Why Your Pores Look Bigger Than They Used To & What Actually Works to Treat Them

Let’s start by clearing up one of the biggest misconceptions: Everyone has pores. In fact, healthy skin depends on them.

One of the easiest ways to understand enlarged pores is to compare youthful skin with aging skin. Young people have pores too, but they're far less noticeable because healthy skin has strong collagen support, efficient cell turnover, balanced hydration, and a resilient skin barrier. Enlarged pores happen when all of these systems stop working as well.

Here’s why pores often become enlarged: 

As we age, dead skin cells shed less efficiently. They begin accumulating around the opening of the follicle where they mix with sebum, sunscreen, makeup, pollution, and other microscopic debris.

Over time, this buildup partially obstructs the pore. Think of it as a drain that’s beginning to clog. Water may still flow through it, but not nearly as efficiently. 

While debris is accumulating near the surface, the sebaceous gland underneath continues producing oil. That oil has to go somewhere. As pressure builds within the follicle, the opening gradually stretches.

This doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow process that develops over months and years, which is why many people don’t notice enlarged pores until they suddenly compare their skin to old photographs.

This is one of the biggest reasons pores become more visible with age. Collagen acts like the internal framework that supports the skin surrounding each follicle. As collagen declines, that support weakens. Imagine cutting a small hole into a brand-new piece of fabric versus an older piece that’s started to lose its strength. The older fabric stretches much more easily. The skin behaves in a remarkably similar way. The opening of the follicle becomes more susceptible to dilation because the surrounding tissue simply isn’t as supportive as it once was.

Perhaps the biggest realization I’ve had is that enlarged pores aren’t simply a problem with the pore itself. They’re a reflection of overall skin health.

When the skin barrier isn’t functioning optimally, hydration declines, cell turnover slows, inflammation increases, oil production can become less balanced, and sun damage accumulates.

As skin health declines, pores become more visible. That’s why I’ve come to think of enlarged pores as a symptom of aging skin rather than an issue of the pore itself.

One thing that’s always been important to me throughout my career is setting realistic expectations. If I don’t believe a treatment is likely to produce a meaningful improvement, I tell my patients that before we ever begin. 

Over the years, countless patients have asked me whether a deep laser resurfacing treatment, chemical peel, or microneedling procedure would finally get rid of their enlarged pores. My answer is always consistent: Treatments like laser resurfacing or chemical peels can absolutely improve certain aspects of skin quality—but don’t expect them to dramatically improve enlarged pores by themselves.

Instead of looking for a procedure to shrink pores, I begin by asking, “How do we restore healthier skin?” When the skin becomes healthier, pores often become less noticeable.

The most effective treatment for enlarged pores is surprisingly simple. Here’s the framework I use:

Throughout the day, your skin accumulates sunscreen, makeup, oxidized sebum, pollution, sweat, and microscopic environmental debris. If they’re allowed to remain on the skin day after day, that buildup can partially obstruct the pore.

That’s why I recommend cleansing twice a day with a gentle, non-foaming cleanser.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people using aggressive foaming cleansers. Many people think that tight, “squeaky clean” feeling means the cleanser is working, but it’s often a sign that you’ve removed too much of what your skin actually needs.

Healthy skin should never feel stripped. When we repeatedly remove the lipids that naturally protect the skin, we compromise the skin barrier. The skin loses moisture more easily, becomes more reactive, and simply doesn’t function as well. 

Gentle, non-foaming cleansers effectively remove sunscreen, makeup, excess oil, and debris without disrupting the skin’s natural barrier.

The second step is helping the skin behave more like youthful skin. When we’re younger, dead skin cells are shed efficiently. As we mature, epidermal turnover slows and those cells linger longer on the surface. They begin accumulating around the opening of the follicle, making obstruction much more likely.

That’s why I believe regular exfoliation is such an important part of treating enlarged pores. Notice I didn’t say aggressive exfoliation. The goal isn’t to continually strip the skin. The goal is to restore a normal, healthy rate of renewal. 

Ingredients like glycolic acid gently loosen the bonds between dead surface cells, making it easier for the skin to shed naturally. Retinoids complement that process by helping normalize epidermal turnover over time. Together they reduce the accumulation of dead skin around the follicle opening, making it easier for pores to function normally.

I often explain it this way to patients. Healthy skin is easier to keep clean. When dead skin isn’t continually building up around the pore, oil flows more normally, obstruction becomes less common, and pores are less likely to become chronically enlarged.

This is the step I think receives the least attention. Remember, one of the reasons pores become more noticeable as we age is that the surrounding skin loses structural support. Collagen gradually declines. Hydration decreases. The skin barrier becomes less efficient. The tissue surrounding each follicle simply isn’t as resilient as it once was. 

• Retinoids remain one of my favorite ingredients: Not simply because they improve fine lines, but because they support healthier collagen and improve the overall quality of aging skin.
• Hydration is equally important: Ingredients like sodium hyaluronate help attract and retain water within the skin, creating a healthier environment for normal skin function. Well-hydrated skin is generally more resilient, reflects light more evenly, and behaves more like youthful skin.
• Then there are ceramides and physiologic lipids: These are essential components of a healthy skin barrier. As we age, the skin gradually loses many of these naturally occurring lipids. Replacing them helps restore barrier function, improves hydration, reduces water loss, and creates a healthier environment for the skin to regulate itself.

