We all have pores. Whether those pores are giant caves or invisible dots depends on many factors that range from genetics to age. But no matter what our age or genetic standing, we're all still asking the same question: How do you minimize pores?
As we age -- especially as we approach the big 4-0 -- our skin's natural exfoliation process slows down and pores look larger, says New York City dermatologist Jeannette Graf, MD. Collagen and elastin production decreases, and skin starts to sag -- and that includes the walls of each pore. Yikes.
Fortunately, the same ingredients that ramp up exfoliation (think acids like glycolic and retinoids) and collagen and elastin production (like peptides) can also strengthen -- and tighten -- pores, so they look smaller. They'll still be there, but you won't have enlarged pores.
Once you've minimized your pores as much as possible, you can make them look even smaller by keeping them completely clear of dead skin cells and dirt. You can also use a primer or mattifier to blur the outline of each pore. Eventually, even cave-like pores will start to resemble tiny dots.
To help you shrink large pores, we rounded up the best pore minimizing products on the market.
"The only way to really make your pores smaller is to clean out all the pore sludge," says New York City dermatologist and BeautyRx founder Neal Schultz, MD. And by sludge, Schultz means the combination of oil and dead skin cells that, he says, makes pores appear much bigger than they really are.
Schultz developed the BeautyRx Dermstick for Pores, $29, to clean and exfoliate pores using glycolic acid, pumpkin seed extract and tea tree oil. In a clinical study, every participant saw a decrease in pore size in 28 days after applying the product once a day.
If you're a regular blotting paper user, then you're going to want to stash Benefit The Porefessional License to Blot, $20, in every bag. Thanks to absorbent spheres that are deposited onto the surface of the skin, this stick makes oiliness and pores disappear instantly. The consistency is similar to lip balm, but it feels practically invisible when you apply it to your pores. Plus, the triangular shape makes it easy to get into every nose and chin crease.
For many of us, summer equates to shiny skin, which translates to look-at-me pores. To hide shine and shrink pores before they become an issue there's First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Oil-Free Mattifying Gel, $30. Dab some on after your SPF but before your makeup, and your skin stays matte for hours. Instead of a slippery silicone feeling, it's a light, refreshing gel that simultaneously hydrates skin while eliminating shine -- helping to minimize large pores.
We know that large pores are often sagging pores. Therefore, a tightening serum is the only thing that can make the pore walls constrict enough -- by strengthening the dermal epidermal junction (the area between two layers of skin) -- to make pores visibly smaller. Kiehl's Precision Lifting and Pore-Tightening Concentrate, $64, was designed specifically for that purpose. It uses a yeast extract and geranium essential oil to tighten the junction and make skin bouncier and more resilient.
