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TERRIBLE LARGE PORES

 
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(@orangepeel)

Posted : 01/16/2016 12:39 pm

My current situation - terrible large pores all over my face.  I am a guy and I use a pore filler (aka basically makeup to try to hide this).  I have been depressed for close to a year as a result of this condition.  I never used to cry but now cry or tear up almost every day.

Background: bad acne early in high school but retin-a cleared it up well by end of high school.  By college I only had the occasional blemish but always had bad blackheads on my nose.  I continued to apply retain a to my nose and cheeks throughout college.  By senior year of college I started to notice the bad texture on my upper cheeks.  I have always been rough on my skin with no scarring so I started trying lots of products.  I started using salicylic acid 4 times per day and pore strips.  I also tried at home 20% salicylic acid peels and 10% glycolic.  I also stared to notice bad texture on my forehead and began applying retin-a there which might have made it worse. I switched to tazorac which didn't help.  

By last spring the texture got so bad I started obsessing over it and became depressed.  I tried an at home derma roller and this didn't help.  Things had gotten so much worse since a year ago where the problem didn't affect my life.  Now I think about it virtually 24/7 and I am really at a low point in my life.  

I also had terrible blackheads all over my body which got really bad within that last year.  Virtually every pore on my chest back and arms was a blackhead. I no longer get inflammatory acne. 

I got got prescribed accutane and took it for two months.  I love accutane it made my skin look great and I was very happy.  My body blackheads completely dissappeared.  However after 2 months I noticed my pores enlarging all over my face in areas where I never had blackheads. (See temple picture below).

one last thing - I have always been on finasteride which I think increased my testosterone and made my skin more oily.  Maybe it affects the skin?

HELP.  I don't know what to do.  I think I should stay on a  llow dose of accutane to keep the oils down.  But how can I repair my face???????

image.thumb.jpeg.948ef62a8a217d935a78dc1image.thumb.jpeg.92685071ae9135a15d29715image.thumb.jpeg.09801f82b94cfd4376efd03

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(@judith_paddy)

Posted : 01/16/2016 3:32 pm

Hi. I also have large pores and that's because my skin is very oily. It's normal for people with very oily skin to have large pores. I have tried everything to make my pores smaller, but nothing worked. So now I think I begin to accept my skin the way it is, as long as it clears from acne. But there are things that you can do to make your skin and pores better. First, don't skip moisturizer, even people with super oily skin need it too, just looking for moisturizer that is made for oily skin. Second, don't wash your face too much, 2 times a day is good because too much washing can make skin produce oil more. Third, drink more water because if we dehydrated, our skin tends to produce more oil. Fourth, eat healthy. Fifth, try to use face mask. Cucumbers and Tomatoes are great for acne oily skin. Honey is also very good. Clay mask is great for oily face too. Sixth, exfoliate your skin 1-2 times a week. Seventh, use toner because it will help to reduce oil on our face. Hope this help...

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(@tay1392)

Posted : 01/16/2016 11:55 pm

I know blocked pores can become annoying.

but hey man be grateful, at least you don't have any actual acne!!

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(@sleepyhead93)

Posted : 01/18/2016 8:31 pm

Most men have large pores because our skin is different than a woman's. The differences in our skin is what allows us to grow facial hair, and have that more mainly appearance. The texture is rougher, and the Stratum Corneum is thicker. There's not much that can be done to shrink the pores as it's also something that is based on genetics. While you can't shrink them, you can lessen their appearance.  

This web page has more information about how a man's skin is different than that of a woman.

This web page has more information about pores and how to minimize their appearance. 

As a humans, we all take pride in the way we look. I understand your pores are bothersome, but hope one day you grow to love and accept the skin you're in

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(@baxtermcdoobinson)

Posted : 01/18/2016 11:49 pm

They look dilated in my opinion. To put it to you straight without undergoing a Fraxal laser resurfacing or multiple treatments of highly potent beta-hydroxy acid, anything you do is more temporary and a constant effort of proactivity. Now you can get some results by starting up some better habits like increase water consumption, routinely exfoliate and frequently refresh your face with water throughout the day. Take some vitamins and/or minerals that have activities associated with a reduction in sebum production, keratin production, anti-inflammatory, or a source of probiotics.

Keep this in mind though.... when you naturally have an oily complex that'll ensure optimal moisture and hydrated skin. When your skin is generally dry your pores tend to be much smaller in circumference from the absence of sebum filling it in. Downside is that they require more maintenance to ensure a healthy moisture level along with the observation that dehydrated skin is the first to noticably assimilate aging effects.

My sister is the only exception to the oily skin paradoxical loophole. Her face is just garbage.

