With constant exposure to flawless, airbrushed celebrities it’s no wonder I am asked for advice on treating enlarged pores. Pores are simply the openings of hair follicles on the skin. Pore size is actually determined by your genes, however general ageing and environmental factors can influence pore size in later life. Generally, if you have dry skin the pores are smaller whilst those with naturally oily skin will appear to have more visible pores. Other factors that influence pore size include:
- Clogging with dirt or oil
- Blackhead growth
- UV rays weakening collagen that supports the tightness of the pores and they become loose and slack.
- Picking pimples! Trauma to the skin widens your pores permanently like over-stretching a rubber band.
There are a number of skin care products, including simple ‘toners’ that claim they can miraculously shrink pores. Unfortunately, there is no magic elixir to shrink pores but we can help them to appear smaller:
- Wash your face with a gentle SLS-free cleanser such as UltraCleanse or BioCleanse, to remove dirt and cell debris that blocks pores.
- Exfoliate with ReVeal. This will further reduce the dirt, oil and dead cells that can clog pores
- Apply Evapore-8 as a post-cleanse tonic to oily areas with enlarged pores.
- Wear physical zinc oxide based sunscreen such as ÜberZinc or Synergie Minerals Second Skin Crush loose minerals to prevent UV damage to the edges of your pores
- Remember your A / B / C! Apply Ultimate A serum, Vitamin B serum, and Vitamin C: Suprema-C or Pure-C crystals
- All three essential serums increase the production of collagen and this will eventually help pores to return back to their original size
- Clinical treatments designed to increase collagen production (skin needling for example) are excellent for shrinking enlarged pores
THE ROUTINE:
DAY
- UltraCleanse – gel facial cleanser
- Suprema-C or Pure-C crystals – L-Ascorbic acid
- HydroGel – light hydrating gel
- ÜberZinc – moisturiser with 21% zinc oxide
NIGHT
- UltraCleanse – gel facial cleanser
- EvaPore-8 – gentle pore-refining tonic
- Ultimate A – stabilised retinol serum
- Vitamin B – essential niacinamide serum
- HydroGel – light hydrating gel
TREAT
- Detox anTiox – purifying detox mask
OCCASIONAL
- ReVeal – AHA/BHA exfoliating serum every third AM in place of HydroGel
