Written by: Kelsie Matthews, L.E
Since I’ve been an esthetician, one of the most common things my patients voice concerns about are their pores. Whether they’re big, small, oily, cloggedㅡno one likes them. It would be so nice if we could use a magic eraser and take them all away, but unfortunately that is something even the best esthetician in the world cannot do. The good news though, is that we CAN do many things to help improve the appearance of enlarged and congested pores.
As someone who has always struggled with stubborn pores, my biggest question was “why are they so darn big?” Once I got into the skin care industry, I learned that there are many contributing factors that affect the size and condition of your pores.
The main reason pores become enlarged is because an excessive amount of sebum is produced in the glands. In addition to the increased oil, the skin around the pores lose elasticity and the pores begin to stretch out which causes them to look bigger. When the pores start to stretch out, there’s a higher chance that dirt and debris get trapped in there and cause congestion. This is why it is so important to keep your pores clean and control the oil produced in your skin.
For those of us with enlarged pores and oily skin, we are constantly looking for ways to shrink our pores and get all the junk out of them. My favorite way to keep my pores is by getting Hydrafacials on a monthly basis. This is the best way I have found to remove all the congestion built up in my pores, and exfoliate any dead skin that could be blocking them. To actually help improve the size of the pores and tighten them, the HALO profractional laser treatment is a great option. In addition to facial treatments, you can also incorporate skin tightening products in your routine at home. Growth factors like TNS Advanced Serum help increase collagen and elastin production in the skin, which help improve the appearance of pores as well as fine lines and wrinkles.
Although there isn’t a way to completely close your pores, or physically make them go away, getting routine facials and ma
intaining your skincare regimen at home can keep them looking as small as possible. Cleansing twice a day, exfoliating weekly, and using non-comedogenic makeup are some other ways to keep your skin squeaky clean. Of course having a clean diet and staying hydrated are also vital to keeping your skin healthy.
The first step you should take is to go see your skin care specialist so they can help you solve all of your pore-blems!