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Open pores: what they are and how to minimise them

Pores cannot be opened or closed, but they can look smaller. Keep them clear with a gentle cleanser and an ingredient such as salicylic acid or niacinamide, and protect skin from the sun, which weakens the skin around pores and makes them look larger.

Written by the Saundarya AI team. General cosmetic guidance; not reviewed by a doctor and not medical advice. How we write our guides

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What pores are

Pores are the openings of hair follicles and oil glands, and their size is largely set by genetics and skin type. They tend to look bigger on oily skin, where oil and dead skin collect inside them, but they cannot be opened or closed.

Pores are the openings of hair follicles and oil glands. Their size is largely set by genetics and skin type, and they tend to look bigger on oily skin, where oil and dead skin collect inside them.

What helps them look smaller

To make pores look smaller, cleanse gently twice a day, use salicylic acid (BHA) a few times a week to clear oil from inside pores, try niacinamide for smoother-looking skin, and wear broad-spectrum sunscreen daily, because UV damage weakens the skin around pores.

  1. 1Cleanse gently twice a day; scrubbing does not shrink pores
  2. 2Use salicylic acid (BHA) a few times a week to clear oil from inside pores
  3. 3Niacinamide is commonly used to help skin look smoother and pores less obvious
  4. 4Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen daily; UV damage weakens the skin around pores

Myths to ignore

Three pore myths to ignore: pores do not open with steam or close with cold water, toners cannot permanently shrink them, and squeezing blackheads is not harmless because it can stretch pores and leave marks. Gentle, consistent care is what actually helps.

  • Pores open with steam and close with cold water: they do not
  • Toners can permanently shrink pores: they cannot
  • Squeezing blackheads is harmless: it can stretch pores and leave marks

Get a routine for your own skin

Saundarya AI is an AI skin analysis and grooming app that reads a single selfie and returns a personalised report: face shape, skin type, detected skin concerns with the visual evidence behind them, a morning and night skincare routine, product picks at three budgets, and an 8-week improvement plan.

Generic advice is a starting point. A scan reads pore visibility and skin type on your own face, shows the visual evidence and a confidence score, and builds a morning and night routine around it. The first full analysis is free.

This is general cosmetic guidance, not medical advice. See a dermatologist for skin that is painful, spreading, scarring or not improving after 8-12 weeks.

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