Open Pores: Most Effective Ways to Shrink Open Pores

Do you find shrinking open pores a daunting task? If so this article is for you read this post to find solutions to get rid of large pores on your face, cheeks, and nose with the help of healthy food for large pores, skincare routine for open pores, ayurvedic home remedies for open pores and other treatments to close enlarged pores.

First of all, accept the truth that pores are important to keep our skin younger looking and healthy. Due to genetics, oily skin, poor hygiene, malnutrition and other factors some of us have large pores but we can keep a routine for making these enlarged pores appear to shrink but we cannot make them small. Here are some pore minimizing products that are clinically proven to minimize open pores, reduce oil and improve skin barrier. These open pore skin routine products include;

• Pore reducing toner
• 2% BHA Liquid Salicylic Acid Exfoliant
• Niacinamide

In this post, you will find the following;

1. What are open pores?
2. What causes large pores?
3. Open pores treatment at home
4. Skin routine for open pores
5. Foods for reducing large pores
6. Other open pore treatments
7. Final thoughts

Let’s start with what are open pores first.

What are Open Pores?

Pores are actually very little openings on the surface of the skin, through these openings skin excrete toxins, gasses, liquids, and sweat to make skin clean and clear. When these pores get clogged with dirt, oil these become large in appearance.

These pores contain sebaceous glands that naturally lubricate and moisturize our skin but due to hormonal changes, genetics, poor skin regime, unhealthy diet, sun exposure and cosmetic use these glands begin to produce excessive oil that makes them appear enlarged.

What Causes Open Pores on Face?

There are various reasons behind pronounced pores on face some of them are uncontrollable while others can be controllable. Here are open pores on face causes that will help you to understand the problem behind dilated pores on your face.

• Poor skin routine: When it comes to enlarged pores, poor skin regime is one of the main factors which many of us unintentionally skip. If you properly cleanse, moisturize and tone skin using right kind of products or home remedies according to your skin type open pores problem could be best avoided, as there is a famous saying “cure is better than treatment”. Below you can read more about a good skin routine general guidelines.

• Malnutrition: Not taking a healthy diet is another significant factor that may lead to poor skin conditions. We are what we eat if you are experiencing skin conditions like acne, pimples, open pores track your diet by keeping a food journal. I will talk in more details about the best kind of food for open pores below.

• Hormonal Changes: Hormonal fluctuations affect our body in various ways. Open pores might be due to hormonal changes as in the 30s and 40s our bodies are unable to keep hormonal imbalance. According to Jersey Beauty Company skin therapist Christine we need to be aware of hormonal changes in our bodies especially in the thirties and forties because this helps us better cope up with skin problems like open pores and acne.

• Aging: Aging is an uncontrollable factor that leads to enlarged pores as skin loses its capacity of collagen and elastin production (collagen and elastin play their part in making pores appear minimized). But with the right food, exercise we can manage the aging process as well.

• Genetics: Obviously genetics is another uncontrollable factor that causes enlarged typical pores. If you have pronounced pores it might be that your other family members have enlarged pores as well.

• Oily Skin: If sebaceous glands produce excessive oil skin will lose elasticity that might result in pore widening because excessive oil makes the oil-producing glands inflamed. Professional Tip, keep blotting papers handy to remove oil and shine from your face.

• Sun Exposure: Prolonged sun exposure may cause thickening of skin and loss of elasticity that will make pores fairly visible.

• Makeup: Not properly removing makeup products before sleeping may result in clogged pores which might cause acne and enlarged pores. Therefore adopt a night skincare routine

Open Pore Treatments: Most Effective Ways to Shrink Open Pores

Here I have discussed different sort of open pore treatments from home remedies to the laser. I did my best to give you a research-backed review of all the possible treatments available.

There are many types of treatments out there for closing enlarged pores. Here is one thing that you must bear in mind that no treatment can close or make the size of pores small. What you can do to make the appearance of pores small meaning that all sort of pore minimizing treatments would just shrink the pores and they will look small in appearance.

Fashion Glint Tip: If you missed why do we get the large pores on face, nose, cheeks or T- zone please do read the causes of dilated pore because getting understand the reason why do we get large pores will help you choose the right kind of treatment for minimizing pores.

First of all, figure out whether large pores are due to environmental factors like sun exposure, poor skin routine or poor diet or is it due to natural factors like genetics, hormonal changes, and aging.

If it is due to environmental factors, pay attention to your skin routine and diet to get smooth flawless skin but if it is due to hormonal changes, genetics and aging along with diet and right kind of skin routine you might need treatments or medication by consulting your doctor and dermatologist.

So now let’s start with how can we close pores or more appropriately how to shrink enlarged pores?

There are a variety of ways to reduce the size of dilated pores as listed below;

• home remedies
• Healthy diet
• face macks
• Skincare routine
• laser

1. Healthy Diet for Large Pores [ Must for everyone having pore issues]

According to research diet is the main issue behind any sort of health problem so do check your diet first before trying any sort of open pore treatment products or home remedies. As stated above keep a food diary to rule out whether the diet is the issue. Check out if you are including  and avoiding following in your diet;

• Track your sugar intake, foods such as pasta, bread, flour, soft drinks cause inflammation and high sugar levels that in turn will elevate insulin in the body. Many studies indicate high insulin production leads to high sebum production and oily skin is one of the main causes of enlarged pores.
• Avoid high glycemic foods and deep-fried foods as they will are highly inflammatory, that will increase oil production on your face and hence result would be pronounced pores.
• Check your water intake, and if you are drinking less than 8-12 glasses try gradually increasing the amount of water intake. Water will help to flush out toxins from your body and as a result, you will get fresh skin and clear pores.
• Increase leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale and cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli in your diet as these vegetables are packed with essential nutrients and vitamins like vitamin C, Zinc and others. Such foods reduce inflammation and hence less oil production which means minimized pores. Cruciferous vegetables are also known for balancing hormones so if you have hormonal issues, must include these in your diet.
• Increase the intake of citrus fruits in your diet as these are also packed with vitamin C, that helps in reducing skin inflammation and balance sebum production.
• Include in your diet collagen boosting foods such as fish, olives, turkey, chocolate, leafy greens, beans, and cucumber. Collagen boosting foods helps in pore tightening.

