We first need to define your skin care goals. What is your budget? If your budget is unlimited, then there are skin care specialists who will leave your skin looking marvelous—for a price. High-end pore masks and facials can run hundreds of dollars, but I have found that the ones priced $20-50 do the job almost as well.

Are you just concerned with clear pores, or are you also worried about acne? What about your skin type? Is your skin oily? Is it sensitive? Are your problems so serious that you should see a dermatologist? By defining our goals and skin type we are able to choose the best pore clearing treatment.

Our first and simplest weapon to clear pores is the facial cleanser. A simple, gentle facial soap can do wonders in removing oil and dirt from the pores. I recommend washing your face twice daily for a week before attempting the more rigorous pore cleansing method described below.

Once you have your regular washing program in place, it is time to try more aggressive pore cleaning. A pore mask with a clay base (kaolin is usually considered the best) promotes clear pores and absorbs oil. Quality masks can be purchased for as little as $20 for 1 oz. Some masks contain additives to help those with sensitive skin or problem acne.

How does it work? The clay works like a natural sponge, sucking out all of the oil and impurities from your skin. Some people experience dryness after applying the mask, so you may want to choose one with aloe or other soothing additives. When completed, you may also want to apply some moisturizer.

Repeating this procedure once or twice a week can do wonders to promote clear pores. Of course, you should only proceed if you do not experience excessive dryness or irritation. For most women, taking these steps is enough for a beautiful complexion and the end of large pores.

Related Articles: How to Keep Your Pores Clear, What Causes Oily Skin?

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1) Preventing Blackheads

The best way to get rid of blackheads is to prevent them from ever happening in the first place! This starts with good prevention. The number one step you can take to prevent blackheads is washing your face with a mild soap that doesn’t leave a residual layer of soap. Cetaphil is my personal favorite, but others may also be effective.

For more stubborn blackheads, more drastic measures may need to be taken. If you have read through this site, you probably know that I am a big fan of facial pore mask. After regular washing, I feel that nothing prevents clogged pores better than a clay facial mask. These masks have been used since time immemorial to absorb oil and dirt from deep within the pores, stopping blackheads before they happen.

Another line of defense is to exfoliate regularly. Exfoliation removes dead and dying skin cells, exposing younger ones. This is beneficial for two reasons. One, it exposes any newly forming blackheads to your soap and clay face mask and two, it removes some of the detritus that clogs pores in the first place. This one-two punch is a great measure against closed comedones.

2) Removing Blackheads

No matter how rigorous the prevention regime, a few blemishes will still pop up on our noses or chins. That is just the depressing truth. My first piece of advise is to just leave it alone until it heals. To speed things up, you can try taking a steamy shower and/or apply a warm washcloth to your face to loosen up the clogged pore. After a few minutes the blackhead might be removed by very gently rubbing your skin with a cloth.

As a practical matter, however, I realize that always taking the patient approach is nigh impossible. The world does not stop turning for a blackhead. There are still meetings to attend, nights out with friends and dates to take care of and comedomes do not often fit in with that equation.

No matter how tempting, whatever you do, do not use your fingers to pop it. Why? Look at the infected pore. Now look at your finger. Notice how much bigger your finger and fingernail is compared to the pore. That means that you won’t be able to precisely target the clogged pore while leaving the healthy skin unscathed. Using your fingers to get rid of a blackhead is akin to using a sledgehammer to hang a picture on the wall!

If you absolutely must get rid of a clogged pore immediately, you should definitely use a blackhead remover. As always, follow the instructions regarding the operation of the remover. Just remember, comedones are an infection, so take the proper precautions to prevent spreading the offending bacteria. Always sterilize the blackhead remover before using. And remember, using a remover should be used only for “emergencies” and not part of your regular skin care routine.

Before we move on, a word on pore strips. Some people swear by these, but they have never worked for me — all they do for me is redden and irritate my nose. But they do work for some of my friends and clients. So, you may want to try them to get rid of blackheads, but don’t expect miracles.

