Enlarged Pores: Causes and How to Make Them Look Smaller

Enlarged pores are openings of the pilosebaceous unit that have widened enough to become clearly visible. There are three main causes: high oil or sebum production, the collagen framework around the pore weakening with age and sun exposure, and clogged pores or thicker hairs that stretch the pore wall. Care therefore has to address all three together. Results vary by individual.

What Causes Enlarged Pores

The pores you see on the face are the openings of the pilosebaceous unit, which contains a fine hair and an oil duct inside. Dermatology references note that visible pore size is linked to several factors, including age, ethnicity, hair size, cumulative sun exposure, reduced skin elasticity, and how much oil is secreted, while data on sex is still inconsistent (DermNet). A literature review also lists genetics and UV radiation among the contributing factors (PubMed). The factors seen most often in practice are as follows.

• High sebum output and large oil glands. Research assessing facial skin found that wider pore size is linked to higher oil secretion, age, and male sex, while in women hormonal factors such as the phase of the menstrual cycle are also involved (PubMed)
• Less collagen and elastin around the pore. The wall around each pore relies on a collagen framework to hold the opening in shape. With age and cumulative sun exposure, collagen and elastin in the dermis decrease, so the surrounding skin slackens and pulls the pore opening to look wider and more elongated. That is why pores on the cheeks often become more obvious after the age of 30.
• Clogged pores and thicker hairs. When dead skin cells mix with oil and block the duct, the plug pushes the pore wall outward, and if the pore is blocked repeatedly over a long period the wall recovers its shape less well. Larger hairs in some areas also widen the opening naturally.
• Genetics and baseline oily skin. People with family members who have enlarged pores, or who have oily skin, often see pores more clearly than people with dry skin, starting in their teens.
• Squeezing, picking, and harsh scrubbing. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that picking, squeezing, or scrubbing the face irritates and inflames the skin, which makes pores look wider (AAD)

Other contributing factors include using pore-clogging products, not removing makeup thoroughly, and smoking, which accelerates collagen breakdown. Many people have several factors at once, so an assessment by a doctor before planning care matters.

Types of Enlarged Pores and How to Spot Them

Clinically, visible pores are often grouped into three types by the leading cause, because each type responds to a different approach. Looking in the mirror in natural light can help you tell them apart to some extent.

Type one: round pores from oil. Most common on the nose, forehead, and inner nasolabial area. The pores are fairly round and become more obvious in the afternoon as the face gets oily. They are often seen together with blackheads and whiteheads. This type focuses mainly on oil control and cell turnover.

Type two: elongated pores from slackened skin. Most common on the cheeks and along the jawline. The pores look like a teardrop or an oval, drawn out along the line of gravity. They look more obvious when you stand in front of the mirror and less obvious when you lie flat or gently lift the skin with your hand. This type is linked to reduced skin elasticity, so the focus is stimulating collagen and lifting.

Type three: pores with indentations or pitting as well. This comes from previous inflammatory acne that damaged the tissue under the skin, leaving small depressions mixed in with enlarged pores. This type differs from ordinary enlarged pores and usually needs the same approach used for acne scars, which focuses on building collagen in the deeper layers.

A way to track progress yourself is to photograph your face at the same distance and in the same light every 4 weeks, then compare the same area, because changes in skin texture are gradual and hard to judge by feel. That said, accurate classification should come from a doctor examining your skin along with taking your history, because some people have all three types mixed across a single face.

Can Enlarged Pores Really Be Made Smaller

The straight answer is that they can be made to look smaller, but they do not resolve for good and the result is not a permanent one. Pores are a normal structure the skin has to have, because they are the exit route for oil and hair. Removing pores altogether is therefore not an anatomically possible goal.

A common misunderstanding is that pores “open and close” with temperature. In reality pores have no sphincter muscle controlling opening and closing. Cold makes blood vessels constrict so the skin looks temporarily tighter, while very hot water instead irritates the skin and makes pores look more obvious, which is why the advice is to wash your face with lukewarm water (AAD).

There are three things that genuinely can change. The first is the amount of oil: with less oil, there is less shadow falling into the pore opening and the pore looks shallower. The second is the skin texture around the pore: with new collagen, the wall around the opening becomes firmer and draws the opening smaller. The third is the plug inside: once it is cleared and repeat blockage is prevented, the pore is no longer being stretched continuously.

A literature review that gathered treatment options for facial pores concludes that multiple sessions and combining several approaches help improve pore area and pore count, and that in younger patients the focus should be on controlling oil secretion, while in older patients the focus should be on collagen and skin elasticity (PubMed). One approach therefore does not suit everyone. Results depend on the leading cause, how consistent your care is, and avoiding the triggers.

How to Care for Pores at Home

Home care is the foundation that makes the effect of in-clinic procedures last longer, and you can do it yourself every day. Approaches with data behind them include the following.

1. Wash your face twice a day with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser. Avoid harsh scrubbing and gritty scrubs, because irritation inflames the skin and makes pores look more obvious (AAD)
2. Choose products and makeup labelled non-comedogenic or oil free to reduce the chance of clogged pores, which are what stretch the pore wall.
3. Use a retinoid or retinol at night to help speed up cell turnover inside the duct and stimulate collagen. Start at a low strength 2-3 nights a week, then build up the frequency as your skin tolerates it. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use it and should consult a doctor first.
4. Add niacinamide at 2-5%. A study in volunteers found that niacinamide at 2% helped reduce the rate of facial oil secretion over 2-4 weeks of use (PubMed)
5. Use salicylic acid or BHA at 0.5-2%, two to three times a week. This group of acids is oil-soluble, so it helps manage the plug inside the duct. If your skin feels dry or stings, alternate with a gentle cleanser.
6. Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher every day. The more sun damage the skin has, the less firm it is and the more obvious pores look.
7. Do not squeeze, do not pick, and do not use pore strips too often. Pressure and pulling stretch the pore wall and lead to inflammation.
8. Remove makeup and sunscreen completely before bed and wash your pillowcases regularly to reduce oil build-up.

