Large pores on your face: why, and what helps

Why do some pores look so big?

A pore is where a hair follicle and its oil gland open onto the skin. Everyone has them, and they show most on the nose and cheeks. A 2016 review in Dermatologic Surgery by Lee and colleagues names three main reasons they look enlarged: a lot of oil, skin around the pore that has lost its spring, and a larger hair follicle. Repeated acne, sex hormones and your skin care routine add to it.

Oil leads the list in measured data. A 2006 Korean study photographed and measured the pores of 60 volunteers, 30 men and 30 women. Bigger pores went with more oil first, then with being male, then with age. In the women, pores measured larger around ovulation, so the mirror can disagree with itself from one week to the next. Acne severity was not linked to pore size.

What makes pores look larger, and what to do about each

AAD, Lee 2016, Roh 2006 and Song 2015, listed under Sources.

Can you actually shrink your pores?

Not for good. The American Academy of Dermatology frames every option as making pores less noticeable, not smaller for life. What changes is what sits in it, how much oil flows through it, and how firm the skin around it stays.

That is why the same advice keeps coming back: less oil, less clogging, less sun, firmer skin. Steam, ice and pore strips are not on the AAD's list.

A routine that makes pores less noticeable

1. 1Wash twice a day, gentlyUse warm water and a mild, non-comedogenic cleanser. The AAD warns that hot water and scrubbing irritate the skin, and irritated pores look bigger.
2. 2Add salicylic acidA salicylic acid cleanser helps unclog pores. If daily use stings, the AAD suggests a mild cleanser in the morning and the salicylic one at night.
3. 3Use retinol at bedtimeThe AAD suggests retinol or retinyl palmitate for oily skin, mild acne or skin that has lost firmness. Wash, then wait 30 minutes before applying. Not during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Start slowly with the retinol guide.
4. 4Wear sunscreen every morningBroad-spectrum, water resistant, SPF 30 or higher, cloudy days included. Sun is one of the slow causes of looser skin around the pores.
5. 5Read the labelsThe AAD's wording to look for: non-comedogenic, oil free, or won't clog pores. Skip makeup and skin care that says none of these.
6. 6Keep your hands offNever scrub, rub, pick or squeeze. On darker skin, the mark a squeezed pore leaves can last far longer than the clog did.

Pores on Black and brown skin: the research is thin

The largest pore study we found, published in 2015 by L'Oréal researchers, measured the cheeks of 2,585 women in India, Japan, China and France, plus 120 women in Brazil. Pore size and density varied a lot by ethnicity. The authors wrote that their camera method could not record dark-skinned African women, so they were left out.

A smaller 2009 study by Kao researchers looked at 80 women aged 30 to 39 living in Dallas: white, Asian, Hispanic and African American. Asian women had the smallest pores. The African American women showed the most disrupted skin structure around their pores. That is one study of 80 women split across four groups, so read it as a hint, not a rule.

What is better established is the risk of handling pores roughly. The AAD advises people with darker skin tones to avoid strong chemical or mechanical exfoliation, because aggressive exfoliation can leave dark spots. Its acne advice for darker skin adds that scrubbing and popping make things worse. For oily, melanin-rich skin, the gentle routine above is also the safest one.

What a facial can do for pores, and where it stops

Cleveland Clinic lists enlarged pores and blackheads among the things microdermabrasion can make less noticeable. At Karisma, microdermabrasion is part of the Advanced Facial, $225 for about 90 minutes with Kay Woodson. It works on the top layer of skin only. See microdermabrasion at Karisma for how it feels and who should wait.

Two cautions. The AAD advises people with darker skin and acne to see a dermatologist before peels or microdermabrasion, and to ask how many clients with skin of color the provider has treated. Ask Kay that question at your consultation. And pores stretched by loose skin are a firmness problem, not a surface one, covered on skin tightening in Melbourne, FL. Microneedling and laser, which dermatologists also use for pores, are not offered at Karisma.