Want to reduce the pores on your face? These are the products that actually work, according to our skin therapist interviewed by the ANDC magazine.
Hetty Notebomer Jan 22, 2024
Do you want to reduce the pores on your face? Then you can calmly join the other millions of people with that wish – all staring at the same skincare videos on TikTok. Really fun and nice, but what actually works?
Done buying products and trying treatments for sauce. In 2024, we will only do things that actually work. List us a strong plan.
On to smaller pores
Let's debunk a myth about pore fables: pores are part of our skin. You'll never completely get rid of them. And you don't want to, because they help your skin breathe well. Without them, your face would become dry and clogged with oil and sebum. So it's important to keep them clean, making them less noticeable. 'Then they use transparent powder-containing skincare,' says Hetty Notebomer, skin therapist and owner of the Skin Therapist Clinic. 'It mattifies your skin, making your pores less noticeable. That's not the same as: getting rid of pores!' It's logical that you'd want to find something that really works.
You can learn to exfoliate
A good exfoliant is a good idea, according to Hetty: 'exfoliate the whole thing. By exfoliating, you remove dead skin cells, making pores less noticeable. This is useful if you have a lot of trouble with blackheads and impurities.' Hetty recommends an exfoliant with BHA or AHA. 'Use it a few times a week. You can just toss it in your basket at the Kruidvat around the first corner. And no: don't use coarse scrubs or glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and other acids work better, as they penetrate deeper into the grooves or pores,' Hetty explains.
Glycolic acid is known for reducing fine lines, but it also works on the layer of dead skin cells and stimulates cell renewal. The same goes for salicylic acid, but it works a bit more on your skin's sebum production. Vitamin A, also known as the miracle worker when it comes to cell renewal, promotes the production of collagen and elastin. 'If you want to reduce your pores, this step simply cannot be missed.'
Clean canvas
A good start is half the battle, even before you start exfoliating. 'The foundation is a good cleansing,' says Hetty. 'That's the first step in this story. If you don't cleanse your skin well, the exfoliant can't do its job. Then you're actually putting in effort for nothing and applying everything to your skin for no reason. Only once the skin is well cleansed can you start exfoliating. 'Start with exfoliating at least three times a week, and you'll see results after two weeks.' Looking forward to it.
On the chair with it
Don't feel like figuring all this out yourself, but do want to just lie in a treatment room of a skin therapist? That works too. At a skin clinic, pores can be reduced using lasers, peels, microneedling, and hydrafacials. All these treatments work on the layer of dead skin cells and stimulate cell division and cell renewal. We now know what that means: smaller pores, here we come.
It's up to you whether you prefer to take control yourself or take a seat in a chair. Both are fine, as long as you remember that a completely smooth face is unattainable. Those pores are part of it, no matter how you turn it. It's a matter of acceptance.
