Have you ever looked in the mirror and noticed your pores? Us too. Enlarged pores disrupt the skin’s complexion and create a rough texture.
Although baseline pore size is determined by genetics, it’s lifestyle and environmental factors that damage skin and pores over time, making them larger and more noticeable.
The good news is that this is a common issue and it can be treated to restore smooth, evenly toned skin.
When your skin produces too much oil (sebum), it mixes with dead skin cells and clogs your pores. This stretches out the pores, and causes them to appear darker.
Excess oil production can be caused by hormonal changes (puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, etc.), diet, stress, some medications AND improper skincare. We’re going to focus on, you guessed it, improper skin care.
But first, aging also plays a big role in pore enlargement. Collagen and elastin production decreases as you age; plus sun damage and environmental pollutants further damage the skin, leading to a loss of skin firmness and elasticity. This loss of skin elasticity causes pores to relax and appear larger.
Reducing the appearance of pores, then, requires that we: 1. Stimulate collagen and elastin production to restore firmness and elasticity, and 2. Cleanse the skin and restore healthy oil production.
1. HydraFacial
We love Hydrafacials. This facial treatment deeply cleanses, exfoliates, and gently extracts impurities from the skin using their patented vortex technology (it’s basically a magic wand that uses special serums and suction to get everything out of your skin). This process is called Hydradermabrasion.
Hydradermabrasion removes dead skin cells, excess oil and other gunk that clog pores. After deep cleaning, the skin is infused with hydrating and nourishing serums.
With this one treatment we have cleansed and unclogged pores, then hydrated the skin to restore healthy oil production. Just repeat and voila, smaller pores.
We recommend every two weeks until you achieve your desired outcome then as needed for maintenance, which could be monthly, every other month, or quarterly depending on your skin and lifestyle.
2. Microinfusion (Microneedling + Botox)
Microinfusion is the perfect combination of microneedling to boost collagen and elastin and Botox to reduce oil production.
Remember that skin laxity makes it hard for pores to hold their structure, which causes them to collapse and appear larger. Microneedling corrects this issue by creating tiny micro-injuries that trigger the skin’s healing response, which stimulates collagen production as the skin heals. As new collagen forms, it tightens skin and pores.
With Microinfusion, a serum cocktail containing Botox is applied to the skin immediately behind the microneedling passes. Botox reduces the skin’s oil production. Plus it smoothes fine lines and wrinkles helping the skin appear softer and smoother. It’s a win-win.
We recommend a series of 3 Microinfusion treatments, spaced 4 weeks apart. Then as needed for maintenance, typically one per year or before big events.
Treatments have our pores looking much better – we have cleansed the skin, unclogged our pores, and restored firmness and elasticity. Now we maintain results with medical-grade skincare products.
Cleanse: Regular cleansing (at least morning and night) removes dirt and excess oil keeping pores clear and preventing buildup that enlarges them. Get the most exfoliating cleanser that your skin can handle without drying out and flaking.
Exfoliate: Regular exfoliation gets rid of dead skin cells and other debris that clogs skin and pores. Use gentle exfoliating scrub, like the ZO Exfoliating Polish, a few times per week to keep your skin soft and bright.
Revision Revox Line Relaxer. We’ve covered the basics with cleansing and exfoliating, now we’re specifically targeting pores. Revision’s Revox Line Relaxer is a serum that visibly reduces pore size by inhibiting the release of Acetylcholine in the skin, which is known to impact sebum production.
Now you have a complete treatment plan and skincare routine to reduce pore size. Stay beautiful!