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(@hopeless87)

Posted : 01/19/2016 12:44 am

ive been battling this kind of excessively oily skin for a few years too. havent found a cure but have discovered some "do's and  don'ts".
drink a ton of water- dont drink anything else and then drink twice as much as you usually would. dont wash your face more than 2x a day and dont use harsh products like salicylic acid. definitely try face products with zinc. cetaphil has a line called dermacontrol which has an oil control face wash and moisturizer. garnier make a face wash called clean plus gentle clarifying cleansing gel and a moisturizer called pure, they both are cheap and have zinc and work well. id trade in the primers for clean and clear oil absorbing sheets and just blot your face throughout the day. primers are thick and end up stretching your pores in the long run. if you must use a primer i would check out l'oreal youth code pore vanisher or try milk of magnesia on your face like a primer:  http://www.acne.org/phillips-milk-of-magnesia-reviews-651/
try taking supplements A,D, Zinc and B5. good threads to read about that are:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/325195-vitamin-d-has-cured-me-of-oily-skin-and-acne/
http://www.acne.org/vitamin-b5-reviews-52/
http://www.acne.org/natures-way-vitamin-a-reviews-486/
http://www.acne.org/vitamin-d-vitamin-d3-reviews-704/
http://www.acne.org/zinc-reviews-200/
good luck :) its a shame you have so much anxiety about it because yours are not that bad at all. the reason for the lengthy post is because i dont think you should go the accutane route again. especially if you havent tried everything else. the m.o.m. will most likely work really well for you.

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(@baxtermcdoobinson)

Posted : 01/19/2016 1:16 am

Oh yeah to answer your question regarding your prescription use of finasteride and it's assocation with testosterone......

I'm assuming your using finasteride for treatment of MPB or BPH, All finasteride's fucntionality details is basically antagonist to endogenous dihyrotestosterone (DHT) production via 5au-reductase enzyme. DHT is a byproduct of testosterone metabolism and is slightly weaker in terms of anabolic affinity, but it's androgenicity is well pronounced especially in the scalp. DHT has an affinity for androgen receptors located at the very base of our hair follicles. Eventually with time DHT has a slow accumulative effect, but are DHT synthesis elevates later on in life along with a reduction in testosterone synthesis along with overaul degredation to the human body as whole.
Now DHT alone generally results in negligible hair loss unless you have the genetjic predisposition for male pattern baldness/androgenetic alopecia. Now the suppression to the 5au-reductase enzyme's activity is not 100% suppression, but a partial antagonist and you don't want to have a nonexistant blood level of DHT.

DHT also helps maintain GABAA receptor acitivity. Just a little hypothesis, but Finasteride's partial antagonistic actions on 5au-reductase leads to a marked reduction in testosterone to dihydrotestosterone conversions. The reduction in circulating DHT causes a subsequent reduction in GABAA receptor activity. GABAA family is responsible for the calming feeling and it's the binding realm that benzodiazepines actively cleave to for uptake.
Reduction in GABAA receptor activities can lead to elevated anxiety, irritability, restlessness, and sometimes depression.

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(@orangepeel)

Posted : 01/20/2016 12:40 pm

Thank you!

I just went to the derm today and told her that I was stopping accutane. She gave me a whole generic speech on how it takes time to work. She did nothing to address the large pores. I asked her for advice on stopping this scarring and she just said it was genetic. It is not genetic - everyone in my family and extended family has perfect poreless skin.

I will try supplements, but any other advice would be very helpful. Should I continue to avoid using anything on my skin?

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(@judith_paddy)

Posted : 01/20/2016 3:21 pm

No, you should not. If you stop putting anything on your skin, it will just make your pores stay the same or maybe even become larger. My advice is looking for a good toner and moisturizer for oily face. You will see the difference on your pores and skin. Oh, and try using face mask. Clay mask is good for people with large pores oily skin..

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(@orangepeel)

Posted : 01/20/2016 11:16 pm

Thanks although the issue right now isn't oily skin - accutane dried my skin out and it's the winter. The issue is the scarred areas that were clear before accutane 3 months ago.  My priority is to heal these areas because there is no reason for this texture - these pores were never clogged. Any idea why accutane caused this texture?  Something to do with keratinization?

image.jpeg

I haven't really used any product on my skin for 3 months - 2 months accutane + 1month since. Maybe I should exfoliate and scrub and see what happens - maybe this is actually thick skin instead of thin?  Thoughts?

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(@valerie1987)

Posted : 01/21/2016 12:35 am

Biore deep pore charcoal cleanser and biore pore minimizer. It worked great for me for making my pores smaller, but it's not great if you have sensitive skin

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(@orangepeel)

Posted : 01/21/2016 6:15 am

Notice the huge pores, th© indented section, and the line, all of which were non-existent pre-accutane.  I am terrified -it gets worse every day

image.jpeg

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(@orangepeel)

Posted : 01/21/2016 6:59 am

Also in case anyone's interested - I quit finastetide for 3 weeks. No noticeable effect on skin but my libido is probably 30% of what it used to be (which is a good thing). My guess is that it increases testosterone which is why I had very oily skin pre-accutane. I am gonna start again though because I want to save my hair.

