“My pores look HUGE today.”

“I always splash cold water on my face after I wash so that my pores can shrink.”

“I have oily skin so my pores are gonna be large no matter what I do.”

We’ve all heard (or said) these things before. Pore size and pore shrinkage have been topics of conversation in the skincare arena for years. I think there’s also been an increase in products on the market that claim to decrease the visibility of pores, but can they really?

So, here I am, doing what I do. I’ve done all the legwork for you so let’s get right into it: what’s the real deal with pores?

FAQ #1: Can I shrink or close my pores?

Short answer: no. Contrary to popular belief, they do not open and close like shutters. Pore size is in large part determined by your genes and although they can be a bit of an annoyance at times, your pores are major players in the healthy skin game. According to VeryWell, the allow the oil that keeps our skin supple and moisturized (aka sebum) to move from the sebaceous gland to the surface of the skin. Ideally, you don’t want to stop the production of that sebum just to “shrink” your pores because that would cause your skin to dry out and aside from the look, it’s also necessary to keep your skin healthy.

One thing I will say that is true is that those of us with oily skin are more likely to notice our pores. And speaking of oil and pores, did you know that we actually have two different kinds? Yep, all pores are not created equally. Oil pores are the kinds of pores that are connected to an oil gland like I just talked about. They’re all over your skin with the exception of the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. The other kind is sweat pores, which as I’m sure you can guess are the ones that allow you to sweat. These are really, really tiny, probably so tiny that you can’t even see them.

Short answer: no again! The idea that cold water shrinks your pores is a complete myth. As we all learned in middle school science class, heat can cause things to expand, including your pores. So heat can sometimes make them look larger and cold has the opposite effect, making them look tighter and smaller. But have you ever splashed cold water on your face only to look in the mirror and see your giant pores staring right back at you? Don’t worry, it’s common because the effects of hot and cold really don’t last. Your skin will always eventually return to your body’s natural temperature and thus, your pores also return to their natural size.

Just because hot towels and steam don’t bring long lasting effects doesn’t mean that they’re completely useless. These things can soften the gunk that likes to live in your pores, making it easier to remove it. But be careful when using hot water on your face at home because washing your face with water that is too hot cam do a lot of harm. It can irritate your skin and make it look more red.

FAQ #3: So, what can I do about my large pores?

While there’s nothing that you can do to permanently shrink or change your pore size, you can work a little magic with some solid skincare products.

All of the products that boast the ability to close pores are scam *shrugs* and that’s that on that. But some of them can make your pores appear smaller via exfoliation. When the dead skin cells are removed, your skin is brighter and more even and maybe even softer than before. Pore-minimizing products tend to be pretty good at keeping your pores clear and free of oil and dead skin, which can cause your pores to look larger. Some of my favorite ingredients for giving your skin a good deep cleaning are AHAs and retinol (you can read all about my favorites here).

That’s it for this post! Answer this in the comments: what other questions od you have about skin/skincare?

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