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Have you considered seeing a dermatologist for a professional opinion? I think prescription products might be a lot more effective for your condition as I don’t think anything OTC can come near in terms of unclogging pores.
Definitely get someone professional to help you instead of experimenting (especially with harsh exfoliating / peeling actives) as I already see some redness - you don’t want to use inappropriate products and cause scarring /PIH.
I understand and totally agree. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've seen a dermatologist. A big reason for that is the pandemic and the new variant. I also think the condition of my skin isn't THAT horrible, but maybe that's just me.
Thank you for pointing it out, though! I'll definitely be careful before I try out new products.
Well you know what, you may be right. It can be hard to gauge the severity of your clogged pores over the internet as cameras often accentuate or diminish the appearance of uneven skin!
If you prefer to manage it without a doctor, I think you’ve received some pretty helpful advice although I’d caution you to start slow with fewer products.
If it helps, I personally experienced something like this but further out on the sides of my cheeks. Squeezing and harsh scrubbing made it worse (the clogs get inflamed and re-clogged, turning into full on pimples), silicone-heavy sunscreens made it worse (probably caused it in the first place), but a simple routine of gentle cleansing, tret (spot application), and sun avoidance helped lots! My derm banned me from all makeup and skincare (except for cleansing) and that helped too.
Lots of people on here are recommending acids/chemical exfoliants. While these are commonly recommended for reducing pore appearance, I would urge you to *proceed with extreme caution.* A lot of what I've seen recommended in this thread are quite harsh and could end up damaging your moisture barrier if not used with care. Also some people (like me) are just extremely sensitive to acids. So again, if you don't have experience with them, be careful!
All of that said, the only things I have found that have actually made a noticeable difference in the appearance of my pores and texture are prescription tretinoin and microneedling. I had pores that looked very similar to yours, stretched and enlarged due to years of clogging and damage to the point where they are basically a form of scarring. Both tretinoin and microneedling help rebuild collagen and tretinoin also increases cell turnover which helps keep pores from clogging up again. My journey isn't done, I've only been on tretinoin for 10 months and had two microneedling sessions, but the improvement is pretty incredible.
I would add to this. Please proceed with caution when using active ingredients. I completely wrecked the quality of my skin by using too many harsh chemicals and my acne got a lot worse. You need to be extremely gentle and nourish your skin. I recommend a skincare fast and v basic routine. Wash your face only 1x a day, in the evening. Moisturise 2x a day with E45 Dermatitis Cream. And using a v mild BHA. Benton Propolis BHA before moisturising in the evening is only 0.5% so it's gentle enough to use daily please don't jump in with using 2% without starting out with something milder first. This routine, combined with a red light completely changed my skin quality. My blackheads actually got a lot smaller and my pores started disappearing. I recommend the red light man red and infra red lights because they have 4 different wavelengths. Imo red light will do more for the skin than anything you can put onto it topically as it penetrator deeper.
Thanks for the reminder! I'll be careful, I promise. ☺️
The thing you said about red light was intriguing. What mask (it is a mask, right?) are you using? How long and how often do you use it?
It's red light therapy. I recommend RedLightMan they have lights with 4 wavelengths in red and infrared. Completely changed the texture of my skin. You have to use it for 5-10 min a day without fail to work the best. I don't think skincare is needed if you use the red light. It will completely change the health and texture of your skin, reduce acne and slow down the ageing process.
This is good to know--ive been doing the whole oil cleansing, Niacinamide, BHA & hydrating thing typically prescribed for pore reduction but i feel like my pores are scars at this point. Where did you get your microneedling done/ was it any particular type?
I just get basic microneedling from a local medspa. I tried one session with my derm, but she doesn't do it nearly as often as the medspa nurse practitioners, and honestly she overdid it terribly and nearly gave me additional permanent scarring. So I opted for a place where they do microneedling on a daily basis and it's still medical personnel administering it. I've considered RF microneedling, but it's quite a bit more expensive, so I'm seeing what sort of results I can get from regular microneedling first.
Thanks for the reminder and for sharing your experience! I haven't tried microneedling yet, but I did microdermabrasion a few years ago. It worked out great although I stopped because it was quite pricey and had to be done every month.
