LARGE pores are arguably the least desirable feature anyone would want to inherit from their mom.
However, a beauty fan sarcastically thanked her mother for hers when she discovered tricks for minimizing their appearance.
She spoke candidly about the small openings in her skin in response to a post on Reddit.
“I have a large pore issue (thanks Mom!) and unfortunately there isn’t much you can do to actually decrease their size,” she said, writing under the handle Sadstarfish.
“However, you can minimize them.”
Daily oil cleansing topped her list of skincare habits to embrace for smaller pores in the long term.
“This has probably made the single most significant improvement in pores and sfs for me,” she said.
“Deep cleansing your pores to get out the ‘grits’ makes them far less noticeable and easier to cover up.”
Tretinoin has been in her skincare routine for the past four months alongside AHA, BHA, and vitamin C to unclog pores.
She said using a cleansing toner with a cotton pad has also improved the appearance of her skin.
“Many don’t feel this is necessary but since I have issues with pores, I feel a big difference in the clarity of my pores when I shorten my routine for travel and don’t have this with me,” she said.
The Redditor said clay masks can minimize pores for up to two days.
Her favorites are the Ciracle Jeju Volcanic Clay Mask, Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Clay Mask, Caolion Original Pore Pack, Origins Charcoal Mask, and Origins Rose Clay Mask.
“The right sheet mask can also minimize your pores for about 24 hours,” she said.
“This is a good quick fix before an event or a date.
“The ones I’ve found that work the best are MBD Apple Polyphenol and MBD Strawberry Yogurt.”
The Redditor revealed she’s a fan of “fake it till you make it” and has several products that temporarily cover large pores.
“Pore balms are your friend!” she said. “These fill in your pores like spackle to cover them up.
“You can use them with or without makeup and it still looks pretty natural because they are usually clear.
“My favorite is Lioele Secret Rich Pore Balm.”
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Ciracle Jeju Volcanic Clay Mask, $18.79, Style Vana
Active Charcoal Mask, $36, Origins
Retexturizing Mask With Rose Clay, $36, Origins
Algenist Super Defense Blurring Cream, $28, Amazon
Biore Perfect Milk, $21.89, Walmart
She said it can be swapped for Algenist Super Defense Blurring Cream but it’s “way too expensive” for her.
The product costs $28 on Amazon, where customers have given it a 4.6-star rating.
Milk-type sunscreens were her third solution for temporarily disguising large pores.
“These usually have some kind of powder finish to them that provides some sort of blurring effect,” she said.
“Some I’ve tried are Biore Perfect Milk, Missha Safe Block Sun Milk Soft Finish, Naruko Am/pm peptide sunscreen, and Omi Menturm Sun Bears.”
She added that products containing alcohol should be avoided “like the plague” because they emphasize the appearance of pores.
Many people upvoted the post and praised the Redditor for sharing the tips.
One commenter said they’d also had “good results” with clay masks, while another raved about oil cleansing.
According to Healthline, open pores cannot be made smaller but they are not a medical concern.
High levels of sebum production, genetics, sun exposure, and reduced elasticity can make pores appear large.
Experts recommend keeping the skin clean and avoiding the sun to avoid making them more noticeable.
