Pore-fectly Clear
Words by Katherine Castillo Eustaquio
Published in Total Fitness Magazine December 2010 issue
Skin pores are the opening of hair follicles that cover our skin. The hair shaft that you see, dead skin cells, and sebum all pass through the pores to the skin’s surface. Each skin pore has a matching hair follicle attached to it. Luckily, most of these hairs are so fine you can hardly see them, or their corresponding pores.
Most people, particularly women, complain about having problematic complexions, including enlarged pores. While genetics has a lot to do with the size of one’s pores, hygiene and lifestyle play the bigger parts in achieving and maintaining a clear and healthy complexion.
Excess oil, dead skin cells, and dirt accumulate inside your pores every single day and cause clogging that leads to the dreaded blackheads and whiteheads. When bacteria sip in and multiply, the clogged pores become bigger and inflamed, eventually results in acne or other skin conditions.
Regardless of hand-me-down rituals and commercial skin care products that promise pore-diminishing abilities, the key to clear skin starts and ends with how you take care of those tiny skin openings. Here we bust some of the most popular pore myths out there.
You can’t eliminate pores.
A common beauty rant is that some people seem to have been born without pores. Realistically speaking, where would the dead skin cells and sebum go if the skin doesn’t have these tiny openings? While it’s true that some of us are blessed with microscopic pores, you can’t diminish your pores. What you can actually do is make them inconspicuous by keeping them clean. Some commercial beauty products can also help in this regard.
You can’t “steam open” pores.
According to Dr. Kucy Pon, a dermatologist for Olay, you can’t literally “steam open” your pores because these openings don’t have muscles that could allow them to expand and contract. Dr. Lydia Evans, a dermatologist for L’Oreal, says steam can only loosen the surface dirt, oil, and dead skin cells that have accumulated over time, making it easier to rub them off. Steam also causes the blood vessels on your face to expand and the skin to swell slightly, giving the temporary illusion of smaller pores.
What about those salt-and-pepper dots on your face?
There are called whiteheads (closed comedones) and blackheads (open comedones). Oxidation explains the difference in their color: Whiteheads form due to the mixture of sebum and dead skin cells that have accumulated inside the pores. Whiteheads have microscopic openings that limit oxidation in the follicle and therefore, they appear white. Blackheads, on the other hand, have wider openings that allow melanin oxidation and result in a black hue. Regular exfoliation and deep cleaning can help you get rid of these nasty comedones and pave the way to clearer skin.
