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Why is Korean celebrities' skin always so fair and radiant? The key to radiant skin is actually “zero pores,” though that level seems nearly impossible to reach. Taiwan's hot, humid weather also lets dirt and oil build up on the skin. Blackheads on the nose, for example, never seem to be solved at the root no matter how you remove them. The most popular methods are nose pore strips and facial exfoliation, but although the blackheads get cleared, the pores end up even larger. And can masks and moisturizing afterward really tighten pores? This article covers the causes of enlarged pores, how to improve them, and the key points of skincare.
Why Do Pores Get Enlarged?
You wash your face diligently every day and apply skincare the way you saw online, so why are your pores still large? In fact, the following three everyday habits are the ones we most often overlook, and these small things often affect pores the most. For example:
(1) Over-Cleansing
Some people have oilier skin, so they wash their face more often than others, or use exfoliating products and exfoliate more frequently. But this can make pores larger and larger, and what is more, over-exfoliating also damages the health of the stratum corneum and can leave the skin slack and sagging.
(2) Frequently Squeezing Pimples and Blackheads
Most people cannot stand having any pimples or blackheads on their face, afraid that someone looking closely will say, “Wow! You have so many blackheads!” or “Your nose looks terrible.” So they often remove blackheads and squeeze pimples themselves. However, self-cleansing raises hygiene problems, and squeezing blackheads or pimples with unclean hands or while bacteria are present can make pores coarser and larger, and even cause infection and skin inflammation.
(3) Careless Makeup Removal
Whether or not you wear makeup, you need to remove it when you get home. After wearing makeup in particular, we recommend using the appropriate remover, for example an eye and lip makeup remover for eye and lip makeup. According to your own preferences and skin condition, choose a makeup remover lotion, water, or oil, and never leave cosmetics on your face, which can clog and enlarge pores.
Save Your Enlarged Pores! Can Lasers Really Shrink Pores?
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What to Do About Enlarged Pores? Can Picosecond Laser Really Help?
Skincare Mistakes to Avoid
(1) Mixing Too Many Skincare Products
Many people see all kinds of skincare products recommended online and buy them all, thinking about the benefits of this hydrating toner and the features of that moisturizing lotion. Because they want this one and hope to improve that, they put every product they have on their face. However, too many products may put more stress on the skin and can even backfire because they cannot be absorbed, for example, skin that does not get hydrated and instead produces more oil or even breaks out. So we recommend simplifying the types and number of skincare products and choosing only what suits you best. (Your skin needs to breathe too!)
(2) Washing Your Face With Hot Water
Most of us have heard that “hot water opens pores and cold water shrinks them,” so people use hot water especially when cleansing and finish with a cold compress. But according to dermatologists, both hot water and steam risk damaging the skin barrier. You may not feel anything in the short term, but over time your skin condition can worsen sharply!
(3) Rubbing the Face
This is the step we do most often and overlook most easily. As children we were used to preparing a towel to apply a hot compress or cleanse the face, and we would “wipe” the water off. As more information appeared (such as hygiene concerns), many people switched from towels to disposable face towels. But beyond that, here is what you need to know: “Just pat it dry gently.” Wiping and rubbing create too much friction and irritate the pores, so we recommend gently blotting up the moisture to protect your skin! (In addition, this also keeps moisture on the face, which helps boost hydration when you apply skincare.)
Can Face Masks Really Tighten Pores?
What enlarged pores most need to work on are “oil-water balance,” “deep cleansing,” and “firmness and elasticity”, and masks are a great helper for firming. They are a skincare lifesaver for many women, delivering hydration and tightening in a short time, and because masks contain many beneficial ingredients, they work well for tightening pores!
Speaking of masks, here are some important reminders about applying face masks!
(1) Do Not Apply a Mask While Showering or Right After Washing Your Face
First, applying a mask in the shower may sound like a time and effort saver, but the steam from showering keeps the mask from fully adhering to the skin, so results are poor (and you waste a mask). We recommend applying a mask within half an hour after your shower, which is the best time!
Why shouldn't you apply a mask right after washing your face? In fact, prepping the skin with a basic base layer before the mask improves overall absorption and lets the mask work at its best! The correct skincare order is: “cleanse, exfoliate (if needed), toner, mask.”
(2) Control Mask Time and Mask Ingredients
Many people lose track of time while wearing a mask, and some even think leaving it on longer works better. Totally wrong! We recommend keeping mask time to 10-15 minutes. Leaving it on too long not only has no benefit but can also draw the skin's own moisture back out, making your skin even drier than before!
In addition, the main purpose of a mask is to achieve “oil-water balance” in the skin. If left on too long, the skin may end up with water but no oil, becoming dry and tight, which backfires!
There are many kinds of masks, such as anti-aging, whitening, and hydrating. Whitening masks are the first choice for the most women, but a reminder to everyone here: whitening masks are not recommended every day, because many whitening masks contain lactic acid, fruit acids, tranexamic acid, kojic acid, mandelic acid, and so on. These ingredients can remove dead skin, but they may also cause irritation and allergic reactions, so we recommend using them at most 3 times a week.
How Often to Exfoliate
Exfoliation can help cleanse and care for the skin to a certain degree, but pay close attention to how often you do it! Here is a brief guide for several skin types:
Dry Skin
This skin type is most prone to tightness and flaking. Over-exfoliating can damage the skin barrier and cause sensitivity, redness, and swelling. Therefore, about once every two to four weeks is enough.
Oily Skin
Oily skin has noticeable pores and high oil secretion, and dead skin cells and sebum build up easily and clog the pores, so we recommend exfoliating 1-2 times a week.
Combination Skin
Combination skin combines the traits of dry and oily skin: the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) is the oiliest, so you can exfoliate those areas more, while the other, drier areas of the face should be exfoliated less often to avoid irritation.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin reacts easily to exfoliating products or procedures and needs closer observation. We recommend gentle exfoliating ingredients, at a frequency of once a month, or according to what your skin can tolerate.
Can Picosecond Laser Shrink Pores?
After covering so many skincare points, let's also share the fastest way to “shrink pores.” For some people, improper cleansing or neglected skincare has left pores in a state that is hard to fix on their own (and of course many people simply want to care for their skin with lasers too!).
And the principle behind picosecond laser's “pore shrinking” effect is to apply high-energy laser beams to the skin surface, improving skin texture and gradually reducing pore size and enlarged pores. In addition, picosecond laser has the advantage of very short pulse durations, which concentrates energy to strengthen the treatment effect and at the same time shatters melanin into pieces small enough for the body to absorb and metabolize. This causes much less thermal damage to the skin and also lowers the chance of rebound pigmentation compared with traditional lasers (one picosecond laser session is as effective as 3-4 traditional laser sessions), so you need not worry about discomfort during the treatment or the skin becoming drier, red, or swollen afterward!
Many people with this concern choose acid peels to shed old, dead skin cells and condition and care for the skin. This approach can also shrink pores, but compared with picosecond laser, its results are less stable and long-lasting, so choose the treatment you prefer or that suits you based on your own situation!
Of course, you can also use HydraFacial for facial cleansing and care, which not only keeps pores clear but also improves skin quality and reduces oil buildup, and it also helps shrink pores! For people who wear makeup often and neglect skincare, we recommend this as the first step in your routine: get the basics right first so that you can address other skin concerns more deeply!
What Is HydraFacial, the Crowd Favorite? The Number One Painless Blackhead Cleaner
This article is for general information only. Results vary from person to person; please consult a doctor in person before deciding on any treatment.
