How to Reduce Pore Size and Keep Pores Clean
Many patients come to our Reno dermatologist offices in search of more youthful, healthy-looking skin. As an aesthetician, I always tell them that one area that can vastly improve their skin’s appearance is their pores. Specifically, the pore size and how clean they are.
I am often asked tips for keeping the pores clean and small. Blackheads bother most people and they want to know how to improve them, while large pores can make skin look uneven and ruddy
Here are the tips I usually will give a patient at Janiga MDs to help improve the look of their pores.
1. Avoid harsh scrubs: In my experience, people will turn to using walnut or apricot scrubs to try to manually remove the clogged pores. I do not recommend this as it can create the opposite effect, causing more frustration. When the skin is aggressively scrubbed or dried out, it can create more oils to compensate for the dryness. I try to have my patients shy away from aggressive scrubs for this reason.
2. Let the chemical do the cleaning for you: Use gentle exfoliating topicals such as salicylic or glycolic acid to clean the skin. It is better to swipe the skin with the appropriate ingredient for your skin type and let it do the work for you rather then manually scrubbing. These ingredients can come in creams, solutions, or pads with the acid already on it to wipe on the skin.
3. Let your aesthetician do the work: Facials that include extractions with an experienced aesthetician can help. Certain types of pore blockage may not be as receptive to topical products only. These types of blockages are best extracted by an aesthetician, like me.
4. Avoid the at home extractor tools: I personally do not like or recommend using an extractor tool, they can be too aggressive and damage the skin. Every pore has its unique size and I evaluate each pore when I do a facial to find the ones that are ready to be cleaned.
5. Keep the skin clean: Make sure to use a gentle cleanser that removes make-up. I like the Elta MD Facial Cleanser that we have in the office. It is gentle, not drying, and does a great job removing make-up.
6. Use a retinol: Retinol products will decrease the oil production and build collagen around the pores allowing them to shrink over time. Most people will need a full year of use before they will see a noticeable difference in the size of the pores.
Following these six tips will help you keep your pores clean and small, which will improve the overall appearance of your skin. If you’re interested in a facial, please call Janiga MDs Dermatology in South Reno at 775-398-4600 any time to set up an appointment with me.
~ Kara, Janiga MDs Aesthetician