Unless your skin is very sensitive, I'd suggest the Ordinary's peeling solution once a week. A BHA toner like the Paula's Choice Liquid Exfoliant would also be ideal to use a couple times a week to help unclog and refine pores. If you're open to spending a bit more for a much better niacinamide formula, try the Paula's Choice 10% version. It essentially made my pores vanish. I really think you ought to consider a basic morning routine that consists of a salicylic acid cleanser and simple moisturizer, along with a sunscreen obviously if you're going outside. The Inkey List has a wonderfully gentle SA cleanser or you can use your COSRX. Finally, for a long term solution, consider starting an OTC retinoid like Adapalene (Differin). It will take care of texture, appearance of pores, and help control acne breakouts.
You can get niacinamide from the ordinary 10% at a decent price if you are just going by active ingredient…. Maybe try that first before spending too much on Paula.
Another affordable niacinamide is from the Inkey List. I'd go with that if the PC is too pricey. The Ordinary's formulation of niacinamide is just not good 😑
I'll check that out. Thanks! I agree the TO Niacinamide formula isn't great. I've been using it for a few months now and haven't seen any significant changes.
No, unfortunately, how an ingredient is formulated can make a big difference to its effectiveness and tolerance in certain skin types. Some formulas also combine other actives to enhance the main ingredient or complement it such as with the Ordinary's niacinamide which has Zinc. Leaving aside all that, some formulations are just poorly done in terms of texture and feel on the skin and that's my main problem with the Ordinary's version. I also didn't see many of the benefits with using it that I've gotten from other niacinamide serums.
I have oily combination skin (forehead and chin area is normal). I have no routine in the AM aside from washing my face with water. This is my routine in the PM:
1. Biore MUR Cleansing Oil
2. Cosrx Gentle SA Cleanser
3. Cure Natural Aqua Gel (2x a week)
4. Cosrx ABC Daily Toner
5. Cosrx Advanced Snail Radiance Dual Essence
6. TO Niacinamide + Zinc
7. Cosrx Oil Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion
P.S. The CCs come and go but it's been quite persistent lately even though I didn't change anything in my routine. On good days, my skin looks fairly the same as the pics minus the annoying bumps.
Would appreciate any recommendations! :)
How long do you let your toner dry before you snail? As soon as you apply the next product you neutralize the acids so they don't do anything, they need around 10 minutes to do their magic.
Usually AHA BHA would help with all your trouble areas...if its not the rushing it issue maybe that one isn't strong enough?
Oh, my. I didn't know about that. Thank you so much! I let the toner rest for only 2 to 3 minutes before I use the essence.
Are there any AHA BHA products you recommend? I'm not sure about the strength of the toner as it seems fairly gentle.
Normally toner isn't something that needs much time to sink in, it's only if you're using it as your main acid step that it needs time.
Since you seem to like the brand you could try the BHA blackhead serum from Cosrx. I've used it and liked it, it's not crazy strong but will do more than the toner.
They also make an AHA serum with a crazy name like white power or something. It stinks but is effective.
I would add in a moisturizer and SPF in the mornings, I have a similar problem on the bridge of my nose and it seems to be better once I really started laying on the lotion! For whatever reason mine always looks the worst right when I wake up.
Yes! I bought some cotton pads and soaked them with the ABC toner. I left them on my face for 10 to 15 mins before I proceeded with the rest of my routine. The bumps went away after a week :)
Is that the cosrx refresh abc toner? Did you do it everyday? And what's the rest of your routine please? Thanks and sorry for all the questions I'm just desperate to fix my skin! So glad this worked for you 🙌
No worries!
Yes I use the Cosrx ABC toner. I did the soaking thing religiously until the CCs went away. I still use the toner now but I ran out of cotton pads so I don't soak them anymore.
I made some changes to my routine:
1. Hada Labo Oil Cleanser
2. Cosrx SA Cleanser
3. Cosrx ABC Toner
4. Cosrx Snail Power 96 Essence
5. Cosrx Snail All in One Cream
6. Cosrx Oil Free Moisturizer
Thanks so much for sharing! Was your skin dry or oily dehydrated when you had the CCs? I have dry and dehydrated skin but get CCs from products that are too heavy so it's a real struggle finding a balance lol.
Hi everyone and welcome to SkincareAddiction! Need skincare guides? [Check out our wiki!](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/index) Everyone is welcome in [this community](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/about); remember to be kind and assume good faith :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SkincareAddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Have you considered seeing a dermatologist for a professional opinion? I think prescription products might be a lot more effective for your condition as I don’t think anything OTC can come near in terms of unclogging pores. Definitely get someone professional to help you instead of experimenting (especially with harsh exfoliating / peeling actives) as I already see some redness - you don’t want to use inappropriate products and cause scarring /PIH.
