I am interrupting this week’s usual Friday Bombshell Blogger shout out with an important skin care PSA.
You cannot–I repeat–can not “close your pores.”
Yesterday, I noticed a tweet by a fairly popular skin care blog blasting out a recommendation for some product that “closed” her pores. Because part of the mission of this blog is to be a forum to counter the misinformation, I call bullshit.
Your pores are your pores. They are genetically determined. You cannot close them. You cannot make them smaller. You cannot make them disappear. Nor do you want to close them, make them smaller or make them disappear. They serve an important purpose.
Without our sweat pores, our bodies would have no temperature regulation. Our pores excrete oil, which not only keeps our skin moisturized but also helps protect our skin from environmental pollutants.
If you “closed” your pores, you would cause all sorts of acne eruptions on your face. Closed pores = dead skin and oil build up, with no way for oxygen to enter, giving the bacteria a great environment to thrive. The bacteria that causes acne cannot live in the presence of oxygen.
What you can do to minimize the appearance of your pores is to make sure that they are “clean.” Pores can get stretched by dirt and oil, which makes them appear larger. If you have oily skin, a good clay mask can help pull the dirt out of your pores. Combo skin should use clay only on the T-zone, with a rich moisturizing mask on the other areas. When I was working with a Jurlique spa, I saw great client results with Jurlique’s Purifying Mask
Dry skin? You can barely see your pores–this is the curse of the small pores. They may be invisible, but the invisibility comes at a price. You cannot secrete enough oil to keep your skin naturally moisturized. Stay away from the clay, and look for a mask whose base has uber moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, seaweed or a natural oil like grapeseed or jojoba. A good moisturizing mask is Caudalie Moisturizing Cream Mask
If you are reading a magazine article, a blog post or an advertisement that touts a miracle product that will “shrink” your pores, make them “disappear” or “close” them, know that it’s not only impossible but also not what your skin needs.
Have you tried some sort of “pore minimizing treatment” that caused your skin to freak out? Share it in the comments!
