Pore Perfection: How to Shrink Enlarged Pores

Who hasn’t complained about their pores once in their lifetime? Almost everyone wants to have finer, less visible pores - but is it really possible to shrink your pores? 

What Do Pores Do?

First things first - pores are an essential part of our skin structure. These little openings all over the skin allow sweat and oil to reach the skin surface from their respective glands below. Oil glands deliver sebum to our skin surface to protect our skin and keep it healthy and moisturised, while sweat glands regulate our body temperature and aids detoxification. So you cannot erase your pores completely - nor should you! 

What Determines Pore Size

Why are some people blessed with naturally fine skin and barely visible pores, while others are stuck with rough, enlarged ones? Blame your genes! Since sweat glands are really really tiny - the enlarged pores that we can see and complain about are usually our oil glands.

If you’re born with oily skin, your oil glands are more active and will produce more sebum - pores are enlarged as they need a larger opening to secrete the excess oil. The larger your oil glands are, the larger your pores will appear. But look on the bright side - oily skin types usually age better as they are less prone to wrinkles and dry skin. 

Age is another factor that affects pore size. Our skin’s collagen and elastin network breaks as we age - causing skin to sag and stretch. This, plus the unforgiving force of gravity, further dilates our pores, making them appear bigger than they once were. 

Acne and clogged pores can also cause enlarged pores. When your pores become clogged with dead skin, dirt and bacteria, the sebum secreted by your oil glands starts building up and dilates the walls of your pores. Pores enlarge, in order to release the sebum building within. When these plugs are not cleared in time, they can develop into inflammation and acne.

How To Minimise Pores

While you can’t make your pores disappear - you can make enlarged pores return to their natural size by following 2 basic rules.

#1: Removing impurities that are clogging and stretching out pores

#2: Improving the skin’s support network by improving the skin’s collagen and elastin levels. 

There are plenty of solutions that can address the above 2 rules. Here are some of the easiest ways you can start having finer, healthier pores.

Exfoliation

Regular exfoliation improves skin cell turnover and prevents the accumulation of dead skin cells which might end up clogging pores. This is essential for keeping pores clean and small. Exfoliation also smooths the skin surface and improves microcirculation - imparting a healthy glow. However, over-exfoliation dries skin out and damages the skin barrier!  So, unless advised by your skincare professional, always choose a gentle exfoliant and exfoliate about once or twice a week.

Check out our exfoliation guide.

AHAs

AHAs stand for Alpha Hydroxy Acids, a group of acids derived from plants and animals. Examples of AHAs include glycolic acid and lactic acid. AHAs dissolve the bonds holding of dead skin cells on our skin surface, causing them to shed gently and reveal newer, smoother skin beneath. This constant skin cell turnover prevents pores from clogging up with keratinised cells - which in turn helps to keep pores from stretching out and dilating! 

Incorporating a gentle AHA product like the Phyris Skin Results Serum or SkinOrigin Active Repair Essence into your skincare routine a few times a week can help you maintain a brighter, smoother and clearer complexion. 

Hydration

Ever noticed that pores look rough and ragged when your skin is flaky and dehydrated? Well-hydrated skin is smoother, clearer and plumped from within - which gives the impression of smaller pores. Consider incorporating a hydrating serum or mask into your skincare routine, and treat your skin to regular hydrating treatments to maintain its health!

Vitamin A & Its Derivatives

Minimizing open pores caused by over-active sebaceous glands requires reducing the sebum production in those glands. Vitamin A and its derivatives (like retinol & retinoid) are very effective for regulating sebum secretion - which in turn controls breakouts. This improvement in skin cell turnover also helps stimulate the production of collagen, helping skin to stay younger and brighter. Of the two, retinol is the gentler alternative, while the harsher retinoid can only be prescribed by a doctor. 

Sounds good so far - but here’s the caveat: Vitamin A and its derivatives can be irritating to skin. Usage can lead to flakiness, redness and sensitivity, so do consult your skincare professional to check if it’s safe to incorporate them into your skincare routine. Beware of prolonged usage of the harsher varieties Vitamin A - since overuse can cause dehydration and disrupt your skin’s protective barrier - another problem that leads to breakouts and enlarged pores!

PROFESSIONAL TREATMENTS

Professional Treatments to Decongest Pores

Sometimes the best way to clean out your pores is with professional help. Monthly pore-cleansing facials can help to effectively degunk the dirt trapped in pores, banishing blackheads and whiteheads to reveal smaller, finer pores. 

Professional Peels

You can also opt for a more intense clarifying treatment like the Aqua ST Peel - which uses gentle topical solutions to painlessly cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate skin. This helps to control oily skin and reduces skin congestion - which in turn helps to minimise enlarged pores.

Plasma Power

If you’re really strapped for time, opting for a few rounds of our PLASMA CLEAR Treatment using Plasma Shower Technology can help improve acne and inflamed pores. Plasma has sterilization properties, which helps to kill acne-causing bacteria while also delivering skin toning and regeneration properties that lift the skin and tighten pores. In general, 6-8 sessions of Plasma Shower Therapy at a frequency of 2 times a week can impart a significantly clearer complexion, reducing skin congestion and inflammation to reveal tighter pores.

Professional Treatments that Stimulate Collagen Growth

Once skin congestion and inflammation are controlled - stimulating collagen growth is the next step to getting finer pores. High levels of collagen and elastin strengthen your skin’s support network and plumps skin from beneath. This, in turn, fills up and tightens skin and makes depressions (like your pore openings) less obvious. 

Microneedling MTS / Collagen Induction Therapy

Microneedling treatments like the MIRACLE COCKTAIL MTS is a form of collagen induction therapy - micro-punctures are delivered to the skin. Such micro-wounds stimulate the skin’s epidermal growth factor (EGF) and stimulate high levels of collagen & elastin production for the healing process. This leads to excellent skin tightening, pore reduction & scar lightening effects. As the micro-punctures provide direct channels for product penetration - this treatment can also help improve other skin conditions like oily skin and pigmentation when paired with a suitable skin concentrate.

Photorejuvenation

Photorejuvenation treatments like the SHARPLIGHT Skin Rejuvenation use pulses of intense light energy to stimulate collagen production, break down pigmentation and refine pores for brighter, finer and more even skin. This is a fuss-free treatment that can help rejuvenate skin from the dermis to the epidermis.

Need More Help?

Confused about where to begin? Contact us for free advice on how to start a pore-management program that’s suitable for your unique skin condition!