For many women, large pores are a top beauty concern. These small holes can feel giant, leading to lowered confidence and self-esteem. But if large pores have you singing the blues, here’s what you should know.
Causes
Everybody has pores. Some people’s are just more noticeable than others. These tiny openings in the skin allow the body to release natural oils onto the skin’s surface. Each pore corresponds to a hair follicle. Pores cover almost the entire body, except for the palms of your hands and soles of your feet.
Some people are more genetically prone to having large pores than others. According to WebMD, if you’re born with oily or combination skin, you’ll naturally have larger pores than somebody with drier skin. On the upside, your skin is less likely to wrinkle.
Even if you weren’t born with oily skin, too much fat and oil in your diet can change your pore appearance. Topical products can also irritate your pores and make them look bigger.
Your Skin Professional Can Help
Your skin care professional can advise on the best treatments specifically for pore size concerns. Chemical peels can make your skin look smoother, thus making pores appear smaller. This treatment has the added benefit of cleaning out pores and shrinking them by removing accumulated dead skin cells. Retinol, applied as a cream or as part of a facial, plumps up your skin, upping collagen production, minimizing wrinkles and pore size. Retinol can also decrease the amount of oil your oil glands produce, which also helps the pore situation.
Prevention
But what about after your beauty treatment? How do your pores maintain their new smaller size? You can do a few things to prevent them from getting bigger again. These include:
- Use sunscreen – the sun breaks down collagen, decreasing elasticity and enlarging your pores’ appearance
- Wash your face – Don’t go to sleep in makeup! This bad habit shows. On your face.
- Use skin products with zinc and magnesium to restore the proper balance of oil in your skin
- Lavender and rosemary can soothe skin irritation
- See the word “noncomedogenic” on your product? Good. That means it won’t clog your pores.
- Exfoliate two or three times a week
- Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and other low-fat, natural foods
If you’d like to discuss or book a pore-minimizing treatment, give us a call today