Hi all, I hope everyone is enjoying a well-deserved weekend and recharging to face the week ahead.
Today I want to talk about pores and why you may have them. Although completely harmless, some people may not like pores on their face as it may reveal their age or simply look unsightly. Let me explain how these begin to form on your face.
What Causes Them?
There are several things that may cause pores to form, but it all begins when sebum is produced by our bodies. It is a substance that is oily and helps to keep skin from drying completely. When oil and dirt begins to build up in your skin, this will cause it to swell and stretch which results in your pores looking larger than usual. If you have naturally oily skin, there is a much larger build-up since there is more oil which will result in large pores. Some people have attributed pores to acne problems but this is not necessarily the case, although individuals with oily skin do tend to be more prone to acne.
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| A typical example of what large pores look like (pic from tribecamedspa.com) |
Another factor that causes large pores is simply getting older. As you age, skin begins to lose its elasticity, no longer snapping back into place as it once did. This is due to the production of collagen slowing down – this is a substance that holds your skin together. Without collagen, the pull of gravity will have a greater effect on your skin and pulls it down. This stretches out the existing pores, making it appear larger in the process.
Sun damage may also affect the appearance of your pores, and naturally as you get older, the damage caused by sun exposure will build up and accumulate. To protect itself, your skin will generate additional skin cells which causes the skin to thicken. These cells tend to collect around the pores, which ends up stretching them out, making them larger.
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| You may look like this now, but overexposure to the sun may lead to large pores in the future (pic from aloha-hawaii.com) |
How Can I Reduce Large Pores?
You may think that makeup should be used to cover up these pores, or that you should avoid makeup to avoid making it worse. However, if you carefully select some skincare products, you will not need to worry about it at all.
Use a gentle skin cleanser twice daily, but you should also use it after sweating (for example after exercising) to prevent any build-up of oil. Washing is important but be careful not to scrub too hard or too much as your skin will react as though it has been dried out, secreting more oil in an attempt to lock in moisture. Needless to say, this will only make the problem worse.
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| Use cleanser twice daily, but be careful not to scrub too hard! (pic from theluxuryspot.com) |
You can also keep an eye out for a moisturiser that is oil-free and noncomedogenic. Products that are categorised as noncomedogenic are specially designed so as not to clog the pores on your skin. It will help to smooth out the appearance of your skin as well as maintaining its elasticity to prevent pores from being stretched out further. This will also help to minimise the appearance of the large pores that already exist.
In my next post, I will look at some aesthetic procedures to remove or reduce the presence of large pores if you cannot seem to get rid of them naturally.
Till next time!
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