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(@jones4545)

Posted : 01/21/2016 5:13 pm

Your face looks awesome. I asked the same question to my derm and he was very straight forward. Heritage and what sex you are determine your pore size. Almost all men have larger pores than woman, and the older you get the larger they will appear. Its just life. Its a more masculan appearance to have larger pores. You dont look like you have larger pores than any normal human, you look like you have 100% normal pores and really clear skin. Congratz!

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(@orangepeel)

Posted : 01/27/2016 6:55 am

I decided to go back on accutane. I was just thinking about how bad my blackheads have always been. I must have some sort of keratinization disorder. I think accutane is pushing everything out which is making the pores huge, but maybe they will shrink after everything purges. If not, I feel like it's important to purge the deep clogs even if they cause scarring.

im still vey confused at the pores on my temples and forehead - nothing comes out of these so why are they getting bigger.

i also noticed more tiny white hairs on my skin coming out of pores

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(@lore91)

Posted : 01/27/2016 7:16 am

Your skin's amazing I don't understand lol...you'd probably kill yourself if you had my skin xD

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(@jones4545)

Posted : 01/27/2016 1:09 pm

OrangePeel,

I dont know if you just take really good pictures or what. I mean this in the nicest most sincere way, but have you thought about therapy? Your skin looks totally normal, there are alot of people on these threads that have body dysmorphic disorder and can give you some advice on that. But your skin looks TOTALLY NORMAL!!! Nobody is ever going to look at you and say..."wow look at those big pores." Dude, live life and learn to not care about the size of your pores, because trust me, nobody on this planet gives a shit about them.

like Lore91 said, god knows what you would do if you had my skin.

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(@h4nnz)

Posted : 03/28/2016 8:01 am

I find this quite interesting        because I am dealing with the same issue. Although your pores don't look as bad as mine, they are VERY hard to take pictures of haha. My pores are huge and combined with blackheads on my nose, chin and centre of my forehead just look awful,        needless to say I am NOT going to give up. 
I've heard large pores are also called 'orange peel skin'?
A guy on a forum here back in 2005 had the same problem, he then discovered DML lotion and applied it 6 times a day for 3 days and the pores had gone? I seriously think it is worth a try, I saw a review on Amazon and a person did the exact same thing recommended by the guy, it worked for them!!
I will be purchasing some off Amazon and will let you know the results after 3 days, although I'm going on holiday so won't be after a week at least. 
Good luck. 
BTW: My skin looks EXACTLY like the photo attached (from Google images)

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(@blackheadssuck27)

Posted : 07/14/2016 4:22 am

Just keeps getting worse :( guess I won't ever get married 

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(@brokenporecelain)

Posted : 09/27/2016 7:29 am

PLEASE, does any one have any solutions! ??
I'm going through same thing! And I'm a female! I can't have this issue, I had poreless porcelain skin before I took tazorac! It was my best and favorite feature!
I'm on the verge of leaving this earth because of this sudden severe turn in my skin!
im pacing my house, losing sleep, my shoulders are permanently bent in from typing and researching like a mad person on my iPhone trying to figure out what the HELL is going on and how it happened so fast/why it's not going away, I only used tazorac twice!

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(@dman2)

Posted : 09/28/2016 6:38 am

You guys are contemplating suicide because of large pores? Jesus. Yes, find a way to deal with them but for the love of God get a grip.

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(@blackheadssuck27)

Posted : 09/29/2016 7:14 pm

Update: Good and bad news. I noticed the oil in my skin coming back a little in July, so I took a few more pills that I had leftover. Since then, my skin has not been oily. It is really nice to. It have oily skin. My pores have closed up a little bit which is nice! I do not really get stressed about my pores anymore.

HOWEVER, I have a new problem that is just as bad... I have huge bags under my eyes and wrinkles have developed under my eyes. This makes me appear much older and still arguably worse than the large pores problem. I moisturizer under my eyes every day and use emu oil and eye repair creamnsometimes as well. This has not helped - if anything it has made it worse. I'm not sure if it's from the dry skin or just from other things accurate does. I have aged 10-15 years (I am 23). I will keep you prayed. It's been almost a year since I started accutane

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(@brokenporecelain)

Posted : 10/26/2016 10:59 pm

On September 29, 2016 at 8:14 PM, blackheadssuck27 said:

Update: Good and bad news. I noticed the oil in my skin coming back a little in July, so I took a few more pills that I had leftover. Since then, my skin has not been oily. It is really nice to. It have oily skin. My pores have closed up a little bit which is nice! I do not really get stressed about my pores anymore.