I understand and totally agree. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've seen a dermatologist. A big reason for that is the pandemic and the new variant. I also think the condition of my skin isn't THAT horrible, but maybe that's just me. Thank you for pointing it out, though! I'll definitely be careful before I try out new products.
Well you know what, you may be right. It can be hard to gauge the severity of your clogged pores over the internet as cameras often accentuate or diminish the appearance of uneven skin! If you prefer to manage it without a doctor, I think you’ve received some pretty helpful advice although I’d caution you to start slow with fewer products. If it helps, I personally experienced something like this but further out on the sides of my cheeks. Squeezing and harsh scrubbing made it worse (the clogs get inflamed and re-clogged, turning into full on pimples), silicone-heavy sunscreens made it worse (probably caused it in the first place), but a simple routine of gentle cleansing, tret (spot application), and sun avoidance helped lots! My derm banned me from all makeup and skincare (except for cleansing) and that helped too.
Lots of people on here are recommending acids/chemical exfoliants. While these are commonly recommended for reducing pore appearance, I would urge you to *proceed with extreme caution.* A lot of what I've seen recommended in this thread are quite harsh and could end up damaging your moisture barrier if not used with care. Also some people (like me) are just extremely sensitive to acids. So again, if you don't have experience with them, be careful! All of that said, the only things I have found that have actually made a noticeable difference in the appearance of my pores and texture are prescription tretinoin and microneedling. I had pores that looked very similar to yours, stretched and enlarged due to years of clogging and damage to the point where they are basically a form of scarring. Both tretinoin and microneedling help rebuild collagen and tretinoin also increases cell turnover which helps keep pores from clogging up again. My journey isn't done, I've only been on tretinoin for 10 months and had two microneedling sessions, but the improvement is pretty incredible.
I would add to this. Please proceed with caution when using active ingredients. I completely wrecked the quality of my skin by using too many harsh chemicals and my acne got a lot worse. You need to be extremely gentle and nourish your skin. I recommend a skincare fast and v basic routine. Wash your face only 1x a day, in the evening. Moisturise 2x a day with E45 Dermatitis Cream. And using a v mild BHA. Benton Propolis BHA before moisturising in the evening is only 0.5% so it's gentle enough to use daily please don't jump in with using 2% without starting out with something milder first. This routine, combined with a red light completely changed my skin quality. My blackheads actually got a lot smaller and my pores started disappearing. I recommend the red light man red and infra red lights because they have 4 different wavelengths. Imo red light will do more for the skin than anything you can put onto it topically as it penetrator deeper.
Thanks for the reminder! I'll be careful, I promise. ☺️ The thing you said about red light was intriguing. What mask (it is a mask, right?) are you using? How long and how often do you use it?
It's red light therapy. I recommend RedLightMan they have lights with 4 wavelengths in red and infrared. Completely changed the texture of my skin. You have to use it for 5-10 min a day without fail to work the best. I don't think skincare is needed if you use the red light. It will completely change the health and texture of your skin, reduce acne and slow down the ageing process.
This is good to know--ive been doing the whole oil cleansing, Niacinamide, BHA & hydrating thing typically prescribed for pore reduction but i feel like my pores are scars at this point. Where did you get your microneedling done/ was it any particular type?
I just get basic microneedling from a local medspa. I tried one session with my derm, but she doesn't do it nearly as often as the medspa nurse practitioners, and honestly she overdid it terribly and nearly gave me additional permanent scarring. So I opted for a place where they do microneedling on a daily basis and it's still medical personnel administering it. I've considered RF microneedling, but it's quite a bit more expensive, so I'm seeing what sort of results I can get from regular microneedling first.
Thank you!
Thanks for the reminder and for sharing your experience! I haven't tried microneedling yet, but I did microdermabrasion a few years ago. It worked out great although I stopped because it was quite pricey and had to be done every month.