Give home care about 8-12 weeks before deciding whether it is working, because both cell turnover and collagen building take time. If you reach the end of that period and are still not satisfied, or if you also have inflammatory acne, an in-clinic procedure is the next step to consider.

In-Clinic Options and How to Choose

The principle is to match the procedure to the leading cause, not to choose by the name of the machine. People whose pores are enlarged from oil and clogged pores usually start with managing the plugs and refining skin texture, while people with elongated pores from slackened skin usually benefit more from stimulating collagen and lifting.

Pico laser Fractional. This uses laser energy in picosecond pulses to create tiny stimulation points within the skin, to stimulate collagen building and refine skin texture so it looks smoother, while the outer layer of skin stays largely intact, so downtime is short. Read more on the Pico laser page.

Mesotherapy programs and skin boosters. These deliver nourishing ingredients into the skin layers to add hydration and help the skin recover. At Onnyx Clinic we use the Hycoox device, which has a fine injector head that distributes the product well with less discomfort. Common options include the Reju Glow program and the Reju Aura program for dehydrated skin, the Glossy DNA program and the Glossy Double DNA program, which is Polynucleotide together with HA, for people focused on restoring skin texture, as well as Signature Skin Booster such as the Juvelook program, which focuses on stimulating collagen. See the overview on the skin booster / mesotherapy page.

HIFU and RF. These send heat energy into the deeper layers to stimulate tightening and the building of new collagen. They suit people whose pores look wider because of skin slackening with age, more than people whose main issue is oil.

Comedone extraction by a trained provider, together with an acne care program, removes the plugs with clean instruments and controlled pressure, reducing the chance that the pore wall is stretched by squeezing at home.

The prices and session counts in the table are approximate figures for comparison. The plan that suits you depends on the doctor’s assessment.

How Many Sessions and How Much Ongoing Care

In general, changes in skin texture start to become noticeable around 4-12 weeks after you begin a care plan, because new collagen takes time to build and organise. It is not a change you can measure in a single day.

The common timeline is that in weeks 1-2 after a procedure the skin often looks smoother from cell turnover and added hydration, but that is not yet a structural change. In weeks 4-8 new collagen starts to form, so texture often looks more even when you compare photographs taken in the same light. From weeks 8-12 onwards is the period when the change becomes clearer in people who complete the course and care for their skin at home consistently.

The session counts used most often are around 3-5 sessions of Pico laser Fractional, 3-4 weeks apart; mesotherapy programs usually start with a course of 2-3 sessions, 2-4 weeks apart, and are then reassessed; while HIFU or RF is usually done in rounds and repeated every 6-12 months. These figures are general, and there is no guarantee of results for any individual.

After the course, ongoing care is the factor that makes the result last longer, because the oil glands still work as they did and the skin still faces the sun every day. A common maintenance approach is to repeat the procedure every 2-3 months as the doctor advises, alongside using retinoids, niacinamide, and sunscreen as a routine. A literature review emphasises that combining several approaches over multiple sessions works better than one approach done once (PubMed). If you stop all care, pores may look more obvious again, because the oil glands still work as they did and the skin still faces the sun. How long that takes differs from person to person.

When to See a Doctor

You should see a doctor when enlarged pores come with other symptoms that need a diagnosis, because in some cases the underlying cause is not skin texture alone. Signs that warrant an assessment include the following.

• Recurrent inflammatory acne, red bumps, or pustules in several places, which may need acne medication alongside before starting texture-focused procedures
• Depressions or acne scars starting to appear mixed in with enlarged pores, because the approach for acne scars differs from ordinary pore minimising
• Unusually oily skin together with excess hair growth or irregular periods, which may relate to hormonal factors and should be investigated further
• Consistent home care for a full 12 weeks with no visible change, or products that cause stinging, redness, or unusual peeling
• A history of easy allergic reactions, a skin condition, pregnancy or breastfeeding, current isotretinoin use, or an underlying condition, all of which affect the choice of procedure and the right timing

An assessment by a doctor usually includes taking your history, examining your skin condition and where pores are most obvious, assessing oiliness and skin elasticity, and reviewing the medications and products you use, and then setting the order of the plan: whether oil and acne should be controlled first, or whether collagen stimulation can start right away.

If enlarged pores concern you and you want to know what your own leading cause is, you can book a consultation with a doctor at Onnyx Clinic to assess your skin condition and plan care that fits your skin. To ask questions or book a time, contact us via LINE: @onnyxclinic

References

• American Academy of Dermatology — What can treat large facial pores?
• DermNet — Enlarged pores
• PubMed — Sebum output as a factor contributing to the size of facial pores
• PubMed — The efficacy and adverse effects of treatment options for facial pores
• PubMed — The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production
• PMC — An artificial intelligence powered study of enlarged facial pores

This content is for general information only and is not a diagnosis or individual medical advice. Results vary by individual. Please consult a doctor for an assessment suited to you.