be advisable to avoid any products that contain oil as this could exacerbate the issue, this would depend on how well the oil penetrated the skin some being thicker and heavier than others.
It is important to cleanse your skin with a gentle cleanser twice a day this will help to remove any dirt and impurities. But be careful to avoid over cleansing and stripping the skin as this will cause more oil to be produced which in turn will make the pores look worse.
Retinol is an amazing ingredient that speeds up your cellular turnover, it removes the dead skin which can trap sebum and dirt in the pores, as well as even out skin tone and increase collagen production. Overall helping to reduce the appearance of pores.
You must also moisturise, most people think this will make the issue worse but if the skin isn’t hydrated with the right kinds of ingredients it will produce more oil. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid will add hydration to the skin and can help, niacinamide reduces inflammation so in skins that are suffering from rosacea, acne, eczema and any other inflammatory skin conditions it will help to soothe the skin, help the barrier to work more efficiently and improve the overall appearance of pores.
The last piece of advice I can give is to wear a broad spectrum SPF daily to protect the skin, UV damages the collagen and our cells which in time can make pores appear visible, but also lead to lines and wrinkles and pigmentation damage on the skin. It should be worn daily even if it is not sunny as UVa rays are present every day of the year in daylight, these penetrate deeper into the skin and cause more long term damage.
For more information on which products or treatments may help then please contact us.
