What are enlarged pores?
Enlarged pores, often called open pores are indentations on the skins surface. These mainly appear on the face and carry oil and sweat to the skins surface from their sebaceous glands. Enlarged pores can be seen in people with all different ages and cultural backgrounds. However people of Indian and at all ages and in all ethnic groups. Certain ethnic groups may have larger pores, particularly those of African and Indian ancestry. Pores often appear larger with age.
To understand how to best treat large pores, it is necessary to understand what they are, what causes them, and their different types.
Except for the bottoms of the hands and feet, the entire body is covered with hairs, some so small they are very difficult to see. Every hair has a follicle, and every hair follicle is positioned under a pore.
There exists two types of pores, the first type secretes oil that the body produces called sebum. It is used to protect and lubricate the skin and hair shafts around the follicles and the other type of pores release sweat.
Pores that release sebum from the sebaceous glands that surround the hair follicles are the ones that can get clogged with oil, dead skin cells, bacteria, and dirt. Pores that release perspiration (sweating) are not typically the ones that get clogged.
Large Pores & Acne
If you have acne often, it is likely that you have enlarged pores. Large skin pores are markers of increased sebaceous gland size and the associated increase in sebum production. People who produce more follicle oil tend to experience acne breakouts more often.
Large pores and acne are inherited in many people. If these traits run in your family, then you may be more likely to have more severe breakouts than others. Having large facial pores doesn’t mean that you are bound to get acne; it just makes it more likely that you will.
Since large pores and acne are commonly seen together, treating one condition successfully may also benefit the other.
Large Pores, Dry and Oily Skin
Some people with large pores are not troubled by acne, but rather, by combination skin that is dry and flaky in some spots and oily and glossy in others.
It is important to differentiate between dry skin and dehydrated skin. Dehydrated skin can be oily, dry, or a combination of both. Being dehydrated simply means that the skin tissue lacks adequate water, not that it is dry in a sense of not producing sebum oil.
It is more likely that dehydrated skin will begin to produce extra sebum to make up for the lack of water moisture it contains. This can cause the dehydrated skin to appear oily in spots, which is why dehydrated and oily skin are often confused.
When dehydrated areas of the face begin producing extra sebum in attempts to lubricate and moisturize the skin, it increases the chances of developing clogged pores. This can make already large pores appear even larger as they expand with oil and other debris.
Large Pores and Blackheads
When a pore gets clogged, sebum has a difficult time traveling to the surface of the skin as it is meant to. If the oil remains trapped beneath the skin by dead skin cells and other waste, it will begin to accumulate beneath the opening of the pore. This happens a lot on and around the nose.
When the debris that is clogging a pore is exposed to gases in the atmosphere, they begin to oxidize, which changes their physical characteristics. This process is what causes blackheads to form. So, it is not necessarily having large pores that cause blackheads, but rather, having clogged pores that are unable to effectively transport sebum oil to the surface of the skin.
Causes of Large Pores
In some cases, large pores are the result of genetics. However, there are other causes too. Other leading causes include:
Treatment options to reduce pore size include (please click on the links below on information for available treatments):
Chemical Peels
Herbal peels
Skin Needling
Fractional Radio Frequency
IPL Skin Rejuvenation
Resurfacing Laser
Neogen Plasma Treatment
Not sure which treatment is most suited for you? Call us on 5539 9534 to book your skin consultation with one of our Dermal Therapist.
