I never had the kind of acne that causes the large red pimples shown most often in ads for Proactiv, for example. Sure, I broke out on occasion, and it may have been slightly more intense as a teenager than it is now, but my main problem has always been clogged pores. I have what appears to be blackheads all over my face. They’re small, but they are everywhere. I wash my face regularly but not to excess. I’ve gradually adjusted my skincare regimen as I’ve gotten older (no more Sea Breeze for me), yet it seems as though every single pore on my face is clogged.
I use Bare Escentuals makeup, but it only seems to accentuate each one. In the last 7 or 8 years, I’ve all but given up the sun. Instead, I spend minimal time exposed to the sun; if I sit outside, I usually maneuver myself into the shade somehow. I use self-tanners on my body, but I can’t use them on my face because the pigment tends to darken my clogged pores instead of my skin. I’ve been dying to try out the Olay Touch of Sun facial moisturizer that has a little tanner in it because I use the body lotion version, but I’ve been afraid that I’ll spend $12 on it and not want to use it.
I’ve tried pore minimizers, but they do no good because the reason my pores are enlarged is because they are clogged with oil. I bought Biore Pore Perfect strips when they were introduced on the market. They worked somewhat, but I was disappointed to find out that the strips were only made to fit the “T-zone” while my entire face is stricken with the nasty little things. When Neutrogena came out with their “Blackhead Eliminating” product line, I bought every single product. I used them as directed until they were empty, but noticed no significant improvement. I’ve tried Avon’s skin polishing products hoping that if I exfoliated well on a regular basis, it may help unclog pores. Nothing.
I remember hearing about a technique used by professional aestheticians in which blackheads were gently suctioned out of the skin once the pores were opened either by steam or chemical treatment. When I scheduled a facial a couple years ago, I asked the woman about that technique. I was told that it is harmful to the skin, and no one practices it. She then proceeded to try to manually extract the larger ones using her fingertips (and I was always told never to do that!)
So, here I am, wondering if I am dreaming the impossible dream of completely rejuvenating my skin. Am I doomed to live the rest of my life as a slave to foundation because I can’t stand to look at my pores? Has anyone here ever had a similar problem to which a solution was found? If so, please share…
I would love to visit a dermatologist, but I live in a small, geographically-isolated town. The closest city is 200 miles away. There are only two dermatologists here. Neither of them treats patients who have problems like mine. I called each of them and was told that they limit their individual practices to skin diseases rather than skin problems.
There is a salon here in town that has an aesthetician on staff. When I spoke to her, she kept referring to her treatments as “acne treatments.” I am waiting for my schedule to clear so I can set up a consultation appointment with her.
Blackheads can be super annoying, for sure. Something like ProActive will most likely dry out your skin and you’ll just wind up red and irritated.
Generally, a mild exfoliator can be helpful to reduce blackheads.
I’m curious though - are your pores enlarged with blackheads, or are they quite small, and you just notice them? The reason I ask is becasue some women assume if you can see their pores at all they have a problem, or have blackheads. Thats just not true - healthy skins have visible pores - those with no visible pores are either very dry, or airbrushed.
I’ve read many places that salicylic acid is best for clearing pores. It has the ability to penetrate deep into the pore and also has - I can’t think of the word I want - exfoliating type properties in that it helps unplug what has plugged your pores.
Clean & Clear has the best and cheapest salicylic product, IMO. It has 2.0% salicylic acid. I use this under makeup, although I put a bit of oil-free moisturizer on top after the product has had 10-15 minutes to soak into my skin because it will leave a residue that will screw up your makeup.
Also, Neutrogena has a line of foundation with .05% salcylic acid which I also use.
If the salicylic acid alone is not working, you may want to switch off and use 2.5% benzoyl peroxide every other day. Check labels! Most benzoyl peroxide products in the store are 10%, which you do not want. Ten percent will dry out your skin, which blocks your pores, which causes blackheads! Alas, any 2.5% formulation in the store is going to be really expensive. Acne.org sells a BIG tube of 2.5% benzoyl peroxide gel for cheap.
As for soap, my dermatologist recommended Purpose Soap.
As far as the size of your pores, I can’t find a cite right now, but I have read that pore size is genetic, and you can’t really shrink them. However, you can clear blackheads, thanks be to gawd.
Check out the rest of the acne.org site. There’s a lot of good info on there.
My pores are very definitely enlarged. I can remember what it was like to have nearly invisible pores when I was in my early teens. My pores are so much larger than they used to be that I can actually see the contour of each one even when I back up from the mirror.