HOWEVER, I have a new problem that is just as bad... I have huge bags under my eyes and wrinkles have developed under my eyes. This makes me appear much older and still arguably worse than the large pores problem. I moisturizer under my eyes every day and use emu oil and eye repair creamnsometimes as well. This has not helped - if anything it has made it worse. I'm not sure if it's from the dry skin or just from other things accurate does. I have aged 10-15 years (I am 23). I will keep you prayed. It's been almost a year since I started accutane

Hey im also 23, and now
ive got grandma skin seemingly overnight from using retin a /tazorac...,May I ask, did you always have the texture and pore issue?

Because I have the same thing right now especially on my temples, and I never had such a thing prior..I actually freaked out when I saw it, I was like "why are there micro dots all over my face???!!"..I didn't even think they were pores because I've never even thought about pores before this happened..they've never been visible all my life...
Was wondering HOW much they closed up?
I always wonder with these things because I see people posting pics as before and afters for various things and they are so excited about improvement..yet I see none..and usually Idon't say anything because I don't want to rain on their parade..but it does lessen my hope for my own situation to see no signs of genuine healing in others.
One more thing..I disagree with others even mentioning the term bdd and saying your skin is great when, imho-and it seems to be yours as well- it's not.
Acne itself can be a horrible thing, I had a bout of cysts in the past...but changing of texture and the entirety of your facial skin is some other kind of sick hell.
I'd kill to just have acne than to deal with this mess.
I'djust go back on accutane (did a course 4 years ago) and be done with it...but I see no help for whatever the hell this skin condition/reactions/damage is.
And it's eating me up.
Btw are you sure accutane escalated things or did you use another product/topical..I see you used peels?
through my research I have found many claiming the same damage from peels, retinoids, laser, abrasive exfoliation, etc

** are your eyes having dark circlesor actual pillowy bags?
Because my skin now is all crumplyand I have dark extended half circles that look like someone drew a line with a purple marker through my tear-through...makes me look like a zombie on top of everything else

Also

On January 27, 2016 at 6:55 AM, OrangePeel said:

I decided to go back on accutane. I was just thinking about how bad my blackheads have always been. I must have some sort of keratinization disorder. I think accutane is pushing everything out which is making the pores huge, but maybe they will shrink after everything purges. If not, I feel like it's important to purge the deep clogs even if they cause scarring.

im still vey confused at the pores on my temples and forehead - nothing comes out of these so why are they getting bigger.

i also noticed more tiny white hairs on my skin coming out of pores

Refer to my previous response
But
just wanted to add, I am also getting tiny white hairs EVERYWHERE...and it's even more disgusting considering I'm female..I feel like a leper

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(@blackheadssuck27)

Posted : 07/14/2017 10:34 pm

Update: It's been 1.5 years since I got off accutane. Some of the oil has returned, but I'd say the oil is at 25% of what it used to be. I do not use any product on my face (besides eye creams). My main issue is the skin around my eyes. I have huge bags under my eyes, weird skin texture, and wrinkles. I am fairy happy with the skin on the rest of my face - I do have larger scarred pores, but nothing terrible anymore.

One other problem I am having is bad bloating. I'm pretty sure accutane messed up my gut. I am always bloated, but never was before. This is very frustrating.

Overall, I think I made the right decision to go onto accurate, but I wish I would have taken a lower dose or ended earlier.

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(@sassakatt)

Posted : 01/28/2018 4:27 pm

On 15.7.2017 at 5:34 AM, blackheadssuck27 said:

Update: It's been 1.5 years since I got off accutane.  Some of the oil has returned, but I'd say the oil is at 25% of what it used to be.  I do not use any product on my face (besides eye creams).  My main issue is the skin around my eyes.  I have huge bags under my eyes, weird skin texture, and wrinkles.  I am fairy happy with the skin on the rest of my face - I do have larger scarred pores, but nothing terrible anymore.  

One other problem I am having is bad bloating.  I'm pretty sure accutane messed up my gut.   I am always bloated, but never was before.  This is very frustrating.

Overall, I think I made the right decision to go onto accurate, but I wish I would have taken a lower dose or ended earlier.

 
Hi there. I hope you see my reply even though this post is a bit old. I joined this site just so i could reply. I'm having the same problem as you did. Treatment with glycolic acid products have given me enlarged pores looking similar to yours. I have no idea why. Perhaps i've used the products too often or perhaps i've just been unlucky. I'm so sad and afraid that I might have ruined my skin forever. :(
You mentioned in your update that your pores have gotten better. Could you post a photo of your current skin? Did you do something special to shrink the pores? Or was it simply time that made them heal? What do you think?
I really hope you can reply.

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