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A few days ago, I received this comment:
[…] I’m gleaning tips on how to reduce enlarged pores, if you could write an article on it that would be great.
So, having pores is completely normal! In my life, I have only met 2 people, yes, only 2, who do not have visible pores. Even these two people with perfect skin still have a grouping of small pores on both sides of the nose.
So we can conclude that having pores is being human. Not having pores is necessarily a product of Photoshop.
Our skin is an emunctory and the pores help to release toxins, but also sweat. Pores are life!
Dilated pores, a fatality?
Whether or not you have large pores depends in part on your genetics. Your skin type also has a huge influence on the size of your pores. Oily skin, unfortunately, is the worst scenario.
Be aware that you can’t close an already dilated pore just with cosmetics, but there are tricks to make them much less visible.
Clean pores
If the pores are clean, not congested, they will be much less noticeable. For this, I have a MAGIC product for you. NIOD Sanskrit Saponins (NIOD link, Lookfantastic link (use code NEWFAN -23%)). I’m giving you the picture I put on my other blog to illustrate my point. This is the result after only a few uses.
The pores are often “occupied” by sebaceous filaments. These filaments look a lot like blackheads because the tip oxidizes and becomes black, but it’s just the skin’s sebum (essential for the proper functioning of the skin) that is there. So when you remove them, they come back, that’s normal. So by aggressively removing them with your dirty hands, you risk making the situation worse.
Whereas if you use a product specially formulated for this purpose, it will be much gentler and safer.
SS is a neutral pH cleansing balm containing the amino acid, lysine, found in the saponins of the Ayurvedic plants shikakai and sapindus mukorossi. Saponins plants have traditionally been used to cleanse the skin. They deeply cleanse the pores. Using Ayurvedic saponins plant, with frequent use, SS visibly targets all forms of buildup, congestion, and impurities and can be used for all skin types.
This cleanser’s idea is to do an oil change for the skin, like an oil change for the car, because nobody dares to remove the sebum and oil from the skin anymore. NIOD thinks the opposite. New sebum can’t form if you don’t remove it, so the skin is congested and stays with the “old” disgusting sebum for years. Thus, the sebaceous filaments are renewed. They don’t have time to darken and oxidize, and new sebaceous filaments are already arriving.
Beware, this is a product to be used every other night only. Read my detailed review here
An even complexion
A hole in the wall, if it is the same color as the rest of the wall, will be much less visible
Since I have Asian skin, my hair is black and what comes out of my pore is black hair. Yep. This accentuates my pores (visually), but when you zoom in all the way, the “black” stuff you see is just my facial hair, not dilated pores.
Geishas are used to shaving their faces regularly. In Japan, you can find small razors very easily for the face (like this, Amazon link). It’s very soft, and the hair doesn’t grow back darker and thicker when you do it right.
The assets
- The ingredient with a noticeable effect on my pore size is Zinc PCA. The effect doesn’t last forever, so you have to use it regularly. This active ingredient is present in the famous Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% of The Ordinary, but also in B-Bomb of Geek & Gorgeous (I made a comparison here)
- The astringent effect can be obtained in some toners with witch hazel, but these toners often contain alcohol, so I avoid them.
At the doctor’s
I know that spas also offer this kind of service, but I can’t trust them because these methods are too invasive and must be done by a doctor or a dermatologist trained for that:
- Micro-needling: to be done by a professional. Do not buy cheap kits on the Internet. At the doctor’s, the needles used are single-use. The idea is to create micro-injuries with small needles so that the skin regenerates itself by “filling” the holes. So this method works for both pores and hollow scars. Be careful. Everything will decrease in size, but don’t expect to have a Photoshop complexion. There’s no such thing. Personally, I only did 3 30-minute sessions, but my complexion was definitely lighter. However, to the touch, my skin felt like cardboard. I had to moisturize a lot afterward and not use any acid for a long time.
- Laser: my friend opted for this solution because she hates every pore on her face. She doesn’t remember the name of the laser used, but she had hard dehydrated skin for several days before peeling severely. During all this time, she had to moisturize thoroughly, avoid the sun (and people), acids, and overly aggressive active ingredients… afterward, she ended up with baby skin. However, skin that has undergone laser treatments must be much more careful afterward, especially in the sun. My friend is happy. Her pores have become less visible, even if they still exist.
Then you always have the Makeup option to camouflage the pores. And the filter/Photoshop option to hide them in photos. I’m not proficient in these two areas, so I’ll let you check out other articles on this topic.
See you soon!
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