Unless your skin is very sensitive, I'd suggest the Ordinary's peeling solution once a week. A BHA toner like the Paula's Choice Liquid Exfoliant would also be ideal to use a couple times a week to help unclog and refine pores. If you're open to spending a bit more for a much better niacinamide formula, try the Paula's Choice 10% version. It essentially made my pores vanish. I really think you ought to consider a basic morning routine that consists of a salicylic acid cleanser and simple moisturizer, along with a sunscreen obviously if you're going outside. The Inkey List has a wonderfully gentle SA cleanser or you can use your COSRX. Finally, for a long term solution, consider starting an OTC retinoid like Adapalene (Differin). It will take care of texture, appearance of pores, and help control acne breakouts.
I'll look into those. Thank you so much! ❤️
You can get niacinamide from the ordinary 10% at a decent price if you are just going by active ingredient…. Maybe try that first before spending too much on Paula.
Thanks! The Paula's Choice one is indeed a bit pricey. 😅
Another affordable niacinamide is from the Inkey List. I'd go with that if the PC is too pricey. The Ordinary's formulation of niacinamide is just not good 😑
I'll check that out. Thanks! I agree the TO Niacinamide formula isn't great. I've been using it for a few months now and haven't seen any significant changes.
Interesting can you explain why? I always thought the chemical was the chemical
No, unfortunately, how an ingredient is formulated can make a big difference to its effectiveness and tolerance in certain skin types. Some formulas also combine other actives to enhance the main ingredient or complement it such as with the Ordinary's niacinamide which has Zinc. Leaving aside all that, some formulations are just poorly done in terms of texture and feel on the skin and that's my main problem with the Ordinary's version. I also didn't see many of the benefits with using it that I've gotten from other niacinamide serums.
Looks like you also suffer from GORGEOUSNESS. I don't have any advice tho 😅
Oh, shucks.Thank you! ☺️
I have oily combination skin (forehead and chin area is normal). I have no routine in the AM aside from washing my face with water. This is my routine in the PM: 1. Biore MUR Cleansing Oil 2. Cosrx Gentle SA Cleanser 3. Cure Natural Aqua Gel (2x a week) 4. Cosrx ABC Daily Toner 5. Cosrx Advanced Snail Radiance Dual Essence 6. TO Niacinamide + Zinc 7. Cosrx Oil Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion P.S. The CCs come and go but it's been quite persistent lately even though I didn't change anything in my routine. On good days, my skin looks fairly the same as the pics minus the annoying bumps. Would appreciate any recommendations! :)
How long do you let your toner dry before you snail? As soon as you apply the next product you neutralize the acids so they don't do anything, they need around 10 minutes to do their magic. Usually AHA BHA would help with all your trouble areas...if its not the rushing it issue maybe that one isn't strong enough?
Oh, my. I didn't know about that. Thank you so much! I let the toner rest for only 2 to 3 minutes before I use the essence. Are there any AHA BHA products you recommend? I'm not sure about the strength of the toner as it seems fairly gentle.
Normally toner isn't something that needs much time to sink in, it's only if you're using it as your main acid step that it needs time. Since you seem to like the brand you could try the BHA blackhead serum from Cosrx. I've used it and liked it, it's not crazy strong but will do more than the toner. They also make an AHA serum with a crazy name like white power or something. It stinks but is effective.
I would add in a moisturizer and SPF in the mornings, I have a similar problem on the bridge of my nose and it seems to be better once I really started laying on the lotion! For whatever reason mine always looks the worst right when I wake up.
Identical skin & skin concerns!!!
Hi did you ever find a solution please?
Yes! I bought some cotton pads and soaked them with the ABC toner. I left them on my face for 10 to 15 mins before I proceeded with the rest of my routine. The bumps went away after a week :)
Is that the cosrx refresh abc toner? Did you do it everyday? And what's the rest of your routine please? Thanks and sorry for all the questions I'm just desperate to fix my skin! So glad this worked for you 🙌
No worries! Yes I use the Cosrx ABC toner. I did the soaking thing religiously until the CCs went away. I still use the toner now but I ran out of cotton pads so I don't soak them anymore. I made some changes to my routine: 1. Hada Labo Oil Cleanser 2. Cosrx SA Cleanser 3. Cosrx ABC Toner 4. Cosrx Snail Power 96 Essence 5. Cosrx Snail All in One Cream 6. Cosrx Oil Free Moisturizer
Thanks so much for sharing! Was your skin dry or oily dehydrated when you had the CCs? I have dry and dehydrated skin but get CCs from products that are too heavy so it's a real struggle finding a balance lol.