PORE FOCUS
You have over 20,000 of them on your face , but how much do you really know about your pores ?
Whatever your age , ethnicity or gender , everyone has pores . These tiny openings on the surface of the skin have never received so much attention : the ‘ glass skin ’ trend from Korea – when skin is so smooth and poreless it looks like glass – is taking over social media , a quick google of the term ‘ how to shrink your pores ’ brings back over 500,000 results and , according to research , one in three women now list large pores as their biggest skin concern , above wrinkles and pigmentation . However , poor pore knowledge means we ’ re still trying to steam them open to release impurities , so step away from Google because we ’ re sorting the facts from the fiction for you .
FACT : You can ’ t shrink the size of your pores Let ’ s get this biggie out of the way first . One of the biggest myths regarding the pores is that you can make them smaller . In actual fact , the opposite of this is true . While pores can ’ t be shrunk , they can be stretched and enlarged . Think of your pores like an open door that makes it easier for sebum to be secreted onto the surface of the skin . When excessive amounts of sebum are produced , the pores expand to accommodate the volume of oil . Trapped dirt and impurities can also contribute to an increase in pore size , so it ’ s important to keep the skin as clear as possible if you want to maintain a poreless-looking complexion .
FICTION : You can open and close your pores Your pores are essentially concave openings on the surface of the skin . They are not little mouths and they don ’ t have muscles , so they can ’ t be opened and closed at will . A common beauty myth that has been bandied about for decades states that heat will open your pores and a splash of cold water will instantly close them again . This is not true . Your pores are always open , they just look larger or more visible because they aren ’ t completely clean . Warming the skin simply makes any blockages within the pores easier to extract and cold water temporarily shocks your skin by lowering its temperature , making it feel momentarily tighter .
FACT : Pores become larger with age As a child , the size of your pores is very small as they are surrounded by a sturdy ring of dermal collagen that keeps them in shape . This gradually thins out and decreases in size as you age ( usually starting around adolescence ), giving the pores room to relax , expand and , ultimately , increase in size . When you reach your 40s collagen production slows down dramatically , leading to less support within the skin and an increase in large and slack-looking pores .
FICTION : Clay masks are the only way to clear out blocked pores OK , there is some truth to this statement . For a proper deep-down pore clear out , clay masks can work wonders . Natural clays and charcoal are able to soak up excess oils , impurities and dirt residing within the pores incredibly well , but they aren ’ t the only way to keep your skin looking pore-free . Salicylic Acid is oil-soluble so it can penetrate the pores and dissolve the
ISSUE # 07 | 2018 | SkinHealthMagazine . com 6