Among the most stubborn and tricky-to-treat skin-care problems are large pores. Simply put, they're difficult to eliminate completely, in fact, many people end up choosing and using products or treatments that can actually make matters worse. To achieve the best possible results, you need to know exactly what works and what doesn't, luckily, this is something that the team of skin specialists our 8 West Clinic can help with.
Trust Our Skin Specialists to Help You Figure Out How to Shrink Pores
Board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Buonassisi provides a variety of medical laser and skin treatments in Vancouver, BC from medical grade skin care to laser skin resurfacing. He and his team of skin specialists have extensive experience with the vast array of products and technologies that help prevent and correct large pores.
How Pores Become Enlarged
There are several main contributing factors when it comes to large pores. To start, people with naturally oily or acne-prone skin tend to have larger-looking pores due to the simple fact that, when oil and dirt collect in the skin, they can cause irritation and swelling, making pores appear bigger than usual. Large pores may also occur as you get older and your skin loses some of its elasticity - i.e., the collagen and elastin in your skin that work to keep pores small and tight is diminished. Sun damage, which typically accumulates with age, may also impact the look of pores by causing your skin to thicken and for skin cells to collect around the edges of the pores, effectively stretching them out. Gender-wise, men tend to have larger pores than women, though women may experience enlarged pores more frequently during periods of hormonal change for instance, during menstruation. Finally, whether you're male or female, genetics can, too, play a role when it comes to the size of your pores. So, if one or both of your parents have large pores, you may eventually experience a similar condition.
Preventing Large Pores: Your First Line of Defence
Prevention of large pores starts with keeping your skin clean and free of oil and debris; getting started on a medical-grade skin-care plan, including products that introduce age-appropriate combinations of skin protection and strengthen the skin's barrier function, can help. Also, considering the damage too much exposure to sunlight can do, a key step in the prevention of large pores should be sun avoidance in other words, cover up with protective clothing, always use a physical sun block and, as much as you can, stay out of the sun for prolonged periods of time.
How to Minimize Large Pores
Though large pores are difficult to eliminate completely, modern treatments can be effective in improving their appearance, with varying degrees of downtime:
- Little-to-no downtime: Chemical peels help keep skin exfoliated and can be customized to suit patients with oily or acne-prone skin. A second alternative in this category, BroadBand Light (BBL) Photofacial Rejuvenation, can minimize the appearance of pores with the added benefit of reducing sun damage and hyperpigmentation.
- Some downtime: If you have a bit of time to spare in treating your large pores, consider a micro laser peel a gentle, assisted skin peel for those seeking an all-around, full-face rejuvenation. Alternately, treatment via a Halo Hybrid Fractional Laser combines the benefits of ablative and fractionated laser resurfacing for truly dramatic results with only two to three days of total downtime.
- More downtime: If you possess slightly more serious skin conditions such as deep wrinkling and severe scarring, both of which can lead to large pores and other issues and can spare one or two weeks for recovery, you may be a candidate for Contour TLR Laser Skin Resurfacing, which, essentially, renews the overall look of damaged skin. Just remember, diagnosis via an in-depth skin analysis with an experienced medical laser esthetician is essential to determining whether use of this tool or any other type of laser will be beneficial.
Your Tailored Treatment Plan
We are a team of skin specialists, including medical aestheticians with 10-plus years of experience, working under the direction of a facial plastic surgeon with 15 years of experience. We specialize in designing signature, comprehensive treatment plans for large pores and other skin conditions based on your unique needs. Your objectives, budget and tolerance for downtime are always taken into consideration.
What Are You Waiting For?
If you're ready to experience beautiful, youthful skin for yourself, contact us. Our team of experts will work closely with you to find the best treatment plan, keeping your budget and downtime needs in mind, to help you achieve radiant skin that shines and glows. We offer the complete spectrum of medical services, both surgical and non-surgical, to help you get the results you desire. Our missions is to help you love you skin. Call (604) 733-1669 today.