MISBEHAVING PORES

The Skin Lightening website brings you another skin-care article...

Mirror, mirror on the wall – who has the largest pores of all?

For many of us, enlarged pores are a daily cosmetic annoyance and an unpleasant fact of life.

Pores are the tiny passages used by the oil produced in our skin’s sebum glands to reach the surface. There are approximately 300,000 oil glands in human skin and the highest concentrations of them are on the face, chest and back. These glands produce up to one ounce of oil daily!

This regular dose of oil is very necessary, however because it forms a protective layer over the skin that prevents moisture loss and helps to keep our skin soft and resilient. It also prevents injury and environmental damage.

Pores enlarge during puberty, when oil glands in our skin begin to increase the amount of oil they produce. Often, these pores are much more noticeable in those with oily skin, but even women with dry complexions can suffer from large pores within the dreaded T-zone formed by the forehead, nose and chin.

The good news is that there are ways to minimise their appearance and smooth out the complexion.

The challenge is to maintain the right balance between the activity of sebaceous glands and the actual needs of your skin. Essentially, problems start when pores have to deal with more oil than they can handle. Pores expand under the pressure of excessive oil flow, become more visible and, once opened, do not shrink back permanently.

Keeping pores clean is the first thing you need to do if you want to make them less noticeable and prevent them from increasing in size. When oil binds with dirt and dead skin cells, pores become clogged and stretch. To prevent this, keep oil under control, use gentle and effective cleansers and exfoliate regularly.

Apply moisturiser only where essential, many just need to apply it on their cheeks, neck and around the eye area. Of course, this is not quite so feasible in a country where sun protection is required all year round. If you have to make a choice between wearing sun protection and minimising the size of your pores, SPF should undoubtedly take priority.

The jury is still out when it comes to the use of alcohol based toners and astringents. Some beauty therapists feel that using these products may have a temporary 'tightening' effect on pores, but that this is extremely short-lived. The alcohol in these products causes the capillaries to dilate and the minute erectile muscles of the pores to tighten, making pores appear temporarily smaller. However, harsh astringents also encourage oil glands to over-produce oil, which leads to an increase in the size of pores.

Changing the way you apply make-up can also help to camouflage the appearance of large pores. To create the illusion of a pore less complexion apply foundation, concealer, powder and blusher in a downward motion, if not you will emphasize pores by pushing colour up and into them. Also, when choosing a foundation, opt for an oil-free type that will not overload your face's natural 'oil wells' with yet more oil.