Beauty Snippets : Pore Problem?

This is a problem faced by many. I've never addressed it before so here it is now. I hope this tiny article will help those facing this problem :D

Firstly, how does our pores usually gets enlarged?

Image via embarassingproblems

I hope this diagram helps you in visualizing what I'm about to describe. We all start from the pore size we were born with. Without proper care, the above will happen. The opening of the pore can be clogged by dirt or sebum and that will result in the formation of pimples. If you notice, pimples are generally swollen and painful to the touch. That is because all the pus has been building up thus causing your pore to expand AND swell.

Yes, you can burst it / poke it / heal it / squeeze it but what happens is that you'll get the dirt / pus out yet the pore remains enlarged. My main point here? They first key to solving pore problems is PREVENTION. To save yourself from pore problems, you have to keep your skin clear and healthy.

One way to do so is to use deep cleansing clay masks such as this.

Image via Queen Helene Masque

I own this green mask and I love it :D Use it twice a week to suck out all the oilies and dirt in your pores to prevent them from clogging and expanding! This one's hard to get though, I'm lucky the little beauty shop near my home sells these.

But what if, it's too late? 

Not everyone starts a proper skincare regime from an early age. What if your pores are ALREADY clogged? This is the next step to getting rid of your pore problems. If your pores are clogged, UNCLOG them. I call this step, EXTRACTION. You've heard of those pore strips right? Here's an example of a very popular one out in the market.

Image via iOffer

The Biore Nose Strip Pore Pack thingy. You know, the cloth thing that you first wet, place nicely over your nose, wait for it to dry and peel off with a satisfying but painful feeling? If you haven't used it, it's time to get one. But my problem with nose strips are that they're hard to put anywhere else except your nose. You can cut them up but they're not going to cover those hard to get places. The good thing is that these are always easily available at Watsons / NTUC / beauty shops.

So alternatively, one can always use something like this.

Image via hazel-yap

That product in the middle will be your savior. It's the kind of extremely stick mask that you have to slather all over your pores and let it dry before peeling. Personally, I think this extracts blackheads a lot better if you know how to use it well. It will be great if you pair it up with those two little bottles you see at the side. First you "soften" your blackheads, then the mask to extract them and the last bottle to "close" up the pores after extraction.

Imagine your pores being expanded by those dirt / sebum / pus, after you remove those dirty stuff, they'll automatically appear smaller because it is no longer being stretched. I hope everyone understands me till this point because it is really hard to explain without pictures. Imagine a lumpy wet cloth, after you squeeze all the water out, it looks smaller / more shriveled up right? Same theory applies.

This product is harder to find though, I believe Shills has a similar one that I mentioned before HERE.

Minimizing them

After you've done all of the above, your pore should be free of nonsense. Yet it still looks big. WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? This is something I've mentioned over and over again. I cannot stress how IMPORTANT it is to EXFOLIATE. Wait what?! How will exfoliating help in minimizing pores?

Here is an extremely ugly picture I have drawn in hope that it will help all of you better visualize my explanation. Don't laugh okay, I honestly am not an artist and this is the best I could do with paint.

Get it? Get it?! No really, don't laugh. I'm serious. Exfoliating helps in minimizing the APPEARANCE of your pores. When you remove the upper layer of dead skin, the "opening" becomes smaller hence the pores will all look smaller ^____^ A gentle, effective yet affordable choice can be the Meishoku DetClear that I'm using! See the review for it HERE~

Here's the harsh reality. You can NEVER really shrink the pore itself /.\ You can only minimize the appearance of pores. This is why you MUST remember the 3 key points to NOT having pore problems. Prevention, extraction and exfoliation.

I hope this helps those who don't know what to do with their pores. And as always, should any of you have a question, feel free to post it on our Facebook wall or email to Domokie@gmail.com! Also, please understand that you don't have to use the items I've specified, similar items that do the same job will do!

Love,
Chiharu ❤