Once a pore is emptied and the unsightly blackhead is removed, it can take a period of time for the pore to heal and close up. Maintaining the regimen of gentle cleansing, exfoliating, and absorbing oil can go a long way toward making this happen. If your skin can tolerate Retin-A, Renova, or Differin, these products can help promote healing by further improving cell production in the pore. However, even after all this, an empty, open, but permanently damaged pore can be an unattractive, leftover by-product of the original problem. If you have patiently adhered to all the “right” steps, there is very little else that can be done to change the damage. Time will tell if the effects of improving pore function can shrink a pore, but it does take time, and not everyone will have the same results. Microdermabrasion, AHA or BHA peels, and laser resurfacing can improve the appearance of pores, but these are considered temporary fixes and are not noted for actually changing or correcting the problem. Most likely the improvement is caused by the skin’s swelling which makes the pores look smaller. Again, it is hard to determine success rates because no published results from long-term studies are available.
The struggle to cover up large pores is nothing less than maddening. The very nature of a depression in the skin makes it difficult, if not impossible, to keep the indentation from showing. Especially if your skin is still oily, and even if you use an extremely matte foundation, such as Revlon’s regular ColorStay, Lancome’s Teint Idole, or Estee Lauder’s Double Wear, the oil can still cause some shifting, creating a look of pooled foundation in the pore.
I apologize for sounding dismal about this, but when there are limitations in the skin and in the world of makeup, searching for better options or alternatives can waste money and only increase your frustration. Here is a game plan to tackle the problem. It isn’t foolproof and it won’t work for everyone, but these are the best options available.
1. Avoid moisturizer over the open-pore areas of the face before applying makeup— even if you have dry skin. Any extra “slip” on the skin will cause makeup to pool in the pore. If the skin is dry and flaky, be more diligent in the evening about treating your skin. Then in the morning use a toner with skin-identical ingredients and antiirritants to help soothe skin and reduce any dry feeling, yet not add anything that can make skin feel slippery. That means it is essential that your foundation contain your sunscreen, because an additional sunscreen under the foundation will almost certainly cause slippage.
2. Do use a matte or ultra-matte foundation. Even if you have dry skin, these stay on far better than other foundations, are somewhat impervious to oil production, and, therefore, prevent the foundation from slipping into the pore.
3. Consider wearing a tiny amount of milk of magnesia under your foundation over the open-pore area. This is a bit like applying spackle that has minimal to no movement. It can absorb oil at the same time and the foundation glides over it, creating an even surface. This works better under matte foundations than under ultra-matte foundations. You may also want to consider any of the oil-absorbing products mentioned in the “Struggling With Blackheads and Large Pores” section above.
4. For more stubborn problems, touch up your makeup several times during the day with oil-blotting papers. Then dust the face with a pressed powder designed to be worn as a foundation. Pressed powder foundations apply a slightly thicker layer of powder than normal pressed powders do, and can better hide the pore. But do this only with a brush; never use a sponge or pad to apply powder because they can place way too much product on the face, making things look cakey and thick.