Do you have Open Pores?
This is one complaint that everyone has irrespective of their age, and why not? Even if you have absolutely clean complexion, if the pores are wide open, your skin does not look beautiful. The skin actually starts to look dull because it does not reflect light evenly. When this gets linked with oily skin, comedones (bumps on the skin that give it a rough texture), and acne, you end up hating this condition further. It is important you have your pores nice and closed so that your skin looks flawless and bright.
> Why do you get open pores?
Sometimes you are genetically prone to have open pore skin, maybe in combination with oily skin. Then as you age, your skin gets relaxed and the pores open up. Excessively steaming your face during a facial or while body steaming and sauna, or the latest craze of hot yoga, can lead to permanently relaxed pores.
> How to deal with it?
The simplest thing you can do is use absolutely chilled water from your fridge and splash it on your face. That acts like an instant toner which tightens up your pores. Also, make sure that every time you go to a salon, ask them to use cool mist after they have done the blackhead extraction and deep cleansing. Ask them to put a cold towel on your face while you are in a steam chamber. Splash cold water on your face after a hot shower. You can use ice cubes wrapped in a bit of muslin on your pores as a cooling pack. You can try a mask with kaolin clay or fuller’s earth (multani mitti) to tighten the pores. Apply calamine lotion to calm the skin.
Try mild peels on your own at home. Buy either Kojic Acid 6–20%, Azelaic Acid 10–20%, or Salicylic Acid of around 2%, which are all available over the counter. You can apply them one at a time and leave it overnight and see how your skin takes it. Once your skin gets used to it, you can mix all the three and apply it. Leave it on for a couple of hours and see how your skin reacts. Once it adjusts to the blend, you can leave it overnight. If you have oily skin, use this twice a week, and if your skin is dry, then apply it only once a week. Application of Tretinoin and Retino-A ointments at night over a period of time also helps. Look for pore minimizing creams or serums for wearing under your sunscreen during the day.
> At your skin doctor’s
You can also go to your doctor’s to get mild peels done regularly. Ask for Retin-A peels and medium depth peels. You can do mesotherapy wherein Botox is injected underneath your skin to shrink the pores. You can also opt for collagen remodelling laser treatment which shrinks the pores automatically.
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