Why do pores get bigger?

As we age, many people find that their pores are getting bigger. Why is this? Enlarged pores are caused by skin moisture loss and skin aging; at the same time, staying up late and improper diet can also lead to excessive oil secretion of the skin, causing the pores to become larger. This will make the skin look rough, dull and unclean. Here’s a detailed look at the causes of enlarged pores and how to shrink them.

The main cause of enlarged pores is excessive sebum secretion, which is usually caused by hormonal imbalance, stressful life and external environment such as pollution, heat and humidity. In addition, as we age, our skin gradually loses its elasticity, and the supporting structure around the hair follicles is insufficient, which can easily make the skin look like it has many pits. Coupled with the skin condition of being oily on the outside and dry on the inside, the originally delicate pores will become enlarged.

So, don’t think that enlarged pores are exclusive to young oily skin. If your skin is approaching 30 and gradually entering the aging stage, the problem of enlarged pores is indeed a concern.

Can pores be reduced in size?

This is an issue that many people are concerned about. Here we first focus on the issue of pore contraction and dilation. I have seen a piece of common sense about face washing more than once, which is: when washing your face, you should first use warm water to open the pores so that the dirt in the pores can be washed away smoothly. After washing your face, gently splash your face with cold water to help shrink the pores. Although it is difficult for us to observe the opening and closing of pores with the naked eye, dermatologists have stated that there have been no specific clinical reports on the opening and closing of pores so far.

However, there is clear data to prove whether enlarged pores can be reduced in size. Dermatologists point out that pores can indeed be shrunk. The key lies in the sufficient water retention between skin cells, which makes the gaps between cells smaller. After being pushed toward the epidermis, the pores will naturally become smaller. However, to shrink the pores of a person with obvious skin to the point where they are almost invisible is an impossible task. If you look closely at the skin with a magnifying glass, you will find that the texture of young skin is in the shape of a cross, with lines running back and forth to retain moisture, so the skin is thicker and of course the pores are not obvious. But when the skin ages, the texture under the magnifying glass becomes a "川" shape. The parallel texture is thin and cannot retain moisture, so the pores become loose and larger.

The two key things are that pores are elastic, and if you can reduce the clogged material in the pores, they will naturally shrink. Therefore, you should develop the habit of cleaning your skin and do not wait until acne turns into blackheads before dealing with it. In the past, many people have always focused only on the cleansing part of pores. Although this is very important, retaining moisture to thicken the inner layer of the skin is also an important key to shrinking pores. In terms of cleansing, salicylic acid is an ingredient unanimously recognized by dermatologists. Its main function is to adjust the skin's keratinization process, remove dead skin cells on the surface, and make the skin smooth and tender. However, the concentration of salicylic acid used is closely related to its effectiveness. When doctors help patients to exfoliate, the concentration is usually controlled at 3%-10%; while skin care products are mostly limited to 0.2%~1.5%. Use skin care products containing salicylic acid to help the skin clean the stratum corneum and improve pores and skin texture overall.

In addition, moisturizing is very important. Many people with dry skin also face the risk of enlarged pores, mostly due to improper skin care and skin aging. For example, improper skin care, such as squeezing pimples randomly and using unsuitable skin care products, can cause abnormal keratinization of the skin's epidermis, allowing old dead skin cells to accumulate in the pores for a long time, which naturally enlarges the pores. To improve this phenomenon, in addition to exfoliating with salicylic acid, moisturizing becomes an even more necessary first aid method. Therefore, many products that claim to shrink pores also contain moisturizing ingredients.

If you are lucky enough not to have large pores, please make sure to take good care of your skin to moisturize it. Otherwise, your pores will become more and more obvious due to skin aging. Don't think I'm exaggerating. I have a friend who has good skin, but he always relies on his good skin and doesn't pay attention to moisturizing. Within a few years, her dry skin became wrinkled and her pores more obvious as she entered mature age, and her former smoothness and fineness were no longer there.