3) Healing Blackheads

After the offending blackhead has been removed, how can we promote healing of the now empty pore? Proper healing will limit unsightly redness that often lingers on for days and, hopefully, prevent it from coming back. The number one thing to remember is that blackheads are an infection, so be careful to avoid contaminating your uninfected, healthy skin. We need to contain the damage to the smallest area possible.

The first step to recovery is to disinfect the now-empty pore. Apply a small amount of gentle, antibacterial cream or foam. You can find these at most drug stores. Remember, as always, avoid harsh products that leave your face red and raw.

If at all possible, avoid applying makeup to the affected area. You definitely do not want clog up the empty pore with makeup and cause the problem to start anew! Along the same lines, avoid exposing your open pore to a lot of dirt and dust. No need to sleep in a bubble or anything, just try to avoid very greasy or dirty conditions. As a matter of fact, you should probably avoid these conditions even when you do not have an open pore.

It is impossible to say how long it will take for the removed blackhead to heal. I’ve noticed that there is a lot of variability on my face depending on it was on my forehead or nose. This variability is even more pronounced from person to person. Just keep an eye on it and once it looks healed it is OK to treat it normally again. Just remember to keep up your prevention efforts. The battle against blackheads never ends, but it can be a winning one if you follow these steps.

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Firstly, do not go overboard.  It may be tempting to use a mask or peel every night, but this is not the answer.  It will only lead to irritation and redness.  It won’t matter how clear your pores are if your skin is unattractive and red!

Secondly, keep your skin clean.  Use a mild soap twice a day.  I emphasize mild; irritation is not your friend.  The goal here is to gently dislodge any dirt that may be in the pores and to wash away oils and dirt before they enter the pore.  It is much easier to maintain clear pores than to clean out clogged pores.

Third, once or, at most, twice a week you will want to use a pore mask if you have found them successful in the past.  Do not use if not effective.  Clay masks are known to clear pores and absorb oil

Fourth, do not pick at any acne or blackheads that come up.   Acne can be treated with a number of over the counter remedies.  There are a number of gentle facial scrubs that you may use to dislodge any blackheads.  See your dermatologist for moderate to severe acne and blackheads.  Regardless, picking leave open pores that can easily become clogged again.  You have to eliminate picking to keep those pores clear.

If possible, and this is easier said than done, you should try to keep your stress levels low.  When your stress levels rise, your brain releases the chemical cortisol, which causes you to sweat.  This can lead to clogged pores.  Reduced stress levels help even more than keeping your pores clean; it can also promote heart health.

Drink lots of water.  Hydrated skin is healthy skin.  Some also believe that vitamin B can help with oily skin.  As always, respect the FDA recommendations.  Do not take more than is recommended by the FDA.  Beyond recommendation on specific vitamins and minerals, a healthy, balanced diet promotes healthy skin and may help keep your pores clear.

Finally, if you have trouble spots where your pores clog up despite doing everything right there are spot treatments.  These are typically stronger and harsher than everyday treatments and, as the name implies, should only be applied to trouble spots.  They can, however, maintain clear pores around your trouble spots.

With these simple measures, you will be well on your way to a healthy face and beautiful skin.

Related Articles: How to Shrink and Clear Pores, What Causes Oily Skin?

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Price: $28.36

Large Pores Featured Product

Best for: Dryer skin, rejuvenating more mature skin.

This is my absolute favorite peel on the market today. After using this product, your face is left with a glowing, youthful appearance. It is full of antioxidants and citrus extracts that are thought to retard the aging process. This peel can feel rather intense, so please, start with a small test patch before applying to your whole face.

Uses: This product rejuvenates your skin, leaving it with a youthful, radiant glow. It is also chalk-full of antioxidents that are thought to retard the aging process.

Mechanism: It contains tons of anti-oxidants!

