I get quite a few people asking for help with reducing pores size. Does this sound like you? Want to know a bit more about how to reduce these in your own skin? Read on to find out why we get large pores and what we can do to combat this.
Large pores are caused by excessive sebum production, enlarged oil glands or hair follicles and decreased elastin and collagen in the skin. Sadly, we can’t cause the pores to close, but we can help to minimise their appearance and seem smaller.
We get large pores for a few reasons, such as:
-Free radical damage from UV radiation, smoking, pollution etc that damages the collagen and elastin and makes them enlarge.
-Hormonal changes-testosterone and oestrogen, as well as insulin (among others).
-Inflammation from things like acne, stress, UV exposure, over exfoliation and using some skincare products that irritate our delicate skin.
As you can see from the list above, some of these are not things we can change e.g. acne or hormonal imbalances. You will notice that the others we can do something about, like avoiding UV exposure, giving up smoking or not over exfoliating. We can also start adding in active ingredients into our skin routine. Here are some great options for skincare ingredients to help you treat large pores:
Acids– AHA’s and BHA’s are great for enlarged pores. AHA’s such as mandelic or lactic acids are great for exfoliating the surface dead skin cells and increasing skin cell turnover to help unclog pores. Salicylic acid is a BHA which helps to exfoliate the skin and is anti inflammatory (great for inflamed) skins such as acne. It is great as it can break through the skin’s oils to really clean out the pores.
Retinol- reduces oil production and helps to shrink the pore size, as well as strengthening the skin, improving elasticity and increasing cell turnover to help reduce lines and wrinkles.
Niacinamide– reduces sebum production, but increases ceramides and fatty acids on the skin to help protect the lipid barrier. Will also increase tolerance to retinols and other acids.
Red clover-which reduces oil production and strengthens the collagen fibres.
UV protection-worn 365 days a year! There are other ingredients that can help to reduce inflammation and protect against free radical damage-let me know if you’d like more info.
So can you buy any old product that has these in them? Not really, I’m afraid. Some manufacturers may include these ingredients in their products, but often they are in the wrong formation, or strength. This could possibly worsen the problem, or just not make any difference which can be frustrating and disappointing for you. Also, some of these need to be delivered as professional treatments in a specialist clinic and not used daily. One example of this is a specialist chemical peel, where your professional can assess your skin and hypercustomise your treatments to help you achieve your goals.
Treatments like microneedling actually increase your body’s collagen and elastin production and therefore help to strengthen the skin, which will actually help to reduce pore size too. This is also a fab treatment for skin rejuvenation, fighting lines and wrinkles and treating pigmentation, as well as for treating acne scars. All round it is an excellent choice for skin health.
I hope this has been helpful and has given you a few ideas for how to treat large pores. If you’d like to have a consultation to assess your skin’s needs and for me to make some recommendations specifically tailored to you, please get in touch!