Enlarged Pores on Nose and Face? Here Are the Remedies and Products to Get Rid of Them

What are enlarged pores

The enlarged pores are a common skin blemish.

In essence, pores are not invisible: everyone has them, and they are essential for the skin to breathe. They are made up of the hair follicle and the sebaceous gland. When the sebaceous gland releases sebum, it rises to the surface and collects in the pore.

Although enlarged pores are not a medical issue, they can be a cosmetic concern for many people.

 

Causes of enlarged pores on the nose and face: why are they so visible?

Pores can become more visible to the naked eye for the following reasons:

• Sebum overproduction: when the sebaceous glands produce too much sebum;
• Reduced elasticity around the pore: when the skin becomes less elastic, pores may appear enlarged;
• Increased size of the hair follicle: when the pore at the end of the hair follicle becomes blocked.

When sebum builds up in the pore and combines with dirt or makeup (and remember, always remove your makeup!), the pore can become clogged and enlarge. As a result, if the pore remains blocked, a white comedone may develop.

 

Remedies and products for treating enlarged pores

Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely eliminate enlarged pores. As mentioned above, pores are an essential structure of our skin.

However, with suitable treatments carried out correctly and consistently, we can refine them and make them less visible.

The recommended treatments are the following:

• Cleanser: choose cleansers formulated with gentle surfactants, oil-free, and foaming, for example in gel or mousse form. Making it a habit to wash your face both morning and evening is essential for keeping the skin clean and with fewer impurities;
• Exfoliant: prefer chemical exfoliation (formulated with acids) over physical exfoliation (formulated with abrasive microbeads). In the case of enlarged pores, facial exfoliants based on salicylic acid are quite effective. Why salicylic acid? Because it is the most sebum-affine acid and therefore penetrates pores more deeply, delivering a stronger purifying effect. To avoid this type of treatment being a little too ''strong'', I recommend exfoliating only in the evening and initially every other day, then gradually increasing;
• Face cream: choose a face cream with a lightweight, fast-absorbing texture and a low oil content. Preferably with astringent and sebum-regulating active ingredients;
• Face mask: apply a purifying clay-based face mask twice a week to remove excess sebum in order to help prevent enlarged pores and reduce their size.

 

 

Steam and enlarged pores: busting the myth

How many times have you heard that steam opens pores and cold water closes them? Well, from today, don’t believe it anymore!

Don’t mistake your pores for doors: you don’t open them with hot water and you don’t close them with cold water! Their size does not depend on temperature; it stays the same.

Right now you may be wondering: ''Why is the face exposed to steam during cleansing?''

Because it helps liquefy sebum, making it easier to remove impurities!

 

Enlarged pores and blackheads: what can be done to solve the problem?

As we saw above, enlarged pores allow white comedones to form, that is, small white bumps that appear on the skin’s surface when hair follicles become filled with keratin, sebum, and bacteria. These can lead to other blemishes, namely the so-called blackheads: when the openings left by white comedones and enlarged pores fill with sebum and impurities, small dark-tipped plugs form inside them and are extremely visible to the naked eye. Since enlarged pores and blackheads are skin concerns that cause cosmetic worries for those affected, a skincare routine that takes them into account is important. As mentioned in the previous sections, there are various products that can be used to reduce the extent of enlarged pores. When blackheads are also present, the cosmetic solution is to use exfoliating products or products with sebum-regulating action (such as SKIN FIRST Purifying Face Cream), so as to normalize sebum secretion and cleanse the face of impurities.

 

When laser treatment is needed for enlarged pores

Fortunately, enlarged pores are not a dangerous health condition; in fact, they are a completely natural and physiological occurrence, especially as we age and the skin loses elasticity. While for many people it is a negligible issue, for others it becomes a cosmetic concern that undermines self-esteem and well-being, and therefore needs to be addressed and corrected. The most effective way to solve the problem is laser treatment for enlarged pores: a type of procedure that falls under cosmetic surgery, while being less invasive than others. This technology uses a laser to tighten pores, as well as reduce wrinkles and skin spots, and owes its effectiveness to the fact that it does not stop at the surface but can also reach the deeper layers of the skin. It is also the method chosen by many because of how quickly the issue can be resolved: where other methods take a long time, laser treatment for enlarged pores requires just 5 or 6 sessions to deliver the first results.

 

Is dermabrasion recommended for enlarged pores?

Dermabrasion is a cosmetic medicine technique used in dermatology that involves the controlled removal of the superficial layers of the facial skin to correct related blemishes, including wrinkles, skin spots, scars and, indeed, enlarged pores. Since this is a rather invasive cosmetic treatment that requires local anesthesia or even general anesthesia if performed on large areas of skin, dermabrasion is generally considered in cases of severe blemishes and always after a thorough consultation with your specialist doctor.