Clogged pores: How to banish them with these skin-care saviours

Whether it’s unclogging them from dirt and grime or smoothing over the surface Sarah Young takes a look at the best ways to fight against blocked pores

(Rex Features)

Fashion’s recent fixation with dewy, fresh faced skin has left us feeling rather exposed. While a radiant, make-up free complexion sounds enticing, for the majority of us, tired eyes, blotchy skin and the perpetual fight against blocked pores are far too much of a reality. Regrettably, we can’t all be blessed with unsullied supermodel skin but thanks to a new wave of skin-care advances dedicated to shrinking and camouflaging every last pore achieving complexion perfection has never been easier.

Making your skin look and feel its best is priority but to do so it’s important to understand why your pores become blocked in the first place - cue the technical stuff. An oily matter, otherwise known as sebum, lubricates your skin and hair, preventing it from drying out and protecting it against environmental damage. The problems start when oil, dirt, sweat and dead skin cells become backed up and trapped inside of your pores and while your skin continues to produce sebum, it’s now in excess, causing obstruction and congested pores. So what can you do to minimise them?

Eradicating pores can be a lengthy process and while you shouldn’t expect a miracle cure overnight new advances in skin care mean it’s easier and faster to reverse the damage than ever before. The best way to achieve a clear complexion is to follow a good daily skin-care routine which will help to lift impurities from the skin and it’s important to remember that in conjunction to cleansing and moisturising, exfoliating is key to improving your skin’s pore problem.

If you’re looking for a beauty boost, try opting for products that contain charcoal or salicylic acid; the first acts like a magnet to attract and absorb dirt and oil, sticking to the carbon and getting washed away when you rinse while salicylic is well known for its ability to penetrate deep into the pore with anti-inflammatory qualities which also soothe and reduce redness.

The other product movement battling blocked pores is more make-up motivated and a great intermediary solution while you wait for the cleansing to kick in. The concept of blurring imperfections in photos is something we’re all aware of but thanks to a host of savvy make-up moguls, it’s now a major score to helping create a flawless complexion. Pore minimising primers and blur creams help to mattify the skin and visually fill in any fine lines or tiny imperfections so that they look visibly smaller and smoother. While this is without doubt an essential to any pore prize-fighter’s prep step, we must assert that it’s no remedy so if you’re going to invest in one thing, we’d recommend a small cluster of fool proof skin-care saviours that will leave you looking picture perfect.