“Dear Dr. Seckel, Is there really anything to do for large pores?” - Beth, Boston,Ma.
Dear Beth,
The size of the pores on the facial skin, especially on the nose, is related to the size of the oil glands and sweat glands underneath the skin. During the summer, with the hot weather these glands are more active thus the skin pores are enlarged more during hot weather.
The most effective therapy I have found is to remove as much of the oil from the glands as possible especially in acne prone patients. Microdermabrasion can be very helpful. The microdermabrasion removes dead skin and other debris from the pores, allowing the oil in the gland to be released from the skin pore. After a microdermabrasion treatment, patients notice increased oil coming from the pores on the skin for several days after the microdermabrasion as the pores open and release the skin oil.
Retin A can also help shrink the large pores on the nose and is an excellent drug for acne. Over time Retin A causes atrophy of the oil glands and as they shrink the enlarged pores will become smaller. Over time the skin also becomes dryer. In addition drying agents used to treat acne such as Benzyl Peroxide washes can also dry the skin and shrink enlarged pores. many acne patients also complain of enlarged skin pores.
Some have proposed Laser Resurfacing to reduce enlarged pores but laser resurfacing can actually result in larger pores so I do not recommend laser resurfacing to treat enlarged pores.
The operation to reduce the size of your nose, called a Rhinoplasty, will not affect the size of the enlarged pores on the nose. The Rhinoplasty operation removes cartilage and reshapes the bones beneath the skin. After the Rhinoplasty the skin of the nose will shrink to fit the smaller cartilage and bone structure beneath the skin, but the size of the pores will remain the same.
Recently there has been some success decreasing skin pore size using IPL or Photo Facial treatments. Newer laser treatments such as the Fraxel and Lux1540 stimulate new collagen growth in the demis and may compress the pores. Lasergenesis has also been reported to reduce pore size on the facial skin.
Thank you for your question. Enlarged pores, especially on the nose, trouble many people.
For further information on skin care and facial rejuvenation visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, contact me or read Save Your Face.
Boston, Massachusetts
Peabody, Massachusetts