During my teen years when I was just learning about how to take care of my skin, I remember reading an article about how to open and close your pores. The theory was that hot water or steam would ‘open’ your pores and then a splash of cold water would ‘close’ them up again, making them appear smaller. Made sense to me then.
However, like me when I found out the truth, you may be surprised to hear that pores aren’t like doors that can be opened and closed. When we desire having closed pores, it’s probably because we just want them to appear smaller. Our pore size (like so many other things about ourselves) is genetically determined. And while pores are nearly invisible when we are young, maturing oil glands cause them to appear larger as we age.
The trick to helping pores look smaller (or closed!) is to help keep them free of debris. Oil and dead skin cells can build up inside a pore causing it to appear larger than it really is. They key is to help get rid of the junk clogging up your pores.
Here are 3 top tips to help:
- Products containing salicylic acid help to exfoliate surface skin and penetrate pores to help clear up sebum (oil) and other debris (dead skin cells for example) and remove them. Consider products such as La Roche Posay Effaclar line which contains salicylic acid based treatments, gentle cleansers and oil free moisturizers specifically formulated for oily skin. Neostrata Blemish and Spot Gel combines salicylic acid and glycolic acid to keep acne and blemishes in check.
- Oil controlling gels such a Clarex help to absorb excess facial oil throughout the day
- Matte foundations and blotting papers are also your friends.
