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Is Your Skincare Helping or Hurting the Look of Your Pores?
Are you wondering why, despite your best efforts, your pores still always seem to look large and very visible? It could be that rather than helping your pores, your skincare routine is actually making things worse. Keep reading as Vine Vera explains exactly what you need to do if you want your skin to look poreless and flawless!
Start By Rethinking Your Cleanser
It goes without saying that pore blockages are the last thing that you want to be dealing with. This is why a good cleansing regimen is key. By cleansing your skin’s surface twice a day, you’ll be preventing impurities from building up, both on that surface layer as well as in your pores.
If, however, your pores don’t look any different after you’ve cleansed your skin, then this is a sign that you should rethink the cleanser you’re using. Likewise, if your skin feels even more congested after you’ve cleansed, then, again, a new cleanser should be on the cards.
While there are plenty of cleansers out there to choose from, stay away from any that contain rich, heavy ingredients. Instead, a lightweight formula, like the Vine Vera Resveratrol Vitamin C Cleanser, would be a much better fit. It’s a superstar formula that not only boasts vitamins and antioxidants, but also contains lactic acid. This exfoliating acid enables this cleanser to dive a little deeper than most, clearing out any impurities from the openings of your pores.
Exfoliation is Key…But Get it Right
Speaking of exfoliating ingredients…
This is another key aspect of skincare if you’re trying to improve the look of your pores. If you don’t exfoliate or don’t exfoliate properly, impurities will soon build up in your pores. They’ll make your pores look darker, stretching them out to make them appear larger, too. Even worse, once bacteria join those other impurities, acne breakouts won’t be far behind.
Regularly exfoliating keeps your pores clear. However, it’s important that you do things correctly. Use an exfoliator that’s too harsh for your skin or exfoliate too often, and you’ll only end up irritating your skin barrier to the point where your pores start to look inflamed and even more prominent.
Start by making sure your exfoliator is up to scratch. Avoid aggressive face scrubs, favoring solutions containing alpha-hydroxy acids instead. The Vine Vera Resveratrol Vitamin C Peeling, which has been formulated with mandelic acid, is always a popular choice.
Then, make sure you aren’t exfoliating too often. Three times a week is the maximum that you should be exfoliating. Any more than this and you run the risk of causing long-term damage to your skin’s natural protective barrier.
Mask Strategically
Many people assume that exfoliation is the only at-home method for quickly clearing gunk out of the pores. Sure, you could have an extraction, a chemical peel, or another treatment carried out professionally, but what else can you do to clear out your pores at home?
A clay mask is the answer. Clay binds itself to sebum, which forms a large portion of pore blockages. Get rid of that excess sebum, and your pores will suddenly look much smaller.
If you don’t already have a clay mask in your skincare routine, you’re missing out. Our top choice would be the Resveratrol Chianti Thermic Mask, which has a self-heating element. It gently warms on the skin, which leaves the pores feeling super-relaxed and more flexible, enabling sebum and other impurities to be removed more efficiently.
One strategic way to maximize the effects of a clay mask is to first use a pre-mask, like the Vine Vera Resveratrol Pinot Noir Dissolving Pre Mask. It’s a gentle, antioxidant-rich exfoliator that preps the skin for the mask that’s about to follow. This makes it even easier for the mask’s ingredients to penetrate the skin.
Don’t Overload Your Pores With Too Many Products
How many products does your daily skincare routine currently consist of? If you’re having to use two hands to count, then this is another way in which your skincare routine could be making your pore issues worse.
Believe it or not, your skin doesn’t enjoy being overwhelmed with too many products. Yes, long and complex routines may have been popularized for a while, but as dermatologists have always warned, piling all of those products onto your skin each day can have consequences, one of which is enlarged pores.
If your daily routine is pretty intricate, think about how you can scale things back. Cut out any unnecessary products, and try to swap any single-purpose products for multi-tasking formulas. Stripping your routine right back will give your skin and your pores a break, allowing your skin to thrive once again.
