Pores in our skin play an important role in maintaining the skin health. Skin pores act as natural drains that carry natural skin oil and sweat to the surface. Like other drains, the problem arises when these natural miniature drains are clogged and their normal flow is slowed and stopped. The end result ranges from widened and enlarged pores to infection and inflammation, showing itself as acne and other skin blemishes.
Skin pores can become enlarged due to many reasons and understanding these reasons is important in preventing the problem:
– Pores can become clogged with dirt, accumulated oil and sebum, dead cells and other debris, resulting in inflammation and enlargement of pores. Therefore, maintaining proper skin hygiene is an important step in reducing pores. Regular washing of skin can help reducing clogged pores. On the other hand, over-washing should be avoided as it can also result in enlarged pores. Make sure to completely wash and remove makeup before going to bed.
– Pores size can be affected by our genes. People who are born with oily or combination skin tend to have larger pores, to accommodate their naturally higher level of oil production. While this is a natural variation, people with these types of skin need to pay more attention to the skin health and maintenance.
– Some skincare products may increase the pore clogging and worsen the enlarged pores. To avoid this, opt for skin care products that are non-comedogenic (See Amoderm Advanced Rejuvenating Serum as an example).
– Some other skincare products may have irritants and ingredients that increase skin inflammation, which can lead to clogged and enlarged pores.
– Sun is by far the leading cause of skin damage and aging. Pores may appear bigger and enlarged in photo-aged skin. Therefore, regular use of broad-spectrum sunscreens is an important step in protecting the overall health of skin, slowing down aging, and reducing the appearance of pores. Use of oil-free sun screens (for example, Amoderm Oil-free Moisturizing Sunscreen) can further help, especially in patients with oily or combination skin.
– Skin care products that help with skin exfoliation (for example, products with salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy [AHA] and beta hydroxy acid [BHA]) and those that modulate skin regeneration (for example, products with retinoids such as Amoderm Rejuvenating Serum) can help with restoring natural flow of pores and reducing their size. Examples include:
- Amoderm Advanced Anti-acne Cleanser (with Glycolic and Salicylic acids)
- Amoderm Advanced Anti-acne Pads (with Glycolic and Salicylic acids in addition to mechanical exfoliation)
– Keeping a healthy life style and eating right can also help a lot. Remember that inflammation plays an important role in development of enlarged pores, and a healthy life style can help a lot with reducing inflammation.
Other Treatments to Consider for Clogged and Enlarged Pores:
Amoderm offer various treatments that can help unclogging the pores and reducing their size and appearance. Examples include:
– Amoderm Signature Facials: To gently exfoliate the skin and restore its balance with masks, steam, extraction and high frequency spot treatment performed as needed. Best if used on a routine basis.
– DiamondTome Microdermabrasion: A great option to exfoliate the skin and open up the clogged pores and reduce their size.
– Chemical Peels: Amoderm offers various types of chemical peels using Salicylic acid, Glycolic acid, Lactic acid and medical-level peels such as TCA peel and VI Peel. Depending on their strengths, these peels can help a lot with exfoliating the skin and opening up pores.
– IPL (Photofacial): In addition to overall rejuvenating of the skin and help with skin irregularities and pigmentation problems, IPL can help with reducing skin inflammation and large pores.
– Micro-needling: Microneedling is an effective treatment with little or no downtime to improve the skin texture and pore size. In this treatment, fine sterile needles are used to penetrate the upper layers of the skin to a precisely controlled depth, to stimulate skin healing and rejuvenation.
– Laser Skin Resurfacing: Laser can be used to remove a superficial layer of skin and stimulate skin rejuvenation, reducing the size of pores. Amoderm offers Erbium skin resurfacing and Fractional CO2 laser treatments which can help tremendously with enlarged pores.
Contact us today to schedule you free consultation and explore various options to prevent and treat enlarged pores!