How can you make pores smaller

Focus on problem areas where dry skin and clogged pores may be the most prominent, like on the nose and cheeks, before rinsing your face completely with warm water. Dry skin is instantly smoothed away with this intensive treatment. If you have particularly sensitive skin, this treatment may not be the best option. It's full of fruit enzymes that exfoliate away dead skin, but sometimes acid exfoliators can be harsh on sensitive skin. As a basic rule of thumb, it's better to start out exfoliating fewer times a week until you're sure about a product.

If you're prone to acne, this scrub contains salicylic acid meant to help fight breakouts. While using an exfoliating cleanser may seem like a good idea to get rid of dry skin, it might actually irritate your skin and make dryness worse.

Look for gentle cleansers, like this oil-based one, that moisturize and calm skin while cleansing. Arguello recommends the following for clear pores: "Gently massage the Formula 13 into your skin with clean fingers, lie down, and cover your face with a warm face cloth for several minutes to help open pores.

Rinse the washcloth, and gently wipe away any excess oil. If you have time, repeat the process for even better results. Finally, rinse your face in cold water to help close the pores. Moisturizing is an essential step in any skincare routine—one that will also diminish the look of pores. Dry skin produces excess oil in an attempt to alleviate dryness, but this can result in clogged pores instead.

Use a gentle noncomedogenic moisturizer, and while you're at it, be sure to apply sunscreen as well. Sun damage can lessen the elasticity and collagen in your skin, which can result in enlarged pores over time. Make it part of your weekend routine to use a face mask that can do a bit of gentle, deep cleaning on your pores. As with exfoliating, place a warm washcloth on your face for five minutes before applying your mask.

Additionally, if you can indulge in a facial every one to two months, a professional can help extract and exfoliate deeper debris in your pores.

To shrink pores even more effectively, Dr. If enlarged pores persist, Dr. These 10 products can help repair and maintain it. Applying a toner is an essential part of anyone's skin care routine, but especially if your skin produces an excess of oil — check out our top picks….

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What you can do Pores are small openings in the skin that release oils and sweat. Assess your skin care products. Cleanse your face. Moisturize for balanced hydration. Use a clay mask. Wear sunscreen every day. Stay hydrated. See your skin care specialist. Read this next. How to Get Rid of Milia: 7 Ways. Medically reviewed by Sara Perkins, MD. How to Get Rid of Pockmarks. Understanding Sebaceous Hyperplasia. The 10 Best Toners for Oily Skin.

Related Stories. Tags: Skin-Care Tips. Our editors independently select these products. Loading More Posts Featured Collection. Here's why they develop, and some of the best ways to get smaller-looking pores. Technically, you can't close large pores. Pore size is largely determined by genetics. Although they seem to only be there to drive you crazy, pores actually play an important role in the health of your skin.

They allow sebum , which is the oil that keeps your skin lubricated, to travel from the sebaceous gland to the surface of your skin.

So, you really wouldn't want your pores to completely close. Otherwise, your skin would completely dry out. But just making them look a little smaller would be nice. If you have oily skin, you're much more likely to notice your pores. Which means people with oily skin are much more likely to want to shrink them. Heat expands and dilates the pore opening slightly, so it makes the pores look larger.

Cold has the opposite effect; it causes the pore opening to constrict. This makes the pores look tighter and smaller. Both effects are just temporary, though.

After a few minutes, the skin returns to normal temperature and so does your pore size. This is why your esthetician will steam your face before extracting blackheads. Steaming softens the plug, called a comedonal core.

This, coupled with the heat dilating the pore opening, makes the blockage easier to push from the pore. Hot water isn't needed to keep the pores cleaned out, though, just like cold water isn't needed to "close" your pores. Your pores remain the size they were destined to be, in spite of the water temperature you use to cleanse your face. In fact, washing your face in overly hot water can do more harm than good. Water that is too hot can irritate your skin, making dilated capillaries and inflamed blemishes look more red and obvious.

There is no way to permanently change your pore size. But while you can't shrink large pores, you can make them appear smaller. Many beauty books, magazine articles and the like perpetuate this myth.

But the fact is, these products aren't "closing" or shrinking your pores at all. There aren't any skincare products in the universe that can change the actual structure of your skin's pores. How do they do this? By exfoliating the skin, cleaning out dead skin cells and oil from the pore.