Porefection

Concern with pore size is practically a national obsession. No doubt this is provoked by inescapable multimedia images of glamorous faces airbrushed to impossibly unattainable perfection. This skewed perception of how skin should look is as realistic as the Barbie doll's similarity to true female anatomy. The truth is that pores are a fact of life. They aren't invisible and everyone has them. But not everyone knows how best to minimize pores' appearance.

Porely Designed

Pores play a vital role in skin physiology. After all, without them we'd have nowhere for hair to grow out of, no method for skin oils to reach the surface, protecting skin from environmental dehydration.

Technically speaking, the pore is little more than the opening of the hair follicle onto the surface of the skin. The source of the hair follicle lies deep within the dermis. Midway up the dermal layer, the sebaceous oil gland empties into the hair follicle. Both skin oil (sebum) and the hair breach the surface through this tiny aperture. Wherever there is a hair, there will be a pore.

Larger Than Life

Why do pores appear larger than life? Anything that attracts attention or expands their natural architecture magnifies their appearance. These can be dealt with. However, the closer you look in the mirror, the larger those pores are going to appear. If you have a habit of examining your skin in the magnifying side of your beauty mirror, perhaps it isn't really your best friend. So put it aside and address these factors that really do play havoc with your pores.

• Genetics may certainly be to blame. Barely visible on those prone to drier skin, individuals with oily, thicker (glabrous) skin tend to have larger looking, more noticeable pores. This is often hereditary.

• Sun damage is another cause. As we age, one of the ways sun damage affects the skin is through the enlargement of the pores. Sun damage and aging cause the epidermis to thicken and a rim of cells are more likely to collect around individual pores. While microscopic, these rings exaggerate pore diameter.

• Pores may be more visible simply due to lack of good skin grooming and poor exfoliation. Too much surface oil and remnant naturally shed skin cells can collect around the edges of pores, creating the illusion of the pores being larger than they really are.

• Blackheads and enlarged pores often go hand-in-hand. Blackheads can either expand pores or simply focus attention on them. But pores can appear larger than life for many reasons, blackheads being but one of them.

Film Noir

Pores are a natural part of the skin; blackheads are the superficial plugs that may form within them. Pore dilatation begins with faulty exfoliation of cells lining the interior gland - cells are too "sticky" leading to microscopic plugs.

Sebaceous glands continue to produce sebum that accumulates behind the plug. Protracted pooling of skin oils serves to both nourishes bacteria (like P. acnes and S. epidermidis).

Dead skin cells, oils and bacteria choke the follicular opening, expanding the diameter of the pore. Blackheads medically termed "open comedones" - are an all too common outcome. Plugs within the pores composed of sebum, cellular debris and bacteria congest the gland and expand the pore. Contact with air allows oxygenation to take place, turning the plugs black, further heightening visibility.

In Search Of Porefection

An inordinate amount of time seems to be devoted to facials and extractions. Certainly well performed "physical" exfoliation can indeed cleanse cellular matter caught beneath the surface. But poorly executed, glands can be ruptured contributing to sudden acne flare-ups. What they don't do however is tackle those other contributing causes of large-looking pores. Chemical based treatments can often succeed in solving multiple issues. Sometimes a strategic combination produces the best results. Targeting the key factors that cause exaggerated pore diameter quickly minimize visibility.

• Unplugging debris
• Eliminating bacteria
• Reducing excessive oiliness
• Removing blackheads
• Smooth out the edges
• Reduce sun damage
• Draw the pores closed

Pore Performers

So you know what needs to be done, but how to accomplish the goal? These are the how's and why's of pore minimizing performers:

Azelaic Acid

Azelaic Acid is a naturally occurring dicarboxylic acid found in grains like wheat, rye and barley. Azelaic acid has been shown in lab studies to possess antibacterial activity against common skin bacteria Proprionobacterium acnes (P. acnes) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis). As shown by electron microscopic and routine histopathology evidence of patients enrolled in Azelex Cream studies, azeleic acid appears to be an effective means of reducing microcomedone formation. Azeleic acid can be found in prescription Azelex Cream and Finacea as well as nonprescription DERMAdoctor Picture Porefect Pore Minimizing Solution.

