With spring & March just around the corner, we often shift our focus to thinking about switching up our product regimens to brightening and exfoliating away the effects of the cold winter months. Social media is full of the latest trends from London Fashion Week & a key theme is the dewy & luminous looks of skin on the catwalk.
On this note, a refreshingly honest and realistic article that I’ve recently come across in @glamouruk discusses one of the most common skin concerns that we see in practice-large/open pores. The truth is, that all of us have pores on our face, which are usually visible. The variety of filters often used on social media may portray an unrealistic and airbrushed skin surface as idealistic. Pores have a number of important functions and benefits, through allowing sebaceous glands to secrete oil through the pore, and many house the opening of hair follicles.
The appearance of pores may become more of a concern when they develop a build-up of dead skin cells, sebum and dirt, which is a key indicator to step up, or introduce some ingredients with exfoliating benefits; (glycolic, mandelic, retinol, lactic acid), are some of my favourites. If the pore is open, the build up inside oxidises, which is what creates a blackhead. If the pore is sealed with a layer of keratin, the contents can appear white, and is called a whitehead, or a closed comedone. Other areas on the body, such as the chest and back, which often have higher numbers of sebaceous glands, may also manifest enlarged pores, particularly if there is congestion present.
I have battled with enlarged pores all through my teenage years and well into my adult life. Mine have been triggered by photodamage and adult acne, which means I am committed to an exfoliating regimen to refine and smooth my skin. This means that they are less visible-rather than invisible, which is realistic. I adapt this seasonally, and as often as I need to, depending on what life throws at me, as my skin will almost always reflect this. I do feel that the key is to keep things simple as many exfoliating ingredients are multi-tasking, so skin care regimens (in clinic & at-home) can be kept affordable, streamlined and effective.
Everything starts with a detailed analysis of the skin-without visualising properly what’s happening in the deeper layers of the skin, we can’t recommend the most suitable combination of ingredients, let alone accurately monitor progress.
Check out the article here: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/visible-pores-are-normal
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