2. Home Remedies for Large Pores

If open pores are due to environmental factors as said above, you can get benefits from your kitchen without spending lots of cash on other treatments. Ice, cucumber, tomato, Multani mitti or fullers earth, egg whites, and basin are best-known home remedies for open pores to reduce the appearance of pores.  Try these remedies to find which one of these is most suitable for your skin and add the best one in your skincare routine.

As homemade masks and remedies mostly consist of natural ingredients that are not harmful to the skin.

There are plenty of open pore treatments at home, here I am sharing most effective home remedies to shrink pores within the comfort of your home.

• Cucumber & Lemon DIY face mask: Take half cucumber and make a paste of it in the blender, add few drops of lemon juice. Apply this paste on cleansed face for 10-15 minutes. Try this pore closing mask two to three times a week. Cucumber hydrates skin, normalize skin ph and lemon cleanse oils and dirt hence leave pores unclogged and reduce in appearance. In cosmetic dermatology lemon extract work to repair cell injuries because lemon contains antioxidants.
• Multani Mitti or Fuller’s Earth Face Pack: Take two tablespoons of fuller’s earth mix it with rose water to make a thick paste. Apply this paste on clean face for 10- 20 minutes at least twice a week. Multani mitti is the best clay for absorbing excess sebum, dirt, and impurities from clogged pores.
• Aloe Vera & Brown Sugar DIY Mask: Take two tablespoon fresh aloe vera gel and mix it with one tablespoon brown sugar. Apply this mixture on cleansed face for 10-20 minute and rinse it with water. Apply this remedy thrice a week. This home remedy for large pores works because sugar plays a role of exfoliator to remove dead skin cells and aloe vera gel hydrates skin and also works as an astringent that will help to shrink pores.
• Tea Tree Oil: Take a spray bottle, add a half cup of distilled water in it plus 3-4 drops of tea tree oil and mix well. Refrigerate this spray bottle and spritz it on the clean face twice a day, this will work like tea tree oil toner. A research review of the applications of tea tree oil in dermatology revealed that tree oil contains antifungal, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce acne and skin infections and reduce the appearance of large pores.

Fashion Glint Tip: Be patient when using home remedies because to get results with homemade pore treatments it takes time as with other pore reduction treatments.

3. Face Masks for Large Pores

Many cosmetic companies produce face masks for all types of skin. Usually, clay masks are best at absorbing impurities, sebum, and dirt from clogged pores. Try different pore minimizing masks and include the most suitable mask for reducing pores in your skin routine once or twice a week.

4. Skincare Routine to Reduce Enlarged Pores

You can manage to have tight pores by keeping a good day and night skin routine. Experiment and adopt the best skincare routine for large pores, why I am saying experiment because the same product or homemade mask works differently for everyone. What I can do here is to give you general guidelines about the best skincare routine to get rid of open pores permanently.

Morning skin routine

1. Use an oil control face wash to remove oil. Choose a gentle face wash which is not harsh, often face wash contain harsh chemicals that irritate the skin.
2. Dry your face by tapping towel then apply oil control toner. Toner will wipe away any dirt leaving unclogged tight pores. After this, you can apply makeup if you want.

Night skincare routine

1. Do not go to bed without washing your face at night because makeup if you use, dirt and oil can clog pores. To avoid this please wash your face before slipping into bed.
2. Then apply toner as described in the morning routine.

Weekly skincare routine

Follow a weekly routine to manage enlarged pores if you previously are not following any.

1. Moisturize your skin even if you have oily and acne prone skin using a moisturizer with oil control properties.
2. Exfoliate dead skin cells using a gentle scrub, at least 2-3 times a week to remove dirt and dead skin cells otherwise these will combine with oil to clog the pores making them appear big and open. You can also make your own DIY scrubs to exfoliate dead skin cells.
3. Use face packs either cosmetic or homemade after exfoliation, at least twice a week. Face packs control oil production and help to tighten loose pores.

5. Large Pore Treatment with Laser

After trying a healthy diet and good skin routine if you gain no benefit (although you will find a good difference) consult your dermatologist. Dermatologists use collagen remodeling to increase collagen that makes pores appear to shrink.

6. Other Open Pore Treatments

A dermatologist can suggest many pore reduction treatments that may include salicylic acid, retinoids, derma rollers, tri-chloro-acetic acid treatment, however, research on the effectiveness of these treatments is lacking.

Conclusion

In this post, we discussed pores are tiny pits on the surface of skin all over the body which contain sebaceous glands that produce oils. But embrace the fact that pores are necessary for removing toxins from the body and we can not change the size of pores but we can make them appear small.

Accumulation of dirt, dead skin and oil make these pits clogged and dilated.

There are many underlying causes of large pores like genetics, hormonal fluctuations, malnutrition, poor skin regime, sun damage and aging.

We can control diet and choose to follow a good skin routine if having pore issues, by following these two steps one can manage to shrink the appearance of large pores.

Besides a healthy diet and skin care, there are various ways to reduce the size of the pores from home remedies to laser and other treatments.

How do you manage large pores? let us know via the comment section below.

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