Hiya there!

This is obvious but rule #1: Don't squeeze. It might make the blackhead/clog go away but the bacteria from you manually extracting that will likely cause a pimple to form and then things go downhill from there...

I used to suffer terribly from open pores and blackheads, oiliness and all the fun stuff that goes along with it. Besides my Dermarolling treatments (which have made my pores significantly smaller and less prone to being clogged) the only thing that has kept my blackheads at bay has been my tireless skin care routine, namely exfoliation and good ol' Retin-A. Microdermabrasions have also been fantastic but they're expensive to have done regularly. The first time I had a microderm I asked the lady to remove any blackheads she could see and well... let's just say she spent more time popping blackheads than she did with the microderm treatment!

I few weeks ago I had microderm before a wedding I was going to and I again asked her to seek and destroy blackheads... she said "You don't have any!" and I almost died from joy!

May I ask what your skin care routine is? Maybe there is something we can add/change to help with the problem.

xx

Hello Quirky Fox (I hope you're not the one who's been hanging around my garden making a racket this past week!)

Thanks so much for your reply. I've read a fair bit on here about microdermabrasion and dermarolling on here but to be honest I'm a bit scared about potential side-effects and making things worse... These scars really bother me, but they're not so bad that I'd risk making it worse, I don't think. Have you had any bad effects and do the microdermabrasion treatments really improve scarred pores?

Hmm, in terms of skincare, it changes quite a lot, really, as I keep trying different things. I wash my face with dermalogica clay cleanser and a face cloth, use eye cream and then just moisturise with tinted SPF in the morning and Nivea cream in the evening. And treat blemishes with tea tree oil / bio oil when they appear / are healing. I've always been pretty paranoid about the appearance of my skin and so have probably overloaded it with products over the years and now, at the grand old age of 31, am realising that less is probably more. That being said, I've just ordered Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid exfoliant in the hope it might help to clear the scarred pores more gently (not that I'm sure clearing them will actually be a better look!) - good idea or bad?!

Thanks again for the reply, I appreciate it! X

Hi Notquiteme,

I have the exact same problem. I dont have much scarring that bothers me, just these pores on my nose. As for washing or not, I really don't know what's better. If i wash my skin it clears up my pores but gets really flaky and dry (so i have to moisturize) and after a while oily again. I'm not sure but I think I usually get those clogged pores (the ones when they get extracted they leave a hole in the skin) because my skin is overreacting to the soap or the moisturizer. It could also be that way because I don't wash my face often enough that when i do wash with soap the plugs just loosen up and i notice them and remove them, leaving a hole. However, When I dont wash my face with soap its less oily during the day but slowly gets plugged up again. So I have to wash some times i guess.

However, I prefer the matte look when I wash just with water over the oily open pores look I get whenever I wash my face with soap. My next step is to try to find a very gentle cleanser withouth SLS and I might try a different moisturizer. So if anyone has recommendations on that part I'd be glad to hear them.

So, not really much useful information here and maybe not applicable to your skin. I just wanted to share with you my 'findings' and the fact that you're not alone in this matter .

Good luck, let us know when you find anything that helped you.

Hello Quirky Fox (I hope you're not the one who's been hanging around my garden making a racket this past week!)

Thanks so much for your reply. I've read a fair bit on here about microdermabrasion and dermarolling on here but to be honest I'm a bit scared about potential side-effects and making things worse... These scars really bother me, but they're not so bad that I'd risk making it worse, I don't think. Have you had any bad effects and do the microdermabrasion treatments really improve scarred pores?

Hmm, in terms of skincare, it changes quite a lot, really, as I keep trying different things. I wash my face with dermalogica clay cleanser and a face cloth, use eye cream and then just moisturise with tinted SPF in the morning and Nivea cream in the evening. And treat blemishes with tea tree oil / bio oil when they appear / are healing. I've always been pretty paranoid about the appearance of my skin and so have probably overloaded it with products over the years and now, at the grand old age of 31, am realising that less is probably more. That being said, I've just ordered Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid exfoliant in the hope it might help to clear the scarred pores more gently (not that I'm sure clearing them will actually be a better look!) - good idea or bad?!

Thanks again for the reply, I appreciate it! X

Hehe, I do love foxes but foxes in gardens are bothersome!

There should be no ill side effects to either microdermabrasion or the Dermaroller. Microdermabrasion is basically just an aggressive exfoliation. Dermarolling is completely different of course, and there is downtime with it but still, no negative side effects have ever been reported by people treated with the original Dermaroller. I've had multiple sessions of each treatment and love them equally but obviously everyone is different. I can honestly say that the Dermaroller is helping with my enlarged pores. I don't think microdermabrasions will do your scarring any good as it doesn't penetrate deep enough although some have reported that it has helped. Not me. I use microderms purely to keep my skin healthy.

Trying different things on your skin all the time is actually not a good thing. I started out all over the place too, trying to find what worked and what didn't. But the advice from my esthetician is to try to do this quickly, research what's good for your skin and embark on a long term plan as soon as you can. Products take months to build in the skin and it takes daily use. I think the 2% BHA looks pretty good ingredient wise and if you end up liking Paula's Choice products maybe you could look into starting a regime from them? Just stay clear of BP!

I had a peek and, if finances allow, I'd suggest considering their retinol cream: http://www.paulaschoice.com.au/Skin-Care/Antioxidant-concentrates/PC771-RESIST-Intensive-Wrinkle-Repair-Retinol--%281%29.aspx Vitamin A is your skin's best friend. If you do use it you might have to start with a small amount and work your way up to a pea size amount every night but I really recommend using a retinoid/retinol cream. 😀 Magic stuff.

What SPF is your sunscreen? UV is our skin's worst enemy (next to acne!). UV damages skin and causes collagen to break down. Wearing the highest strength sunscreen you can is vital, every day without fail. Mineral make-up with SPF qualities are an extra bonus too.

Still perusing Paula's Choice website, haha! Found these... if your face gets oily during the day and it drives you nuts, like me... http://www.paulaschoice.com.au/Skin-Care/Cleansers---Makeup-Remover/Oil-Blotting-Papers.aspx Face blotting paper! I love it!

Hope you find a routine that works for you!

xx