Topical Vitamin A Treatments

There are a myriad of prescription medications in this category: Retin A, Retin-A Micro Gel, Tazorac, Avita and Differin. Renova and Avage are their skin rejuvenating counterparts and also work to help as potent pore minimizers. Topical Vitamin A treatments work by normalizing the keratinization process. They help prevent the cells lining the gland from sticking together, promoting more effective exfoliation. Used on blackheads, they work to loosen the plug as well as chemically "peel" the rim of the pore ideally all without seeing flaking skin or irritation.

Retinol is an OTC form of Vitamin A. While not as potent as it's prescription counterpart, it still offers help in reducing pore visibility and improving skin texture. DERMAdoctor Poetry In Lotion intensive retinol 1.0 contains 1.0% retinol, which is very concentrated. Don't let retinol fool you; it's still as potentially irritating as the Rx options, so use any of these treatments sparingly, every other night and wait 30 minutes after washing before application. All increase sun sensitivity (meaning don't forget your SPF 30 during the day) and none should be used while pregnant or nursing.

Retinyl palmitate is another OTC form of topical Vitamin A used in skin care and is less potent than retinol. However, follow the above advice for it, too.

AHAs & BHA

As far back as Cleopatra, alpha hydroxy acids have been used in skin care. Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) is a blanket term for a variety of fruit acids including Glycolic, Citric, Lactic, Malic and Tartaric. AHAs help disintegrate the "glue" that hold dead, dry skin cells to the surface of the skin. By doing so, the epidermis is exfoliated leaving a silky texture. Removal of this external barrier enables easier, deeper penetration of other skin treatments as well.

BHA (beta hydroxy acid) is the trendy term for salicylic acid, a natural acid derived from willow bark, wintergreen leaves, and sweet birch bark. It also works to exfoliate cellular debris and unplug pores. It's a golden oldie effective ingredient often used in dermatology for acne therapy. Several skin care options incorporate both AHAs and BHA (such as DERMAdoctor Ain't Misbehavin' Intensive Medicated Blackhead Treatment) to help amplify chemical exfoliation.

Oil Reduction

Granted not everyone looking to minimize the appearance of their pores has an issue with oiliness. But if so, or if blackheads are an issue, reducing excessive surface skin oils helps reduce build-up and pore plugging which contributes to pore visibility. DERMAdoctor Tease Zone Oil Control Gel helps absorb oils and mattifies without drying out the skin. This makes it the perfect option no matter what skin type is being treated.

Those plagued by extreme oiliness may find that washing with DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Antioxidant Enhanced Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser 3 once or twice a day, followed by the application of MD Formulations Glycare Lotion and then DERMAdoctor Tease Zone Oil Control Gel is highly beneficial. If using a topical Vitamin A therapy every other night, such as Tazorac Gel, severe oiliness is rapidly controlled.

Physical Exfoliation

Whether looking to use an exfoliating cleanser such as Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, home microdermabrasion like DERMAdoctor Physical Chemistry Facial Microdermabrasion + Multiacid Chemical Peel or simply trying to extract that stubborn blackhead with Tweezerman No-Slip Skin Care Tool, remember gently does it! Physical exfoliation has its place in minimizing pore appearance. But don't scrub until your skin bleeds! If aggressive exfoliation is your passion, consider investing in a series of medical microdermabrasions or medically performed chemical peels.

Picture Porefect

DERMAdoctor Picture Porefect Pore Minimizing Solution removes excess skin oils, crops out blackheads and smoothes out edges. It works to effectively target blackheads, past sun damage, excess oil build-up, bacterial proliferation and poor exfoliation. It accomplishes this by containing azeleic acid; potent AHAs - glycolic, lactic, citric and tartaric acids; retinol, Sebum Sequestering Micro-Particle polymer technology to absorb excessive oils; green tea and willow bark to reduce inflammation often accompanying early acne. Finally it contains aluminum zirconium tetra chlorohydrex glycine, an active astringent agent that draws freshly cleansed pores closed. Essentially it's everything in a single product to keep your regimen simple and highly effective. Apply once or twice a day to keep skin looking radiant and flawless.

Thinking about trying to get skin like that model on the latest beauty magazine cover? Forget it she doesn't have that skin either! Don't let Nature determine your skin type. Follow the guidelines and let your skin be a vision of porefection.

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. I hope you have found it informative.

Audrey Kunin, M.D.

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)

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