Original Article By Greenwich Medical Spa Staff.
It’s fair to say that pores are an obsession, both for our staff and clients! But what are pores exactly?
Pores are tiny openings at the top of our hair follicles, where our body’s natural oil is released onto our skin to keep it moisturized. Because they are open, they can easily become clogged with debris. When a bacterial infection develops in these clogged pores, you may end up with a breakout or acne. Pores come in different sizes which, fortunately or unfortunately, are pre-determined by genetics.
Along with the amount of oil production, pores create the different skin types that we use as the basis of our skin analysis and consultation at Greenwich Medical Spa. There is no such thing as a “bad pore” size; however, many clients desire smaller pores.
Can you shrink pores? The short answer is no, you can’t change the size of your pores. Pores are essentially, tiny openings in our skin and nothing can technically “open” or “close” them as they don’t have muscles.The good news is you can change the appearance of the size of your pores by keeping your skin healthy and clear.
The first thing to consider is consistent sunscreen use. Pores can become enlarged when the collagen in your skin depletes (we use 1% of our collagen a year as our skin matures, and UVA and UVB rays of the sun speed up this process). Second, a great way to change the appearance of the size of your pores is to cleanse thoroughly, day and night, to empty your pores from any leftover product, makeup, or debris. The more debris in your pores, the larger they appear. Exfoliating also helps clear your pores of dead skin cells and debris. And both of cleansing and exfoliating help keep blackheads at bay, which is one of the major factors for the appearance of larger pores.
Last, but certainly not least, regular facials keeps blackheads from forming and stretching out your pores. Seek out products that won’t clog your pores.
Here at Greenwich Medical Spa, our staff favorites include: Arieed MD ReFresh Cleansing Cream, iS Clinical Active Serum, Arieed MD ReDefy clarifying moisturizer and EltaMD UV Replenish Broad Spectrum SPF 44.