It’s not so much the size of my pores that bothers me, really. I would be happy if I could just clear them out.
You skin sounds much like mine. I use a 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion (2.5% in the winter) to prevent future breakouts. If you’re not currently using an acne lotion, start with 2.5% as benzoyl peroxide can be drying.
I used to have a black head problem until I discovered beta hydroxy exfoliators which are basically salicylic acids like niblet_head suggests. I’ve gone from always stressing about blackheads to forgetting I ever had a problem. My pores are still a little bigger than I’d like but they’re clean.
If you look at the Proactive routine, it’s basically a benzoyl peroxide/glycolic acid routine. It can be drying but I think it works for a lot of people because they finally start a consistent skin care routine instead of constantly trying different products. Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid as opposed to salicylic acid which is a beta hydroxy. I used to use alpha hydroxy but I didn’t see a real difference in my blackheads until I started using the beta hydroxy.
I personally use Paula’s Choice products I get online 'cause I think they’re a better value than products you get in the drugstore (it’s also hard to find benzoyl peroxide lotions that aren’t maximum strength for teenagers in the drugstore). She’s go some good info on that site; it’s worth checking out.
I tried that Bare Escentuals stuff 'cause I read all the rave reviews over the web but I didn’t like it. The coverage was great (but a little heavy, I thought) but it made my skin feel coated. I think maybe oily skin isn’t good with the powder. I currently use Precriptives Invisible Skin and I’m much happer with the sheer coverage and don’t break out. But, as always, YMMV.
Sorry, but is there any particular reason y’all are using makeup? I had cruddy skin and makeup just made it worse. Now the only things I do if going somewhere fancy [or doing the family photo pose thang] is a dab of mascara, a bit of eye shadow and liner, and lipstick. My skin is clear [except for a few days around the most annoying time of month] and I don’t have pore/blackhead issues at all.
So people can see I have freckles, I don’t care I like not having to do the whole dog and pony show. I am addicted to lush cosmetics and use the same soap everywhere [this week it is some ginger smelling stuff, last month it was red rooster, which is orange/cinnamon/clove] and have no skin issues any more.
It’s not the make-up that causes the black heads (or at least it isn’t for me). I used to never wear foundation and I still had blackheads until I started using the beta hydroxy (seriously, try it for a month, my nose looks so great). I use foundation now because I work in a professional office and I want to look polished. I don’t goop it on, I use it sparingly to even out my skin tone (my nose and chin tend to be ruddier than the rest of my face).
When I finally saw a dermatologist for my skin almost 10 years ago (pimples in my 30’s? Fuck this…), he gave me a couple of choices. I could go for a “pharmaceutical” line of products that could cost a ton of money…
Or, I could go with Neutrogena. I gave it a try, and have never stopped. I get NO pimples. None. I wash with the oil-free acne wash or acne formula soap in the morning, followed by the Moisture moisturizer with the spf 15. That’s it. maybe I’ll splurge, wash again at night, and use the cool activated copper night cream.
It’s been that simple for me, and I had breakouts my whole life.
Sure, my facialist complains that OTC stuff is crap, full of preservatives or whatever. All I know is that I have had stellar results, so why should I change to some over-priced flavor of the month that the salon or spa is pushing? Besides, their “best” seems to change every couple of months.
I used to use Aveda, but have much better skin with Neutrogena. So much so, that I hardly wear makeup anymore, and I just turned 39! I look great without it now!
What exactly is your face washing regimin? Do you leave your makeup on all day, or wash it with makeup remover as soon as you get home from work? Do you wash in the morning and before bed?
Do you keep your pillowcases clean? Do you wash right after you’ve been sweating? Do you touch your face alot? Do you keep your hands clean?
Have you tried seeing what happens if you go without makeup for a day or two?
You could be doing something you’re not aware of that is getting your face dirty and getting dirt into those pores. Unfortunately there’s a lot of stuff you might want to check out and eliminate to see if the problem is external and can be cleared up w/o using chemicals.
For the record, I don’t worry about my gross pores but I hate getting pimples. I’m 27 and I still get them regularly…except I have finally found the solution that totally works for me. I use the Noxema Continuous Clean Microbead Cleanser every day, before bed, IN THE SHOWER. I’ve never used facewash in the shower before but I feel like I get my face extra cleaned because I’ve got room to be messy. I also make sure I wash my face the last thing - to clear off any conditioner that might have gotten on my face. Amazingly, I haven’t had any zits since I started using it around January…except once when I switched to Noxema’s Daily Exfoliating Cleanser for a bit when I couldn’t find the good stuff. As soon as I switched back, the zits went away.
