Pesky, pesky pores

Pesky pores… They appear on your face, commonly on your nose and cheeks, and you have tried just about every skincare in the market, but you cant seem to get rid of them. What next?

With Christmas round the corner, let me share with you some tips on how to get on top of this pesky problem.

What are pores?

Pores are akin to breathing holes for your skin. However, they tend to grow in size with age.

What causes pores?

Pores are caused by 3 main reasons.

First, impurities like dead skin, debris, excess oil is trapped inside and causes it to grow like a balloon.

Second, ageing causes the loss of collagen and elastin, so the pores lose the tautness and distends.

Finally environmental factors like smoking and sun exposure speeds up the ageing process via collagen breakdown.

So the big question is, how can you make your pores appear smaller?

1. Sun protection. Never leave home without them. Remember my T.C.S principle.
2. Exofoliate with your glycolics as these remove the dead skin cells and excess oil in your skin.
3. Antioxidants. Here’s where drinking your green tea and considering your Heliocare White Radiance will help. These reduce the photodamage to your skin and the loss of collagen and elastin.
4. Cleanse, tone and moisturize, because this will help to reduce the impurities clogging and distending your poor pore.

If after the above measures, you are still unhappy with the way your pores look, you may explore more advanced treatments. Let me share with you some.

(Example of a Carbon peel)

1. Lasers -Careful use of lasers to build collagen and tighten those pores will go a long way to improving the appearance. For example, the Carbon Peel has had good results with pore refining, oil reduction and rejuvenation of dull skin. In fact, it has been dubbed the Hollywood peel. Stars undergo this peel just before a red carpet event to give them a soft glow and a vibrant complexion. I have added the URL here for you to get a glimpse of this treatment in Hollywood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsGWROLBeUo
2. RF microneedling – In Korea, studies have demonstrated the efficacy of microneedling coupled with Radiofrequency heat energy to induce collagen and tighten pores. One example of such a machine is the Intracel.
3. Thermage – This is an advanced Radiofrequency machine which utilises heat to induce immediate collagen contraction and subsequent remodelling. They can be used as a mini skin-lift, to tighten pores and increase radiancy and vibrancy.
4. Microbotox – So the off label use of microbotox has in some instances, showen to cause reduction in pore size, oil production. sweat production and overall skin tightening. However, this is still an off-label indication so it is wise to speak to your dermatologist for further information.

(skincare.lovetoknow.com)

So I hope this has been useful. Remember, small pores are possible. Happy holidays!

Dr Daniel Chang

Be bold and beautiful. Making Raffles Place more beautiful, one face at a time.