SKIN SAVVY - The Pore Edit
What is the score with the pore? The most talked about feature of the skin. Enlarged, blocked, clogged, open, oily, tight, shrink, you get me? Read on to find out how to make peace with your pore
IN THE LINE OF BEAUTY BY KEZIA
23 OCT 2023
As a skin therapist chatting skin stuff all day long, sometimes even into the night, one of the most talked about features of the skin is the humble pore. You lot are OBSESSED. You want to know how to get rid of them (almost impossible) how to clear them, how to shrink them, how to keep them clean and you kind of don’t really understand what they are or what their function is which is really important to know before you start trying to obliterate the little loves. Don’t worry my lobstars 🦞⭐️ - I am a POREFESSIONAL and am here to get you skin savvy with my ultimate guide to the pore…………………….
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1. What is a pore anyway?
A pore is a tiny opening in the skin that houses a hair follicle that is attached to a sebaceous gland which secretes the good stuff (sebum) that your skin needs to remain waterproof, it secretes the good stuff (more sebum) that your skin needs to prevent dehydration, it secretes the good stuff (hiya sebum) that repels certain bacteria, it secretes the good stuff (I’m not telling you again) that helps protect the skin. A pore can also be a sweat pore that helps regulate your temperature.
Read the above paragraph a few times. Why? Because you will be halfway to stopping the hate for your pores when you are aware of the magic they produce. It will make sense for you to know that the highest concentration of pores are found on the face and scalp, my scaly shins and greasy head agree.
2. Why are some pores large?
Your DNA - nothing further your honour.
3. Can you affect your pore size?
Ok. Here’s the deal. In a nutshell, no, you cannot affect your pore size. Shite story I know but the quicker you get this into your mindset the easier the rest of your life will be.
4. Any good news?
Yes of course there is good news. You have got me to keep you right and tell you the truths about the skincare world. That’s great news.
Seriously though it is wise to accept that your pore size is what it is so when you look at another human and wonder what they did to get such tight pores the answer is - nothing - they didn’t do anything - they were born with them and comparing your pores to the pores of the world is utterly fruitless, so stop that. There is other potential good news in the form of action that you can take to maintain healthy skin and there are products that will support this. When your pores are on the larger side they can get clogged from the outside in as well as the inside out so keeping them clear is key to preventing breakouts.
5. What products will help?
The skincare industry is always busting your chops telling you about the products that will minimise or clear pores - example, Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA liquid exfoliant anyone? If this product has worked to shrink your pores please let me know cause I have seen zero evidence of this. There are categories on skincare retail websites named Pore Minimisers - there are hundreds of articles online recommending products to minimise your pores which leads you to believe that this is possible and maybe you just haven’t found the right product yet so you buy another product cause maybe this one will be the magical pore eraser, go back and read points 2 and 3 again please if this is you.
There are ways to maintain healthy skin which may help regulate excess sebum in your pores which in turn may help minimise their appearance. Here are the 2 products that may, possibly, potentially help your pores appear less obvious to the naked eye
CLEANSER (a gentle one) + RETINOID (go for prescription strength)
And here are 2 extras that are beneficial to have in your routine for healthy skin
MOISTURISER (light fluid and you can add SPF for daytime) + EXFOLIANT (this one is complicated, we will discuss in future posts but please don’t use a scrubby scrub)
Can it be that simple? Yes, yes it is that simple. Don’t let the plethora of products fool you into believing different
Final Thoughts
The main points to take from this post are numbered 1, 2 and 3 above. When you realise the good work a pore does, accept your genetic make up, stop comparing your pore size to others, stop frantically trying to find a cure and be at peace with your face you will be well on your way to being skin savvy about your pores. If you’re stuck finding products that fit speak to a POREFESSIONAL, that’s me by the way.
I’m aware you wanted to read what the magic cure was and this article may have disappointed you but articles that tell you how to “fix” your pores are part of the problem and the main reason why you feel so shit about them. Misleading articles like that are also the reason why you think you can shrink them (you can’t) and get rid of them (you can’t) then, of course, you feel like an abnormal troll cause why do you still have huge pores when the industry is telling you they can be shrunk.
If you didn’t have any pores you’d drown when it rained or look like a human watering can so my wondrous skin savvy people next time you look in the mirror marvel at the wonder of the pore and be sad about them no more
I Love You