Passionfruit Fruit Juice: antioxidant, moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, promotes skin rejuvenation and anti-aging benefits

Glycolic Acid: derived from rhubarb. This ingredient improves skin texture and smoothes out micro-winkles by relieving the skin of keratinized cells and propoting cellular growth.

L-Malic Acid: from apples, potent antioxidant, skin exfoliationant and cellular renewal agent

Mandelic Acid (L): hydrates skin, antioxidant protection, anti-bacterial properties

Tartaric Acid (L): from grapes. loosens dead cellular by dissolving the inter-cellular glues that hold barrier cells to the skin.

Glucuronic Acid: sugar polymer from plants, promotes skin healing after the peel, provides protection, reduces aging.

Beet Root Extract: hydrating and antioxidant, known to cleanse and purify the skin

Raspberry Fruit Extract: antioxidant, solar protection, anti-inflammatory

Blood Orange Oil: strengthens capillaries, soothing

Organic Grapefruit Peel EO: antioxidant, anti-bacterial, aromatherapeutic

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Price: $18.50 (28% Off)

Amazon.com and Large Pores Best Seller

Best for: Mildly rejuvenating your skin; smoothing and preventing small wrinkles; restoring skin elasticity.

This is a wonderful little product that nearly has the skin rejuvenating properties of a peel, without the discomfort of a peel. Basically, for the maximum skin rejuvenation, I recommend a peal, but the fact is that many women find peels uncomfortable or downright painful. If that is you, than Olay Regenerist is a great option. It provides almost as much skin rejuvenating and wrinkle fighting power as a peel without the stinging!

Uses: Briefly, Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting cream is a peel without the pain. Regular use may promote reduced wrinkling, improved skin elasticity, as well as micro sculpting. This is one of the better anti-aging products on the market today—especially at this price level.

Mechanism: There are a ton of ingredients in Regenerist, more than any of our products. Now, I’m no scientist, but it appears that these are the most important:

Amino-Peptide. This is Olay’s “secret sauce;” what makes Regenerist different than other products on the market. Amino-peptides have demonstrated amazing anti-inflammatory properties deep below the skin’s surface, promoting the formation of new tissue and reducing wrinkles.

Green Tea. Naturally extracted from green tea leaves, green tea extract is a powerful anti-oxidant that may retard the aging process and prevent cell damage.

Pro-Vitamin B5. Also called vitamin B5, it is an effective anti-acne treatment and skin moisturizer.

Vitamin B3. Also called niacin, this vitamin B3 has been shown to promote skin hydration and improve circulation. It also improves a number of cosmetic properties: it can reduce wrinkles and discolorations and improves skin elasticity.

Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant and moisturizer. It is also thought to fight damage caused by environmental pollutants.

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While our skin requires some oil for it to be healthy, many of us with oily skin and large pores are very self-conscious of the greasy and shiny appearance of very oily skin. Even worse, oily skin can promote the growth of Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria responsible for acne. So, what causes oily skin?

Genetics

We are largely a product of our parents’ genes. Genetics plays an important role in height, intelligence, weight, and even our complexion. Some people are simply genetically predisposed to secrete more sebum than others. For better or for worse, we cannot change our genes. So, if your parents struggled with oily skin, chances are high that you too will be prone to oily skin.

Hormones

Have you ever noticed that you rarely see children with oily skin? This is because our bodies do not start producing the sex hormones that spur our sebaceous glands to begin producing a lot of sebum until puberty. After puberty, sebum production is somewhat constant over time for men. However, women often see fluctuations in skin oil throughout the menstrual cycle. Birth control pills or pregnancy may also affect oil production

Diet

The medical community believes that diet has little, if any, effect on sebum production, and therefore, oily skin. However, some people swear that their oily skin is negatively affected by certain kinds of food. Whichever side is correct, it is certain that a healthy, balanced diet will promote overall skin health.