I don’t wear makeup but I sweat nearly every day (from working out). And I only wash my face once a day (at night in the shower) and it really worked for me.
I remove blackheads by pulling them out with a pair of tweezers. I use Tweezerman tweezers, the kind that are marketed for ingrown hairs and splinters. Use a magnifying mirror and you might see that some blackheads protrude slightly from the skin. Grab the sides of the blackheads and ease them out. Sometimes you’ll feel a sort of tickling sensation. Clean face with astringent and tweezers with alcohol. It takes a while to make a noticeable difference. When you first remove a blackhead, it leaves a huge looking crater, but the skin relaxes after a couple of hours and the pore seems to get smaller. I’ve found that my pores have gotten smaller and shallower after doing this procedure for a while. My husband used to have a few “motherlode pores” that I worked on, and now he’s only got one left, which is quite a lot shallower and smaller than it used to be.
My pores still clog up occasionally, but not nearly as badly, and not as often.
Make SURE to clean your face and tweezers well, and of course use clean hands to do this.
All of the advice given here is good, but skincare is a very individual thing. No single product or line works for everyone. Like **EJsGirl ** and **tremorviolet ** mentioned, you don’t have to spend a ton of money, you just have to find what’s right for you. When you try a product, I’d suggest giving it two weeks, faithfully. If you don’t see any improvement in two weeks, you probably won’t. Move on. It’s frustrating, but eventually you’ll get there.
Make sure that you’re not overdrying with products that are too harsh, as that’s a vicious cycle that results in more blemishes, as **niblet_head ** mentioned. I really can’t emphasize enough that you shouldn’t treat adult skin like teenage skin. I’ve always had pretty good skin, but I’m prone to breakouts on my chin. Not a good look in your thirties. But about a year ago, when I finally got more concerned with preventing wrinkles than treating blemishes, I switched to Oil of Olay products (hydrating daily “facial” cloths, sunscreen moisturizer for day, and a light moisturizer for night), and was very pleasantly surprised when my breakouts became much less frequent and severe. You might have much more success with a gentle, hydrating exfoliator than with salicylic acid. It’s certainly worth trying!
Interesting that you mention Proactiv - that or a similar regimen (basically an exfoliator, salicylic acid, and benzoyl peroxide treatment) helps a lot of people.
I use a gentle foaming cleanser (the kind in a pump bottle) to wash my face before I ever put makeup on. I do the same thing at night unless I get home really late, which happens when I bartend or work a catering until one or two in the morning. If I can’t do the whole “wet-your-face-and-wash-with-cleanser” thing, I at least use those moist cloths to remove as much of the surface makeup as possible. Then I use a light, oil-free moisturizer (Oil of Olay Complete).
Sheets and pillowcases get washed about once a week on average, sometimes less often, of course. I would wash my face after sweating to any significant degree, but it rarely happens. I do touch my face often, but I also use hand sanitizer fairly often throughout the day, and I have to wash my hands a lot when I work because I handle money.
There are actually days at a time I’ll go without makeup because of the nature of my job, but I do neglect to wash my face as often in those circumstances.
And I’m gonna get one of those blackhead removers. Thanks for the tip!
Man, I wish I could quit using makeup. Until I started using Bare Minerals, I used goopy, gloppy liquid foundation. I found I couldn’t control the coverage very easily. Bare Minerals is the best I’ve ever used. I haven’t had breakouts, and I haven’t noticed an increase in the number of blackheads. I can completely control the level of coverage; if I want a sheer veil across my nose and chin, I can get it. If I want full coverage all over, I can get that. For me, at least, I’ve found their claim to be true: I don’t even feel like I’m wearing makeup, and my skin feels baby soft.
I would echo Neutrogena. I use the Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub and it has done a good job. I never wear makeup but I am also not super-diligent about cleaning my face before I go to bed, etc.
This raises a huge red flag for me. Bartending and waiting tables or any reasturant work is hell on your skin. My skin sounds the same as yours, lots of blackheads, constantly, that never go away. Then I realized when I was bartending my skin was worse. I knew the smoke wasn’t great for my skin but what I think it was really from was all the grease in the air from the deep fryers. Of course getting home late from work all you really want to do is fall into bed, but my new rule of thumb is if the shirt I am wearing smells like french fries and smoke my face does to. I make sure to wash my face every night when I am done.
I like not having to do the whole dog and pony show. I am addicted to lush cosmetics and use the same soap everywhere [this week it is some ginger smelling stuff, last month it was red rooster, which is orange/cinnamon/clove] and have no skin issues any more.