Cleanse your face twice a day
Use warm water.
Hot water can irritate your skin, causing pores to look larger.
Gently wash your face.
Scrubbing can irritate your skin, causing inflammation. When skin is inflamed, pores tend to be more noticeable.
Find a gentle, non-comedogenic cleanser.
Again, you want to do everything you can to stop irritating your skin and stop clogging your pores.
Use retinol
If you have oily skin, mild acne, or your skin appears less firm than it once was, pores can look larger. Using a skin care product with retinol or retinyl palmitate may help. For best results, apply the product before going to bed.
Treat acne
Acne clogs your pores, which can make your pores more noticeable.
Using a cleanser with salicylic acid may help. Studies show salicylic acid can unclog pores. Some cleansers containing salicylic acid are gentle enough to use every day.
Protect your face with sunscreen every day
The more sun damaged your skin, the less firmness it has. When skin starts to lose its firmness, pores look more noticeable.
Exfoliate
Exfoliating may make pores less noticeable.
Be gentle with your skin
Scrubbing your face won’t make it any cleaner, but scrubbing can irritate your skin, which can make your pores look larger.
Picking at, squeezing, or digging into your pores can also irritate your skin, making pores look more noticeable.
Treat sagging skin
As we age, our skin loses its firmness and starts to sag. Pores look larger when skin sags.