Make Sure Your SPF is Up to Scratch
It’s no secret that sun exposure harms the skin. However, while its ability to cause wrinkles and dark spots is well known, few people realize that UV rays can affect the pores, too. The damage that they cause to the skin’s protein fibers means that the pores no longer look so taut and tight. Instead, pore openings start to sag and droop, making the pores look larger and more shadowy.
Sun exposure can also increase oil production. The more oil your skin produces, the more your pore openings will need to dilate. Again, even though this is only temporary, it will leave your pores looking bigger.
If SPF doesn’t have pride of place in your skincare routine, you’re definitely doing your skin a disservice. Yes, many people find that heavy sunscreen formulas can lead to clogged pores, but there are plenty of lighter alternatives out there. You’ll find one here at Vine Vera: the Resveratrol Cabernet Replenishing Moisture Cream SPF 30. Being an SPF moisturizer, it’s lighter than traditional sunscreens, yet it does a great job of shielding the skin from UV damage.
Read Up on Comedogenic Ingredients
Think that you’ve perfected your skincare routine because all of the products that you use promise to keep your pores looking small? Think again. It’s so easy to fall for marketing claims, but many skincare brands make false promises that could leave you thinking you’re doing the best for your skin…when you actually aren’t.
The only way to know whether or not a product is going to clog your pores is by looking at its ingredient list. All ingredients have a rating on the comedogenic scale. This scale tells you how likely an ingredient is to clog your pores. It’s very difficult to put together a full skincare routine that’s completely non-comedogenic, but ensuring that each ingredient you’re using rates low on that scale will go a long way in keeping your pores looking invisible.
Unfortunately, this is going to require some work on your part. The good news is that rather than having to look up every single ingredient, a clever online search for each of your products should help you to learn how comedogenic they really are.
Don’t Forget to Consider the Aging Process
Does your skincare routine address the visible signs of skin aging? If not, this is something else that could be preventing you from achieving a poreless complexion. In the same way that the sun’s UV rays damage the skin’s protein fibers and lead to droopy pores, the aging process also causes those fibers to weaken and sag.
If your pores have been looking large and long, skincare products designed to tighten up the look of the skin could make a big difference. The Vine Vera Resveratrol Chianti Revival Serum, for example, contains several ingredients that work to firm and tighten the complexion. Between green tea leaf extract, resveratrol, sodium hyaluronate, and peptides, it will work its magic in no time. The best part? It also contains witch hazel extract. This astringent ingredient is revered for how it leaves the pores less visible.
The Facial Anti-Aging Firming System is another product that, as you can tell from its name, is designed to give the skin a firmer and tighter finish. This duo consists of a mask powder and an essence, which are mixed together before being applied to the skin. With resveratrol ferment extract, sodium hyaluronate, hydrolyzed collagen, niacinamide, polypeptides, and more, regular use will leave your skin looking younger and your pores looking smaller.
Be Physically Gentle With Your Skin
Do you ever rub or tug at your skin? Whether it’s while you’re removing your eye makeup or when you’re drying your wet face, it’s easy to forget that the skin on the face is extremely delicate. It may not seem as though rubbing has any impact, but the more you tug your skin and stretch out your pores, the harder your skin will find it to bounce back over time. You’ll only be accelerating the onset of the loose skin that comes with age, along with the accompanying enlarged pores.
To prevent this, make an effort to be gentle with your skin at all times. There’s no reason at all to treat it roughly. If your eye makeup isn’t coming off, use a better cleanser. If you’re in a hurry to dry your face after cleansing, use a more absorbent towel (plus, skincare is best applied to damp skin anyway). Not only will your efforts help to keep your pores looking tiny, but they’ll also prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, both of which will also be exacerbated if you’re rough with your skin.
Enjoy Invisible-Looking Pores With Vine Vera
If your pores are causing problems, there’s a good chance that your skincare routine is somewhat to blame. The good news is that it’s usually easy to put things right. Whether this means switching to a different cleanser, upgrading your SPF, or simplifying your skincare routine, put our tips into action, and you’ll soon be impressed with how ‘barely there’ your pores look.
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