Pores No Mores?

Pores are always necessary, and often hated - where self-image is concerned. But these tiny holes serve grand purpose. They're actually hair follicle openings which provide oil to your skin. Excess oil and skin are then purged from the pores; similar to a 'drain' for impurities and excess. They're a VERY important part of your body's largest organ - your SKIN!

It becomes a problem for self-image - when the pores become large and highly visible. Certainly, we can't all have skin like our model, left. Looking at her skin reminds me of buying sheets: thread count.

She's got a 500 thread count face, and mine's 150 thread count jersey-knit.

Should it make us feel better that we (the low face thread count) are a majority? Why can't we all have the 'like-buttah' smooth and flawless skin like Miss Tighty-Perfect-Skin over here?

Well - there's lots of factors which contribute to pore size.

• Is it hereditary? Sometimes it's a matter of genetics. Look at mom and dad. Expect a nice mix.
  
  
• Are you getting older? Welcome to the party. You can't have the high-end thread count face forever, but you can die tryin'. Sometimes - as a part of the natural aging process - we lose elasticity and our skin thickens, - which causes pores to appear larger.
  

• Do (or DID) you worship the sun? Just another great reason not to purposely boil your skin in the sun for a few months of 'being dark'. Overexposure to the sun thickens the skin. When the skin thickens, cells gather around the pores - and VOILA - larger pores. Plus, sun damage decreases the skin's elasticity or - ability to 'bounce back'!
  

• What's your daily routine? (and- you better not say you don't have one) Please don't tell me 'I'm just one of those people who doesn't need to wash my face' - GROSS! And don't tell me you 'love using Dial soap'. You GOTTA clean out those pores. Period. When there's dirt and bacteria swimming around in there - the pore expands and gets BIGGER.
  
  
• Are you a picker? STEP AWAY FROM THE MIRROR. Don't you know picking at blackheads, whiteheads or popping pimples SERIOUSLY can blow a hole right through your skin? And take it from me - it scars. For life. And the scars get worse - YEAR AFTER YEAR. Don't pick at things. Your mom told you to keep your hands off your face. She was right.

So cleanse regularly, stay out of the sun and keep your hands away from your face - this will help! But unfortunately, there isn't anything you can do to permanently reduce your pore size.

Certainly there are things you can do now, too - to reduce the appearance of large pores. Here's some ideas to include in your ANTI-PORE PLAN:

Vitamin C: These antioxidants help repair the damaging effects of photo aging and overexposure to the sun's rays. Vitamin C Serums can also increase collagen and elasticity of the skin. Try a SkinCeuticals Vitamin C Serum.

Exfoliate: Use a cleanser that exfoliates (like SkinCeuticals Clarifying Cleanser - Or MD Forte Cleanser with Glycolic Acid) and then opt for periodic chemical peels. Microdermabrasion is a great way to exfoliate as a maintenance tool - and is safe enough to do every couple of weeks.

So if you're young enough - do what Mom tells you to do: wear your sunscreen and don't pick at your face! The bottom line here is exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate. If you've already got some poor pore problems - then come see us and get on a good skin care regimen that will help your skin naturally exfoliate - and you can help it along with effective products and treatments too.