open pores and skin care

[ItsAllTurnedToShit]

Hi. I never venture onto this topic so sorry if this has been done before many times. I am neither stylish nor beatiful, but I hope you'll have me for a short visit . I have always had huge (to me) pores on my nose and cheeks. I squeeze them (I know, I know) amd they often have stuff in them (tmi), even though I cleanse and moiturise morning and night. I use biore strips once a week (highlight of my week actually) and loads of stuff comes out! Is my cleanser not doing the job or will I just always have to keep on top of them? I use cheap Dove bars or currently Boots wipe off stuff. Any advice on how ot make them smaller and less, well, full? thanks

awwww

I've used this in the past and it's worked for me.

Might be worth looking on reviews, the tubes lasts ages. Estee Lauder do some stuff as well, they're here. Hope this helps at all.

Also do you exfoliate once a week with a decent scrub?

Hi - I've got bigguns too (pores that is).

I think that the Clinique range is really good - the concealer and the treatment cream/primer

For cleansing I've found the Neutrogena kit - which is a little hand-held thingy which you fit a round cleansing pad onto, wet it, and then it sort of vibrates to get the cleanser right into the pores.

I've got quite dry skin and I think the danger is in drying your skin out with treatments for open pores, but these seem to have helped. I think they appear bigger if I've been too harsh with my skin

you need the oil cleansing method. i used to have massive open pores. i have oily mediterranean skin, and now have totally clear smooth skin with no visible pores.

it´s genetic, and you cannot make big pores smaller.

Primer is a silicon based cream that will make your skin look smoother, as it fills pores up.

I reckon it´s best to leave them alone, no squeezing, no blocking with make up...apart from special occasions.

Too much cleansing actually makes the skin produce more and more of its own oils (the stuff you squeeze out). It´s a vicious cycle.

I find the more you leave skin alone, the better it looks in the long run.

you need to clean the oil with oil. no moisturiser. it WORKS.

Mine look better in summer, too

ruddy - what oil do you recommend ?

olive oil. little bottle from boots costs less than £2. if i run out i use oil from the kitchen though. makes no difference.

to clear the pores in the first place though i used 90% olive oil and 10% castor oil (also small bottle from boots) decanted into one of their travel size pump dispenser bottles. this got rid of all the gunk. seriously, i am AMAZED.

i now just use the olive oil to maintain it.

if my skin feels a bit dry then i make a scrub with salt (from the kitchen) and olive oil. this is very rare.

then after oil rubbed in i steam a bit with hot flannel then wipe it off.

buy it now!

i've the same prob so i'm watching with interest! i've caught a little bit of sun in the last few weeks and mine look well better!

my only other advice is never to moisturise the area!

Right, I'm trying that! Thanks

remember NO moisturiser!! and it won't work if you do something like oil cleanse one day then not the next. it's not a mix and match thing. look it up, threads on here and out there in internetland

Right. Got it

< salutes >

How interesting! So, Ruddy, please talk me through this exactly, morning and night time routine. Should I still moisturise rest of face (Just bought lovely night cream, oh pleeease?). I steam face daily with flannel? many thanks

what about those of whose pores are just empty craters = I get nothing out of them sadly - no fun to be had - just great holes... does oil work for them?

morning-

50p size blob of oil in hand, rub oil all over face, massaging it thoroughly. concentrate on worst areas.

hot hot water on flannel. wring it out. hold to face til it cools a bit. wipe oil off face.

no moisturiser anywhere at all.

evening-

hot flannel. wipe face. no oil. no moisturiser.

that's really it

some people try different oils or mixtures of oils. like i said before, castor oil mixed in with olive oil is a good starter.

however, too much castor oil is quite drying. so you may need to experiment depending on your skin type. i'm now using just olive oil.

i have lived with open pores, black heads, spots, oily t zone, dry a zone. and now, seriously, i have perfectly perfect skin.

wish someone told me about this when i was 15! thank you mumsnet

Thank you ruddynorah, for taking the time to do this. I will have to pluck up the courage to start it I think. Anyone want to try it with me...?

I had a go this morning - the oil felt lovely on my skin and made it so soft until I washed it off and then it was so tight I had to use moisturiser .. I did avoid my craters though so will see what happens if I carry on like this..

I was going to do it this morning but forgot and washed in the shower. I'll give it a go though.

ruddy - are you with the Olive Oil Marketing Board ?

Yes, I've tried this a few times and the next morning my skin feels as if I've had a facial.

But then I get a shower and it's tight and dry again, so I have to moisturise, which apparently spoils the whole effect.

What should you do in this instance?

if you feel like you need to moisturise then either you need to get used to a non moisturised face IYSWIM, or it could be that you need to try a different oil. there are sites about different oils if you google a bit.

what oil are you using?

when you're 'washing' it off what are you doing? i really just hold the hot flannel to my face and wipe quite lightly. like there is usually a bit of oil left. it's not a massive washing off, just a little wipe.

then you see your skin doesn't need to over produce oil cos you haven't stripped the natural oil away.

maybe in the shower try massaging your oil on, then get in the shower, do your stuff, then do the hot flannel bit after your shower.

if you're washing your hair in the shower then you'll need to oil after your shower, as i assume you get some suds on your face.

i don't have this problem as i do 'the curly girl method' with my hair so wash it very rarely.

and i promise i'm not with the oil marketing board..though my grandparents in morocco do run a farm where they grow olive oil, along with pomegranets..think i'm missing a trick there aren't i???

I'm intrigued by this and am going to give the olive oil a go, but need to ask ruddynorah (new MN skin guru!) how to get make up off at the end of the day, as I don't think a hot flannel will be enough for foundation and moisturiser. I suppose I could use the oil at the end of the day and the flannel in the morning instead?

Thanks!