Environment

Hot and humid weather causes more sweating and puts our sebaceous glands into overtime. Further, some environmental pollutants can cause our skin to produce more oil, especially fine particulates, like soot from automobile exhaust. This is why “summer in the city” is so detrimental to our skin.

Cosmetics

It is very unlikely that cosmetics promote the production of sebum. However, some cosmetics can serve to clog the pores, which can cause acne. This can exacerbate the problem of oily skin. Noncomedogenic makeup is often marketed for oily skin. It will not reduce sebum production, but it may prevent acne and mask any unattractive “greasy” looking skin.

Stress

Many people notice that their skin produces more oil when they are stressed. Science backs up this observation. When we are stressed, our endocrine system can pump out a potent cocktail of hormones that has the unfortunate side-effect of causing oily skin.

The below articles and products may help you treat your oily skin and large pores.

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Many women (and some lucky men) associate pore masks with luxurious spa retreats.  But you do not need to be at a spa, wearing a terrycloth robe with cucumber slices on your eyes to enjoy the benefits of a facial mask (but that sure sounds relaxing!).  They are available for purchase at finer beauty salons and at online stores.

Classic pore masks are made from clay, usually kaolin.  Kaolin has been used by women for many, many years to clear pores and to maintain a youthful appearance.  Basically, kaolin is natural super-absorbing sponge that sucks out all of the oil and detritus on your face.  This can minimize the appearance of large pores.

This benefits your face in a number of ways.  Firstly, it makes your pores appear smaller.  When the dirt is removed large pores are less prominent.  The skin will appear firmer and tighter.  Also, women with oily skin will benefit as their skin appears healthier.  Finally, a pore mask not only helps the skin, they also prevent acne.

These days, many facial masks contain more exotic ingredients in addition to clay.  The most common additive is aloe vera to moisturize the skin.  This is a nice ingredient, because some women experience dryness of the face after using a kaolin pore mask.  While aloe vera is the most common moisturizer present in pore masks, it is certainly not the only one used.   Vitamin B5 and vitamin E are two other additives for moistening the skin

Finally, some facial masks add even more specialized ingredients—botanical extracts.  These plant-derived ingredients can have any number of beneficial properties.  Some, such as lemon grass oil and raspberry fruit extract are powerful anti-inflammatory chemicals that may also help reduce the impact of large pores.  Others, such as L-malic acid, vitamin E and green tea are anti-oxidants that might be able to prevent cellular damage.  Amazingly, some, such as mandelic acid and lemon grass oil can even kill acne-causing bacteria!

It is my belief than any woman (and, for that matter man) can benefit from regular pore mask treatments.  However, women with oily skin and large pores will probably benefit the most.  Some may also see a side benefit in acne reductions.

Related Articles: How to Use a Pore Mask, Pore Mask Buying Guide, What Causes Oily Skin?

Pore Care Articles: How to Shrink and Clear Pores, How to Keep Your Pores Clear

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Price: $30.00 (25% Off)

Large Pores Featured Product

Best for: Shrinking pores, oily skin, and mild acne.

This is my favorite pore mask on this site. It is one of the best ones I have ever tried. Granted, I have never tried any of the $100-plus masks, but I would never pay that much for any home beauty product. It is probably the most gentle clay-based pore mask I have ever tried. If you love the pore cleaning and shrinking properties of a pore mask, but have skin that is too sensitive to bear the dry sensation, this might be the product for you. . The mask is also self-heating, which not only is a neat sensation, it also makes the treatment more effective. And, yes, it has the pleasant aroma of pumpkins

Uses: Like all clay pore masks, it absorbs oil and clears pores. It also gently exfoliates and nourishes the skin.

Mechanism: This product contains kaolin clay to minimize pores and absorb oil. Zeolite gently heats the skin, to open the pores and treat them more effectively. Vitamin E nourishes the skin. The pumpkin supposedly helps rejuvenate and smoothen skin; I am not sure about that claim but it definitely smells nice.

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