The final step is protecting everything you’ve worked to build. When patients ask me which skincare step they should never skip, sunscreen is always on that list.

A significant amount of collagen loss comes from years of cumulative ultraviolet exposure. Daily sunscreen is one of the simplest ways to preserve the collagen that supports the skin surrounding each pore.

Finally, there’s one principle that ties everything together: Consistency.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people constantly searching for a new treatment instead of committing to one good routine long enough for the skin to actually change.

Healthy skin isn’t created by one laser treatment or one peel. It’s built day by day.

That’s why I often tell patients: “Consistency beats intensity.” That’s true single time.

I didn’t develop the KaramMD Trifecta to treat enlarged pores in particular. My focus was much broader. I wanted to create a skincare routine that addressed the major changes responsible for skin aging. 

At the time, I honestly wasn’t thinking about enlarged pores at all. Then something interesting began happening. Over the years, one of the most common comments I started hearing from long-term Trifecta users was that one unexpected improvement was the appearance of their pores.

After hearing the same feedback from countless long-term users over many years, I started asking myself why. The answer became surprisingly obvious.

Everything that contributes to enlarged pores was being addressed—not by targeting the pore directly, but by improving the biology of the skin surrounding it:

• Gentle cleansing removed the daily accumulation of sunscreen, makeup, oil, pollution, and environmental debris.
• Glycolic acid helped reduce the buildup of dead skin around the follicle opening.
• Retinoids promoted healthier cell turnover while also supporting collagen.
• Sodium hyaluronate improved hydration.
• Ceramides and physiologic lipids restored a healthier skin barrier.
• Daily sunscreen helped preserve the collagen supporting each pore.

None of those ingredients were selected because they “shrink pores.” They were chosen because they support healthier skin, but as skin health improved, enlarged pores became less noticeable. That experience fundamentally changed the way I think about treating enlarged pores.

In my experience, when you consistently improve the health of your skin, enlarged pores often become one of many visible improvements that naturally follow. And ultimately, that’s what I’ve always believed great skincare should do. Not simply improve one concern. Help your skin function the way it was designed to.

1. Cleanse Gently

• Wash twice daily with a gentle, non-foaming cleanser.
• Remove sunscreen, oil, makeup, and environmental debris without disrupting the skin barrier.

2. Restore Healthy Cell Turnover

• Exfoliate consistently.
• Use ingredients like glycolic acid and retinoids to reduce dead skin buildup and keep pores functioning normally.

3. Strengthen the Skin

• Support collagen with retinoids.
• Improve hydration with sodium hyaluronate.
• Restore the skin barrier with ceramides and physiologic lipids.

4. Protect Your Results

• Wear sunscreen every day.
• Stay consistent. Healthy skin isn’t built in a week—it’s built through the habits you repeat every day.  

Not permanently. Your genetics largely determine your baseline pore size. However, consistent skincare can significantly reduce how enlarged and noticeable many pores become by improving the health of the surrounding skin and reducing obstruction.

Several changes occur simultaneously. Cell turnover slows, collagen declines, hydration decreases, the skin barrier becomes less efficient, and years of sun exposure weaken the skin’s structural support. Together, these changes make pores more likely to become clogged, stretched, and visible.

No—and you wouldn’t want to.

Everyone has pores. They’re a normal and essential part of healthy skin because they allow natural oils to reach the skin’s surface. The goal isn’t to eliminate pores. It’s to keep them healthy enough that they remain small and difficult to notice.

Fractional laser resurfacing and other collagen-stimulating procedures can produce modest improvements in overall skin texture and may soften the appearance of enlarged pores in some patients. In my experience, however, they rarely produce the dramatic improvement people expect when enlarged pores are the primary concern.

Microneedling and RF microneedling may provide modest improvement by stimulating collagen remodeling, particularly when enlarged pores are associated with mild skin laxity. However, I don’t consider them primary treatments for enlarged pores. I believe consistent daily skincare has a greater long-term impact for most people.

Rather than relying on one ingredient, I recommend a comprehensive approach:

• Gentle cleansing to remove daily debris.
• Glycolic acid and retinoids to improve healthy cell turnover.
• Sodium hyaluronate to improve hydration.
• Ceramides and physiologic lipids to restore the skin barrier.
• Daily sunscreen to preserve collagen and protect healthy skin.

Each addresses a different part of the biology that contributes to enlarged pores.

Excess oil can contribute to enlarged pores because it increases the likelihood of obstruction and gradual stretching of the follicle opening. The solution isn’t to strip the skin of all its oil, but to support a healthy skin barrier so oil production remains better balanced.

Yes. As skin matures, the skin barrier often becomes less efficient, making it harder to retain moisture. This can lead to dehydration and less healthy skin function. While dry skin doesn’t automatically produce more oil, restoring hydration and barrier function helps create a healthier environment that allows pores to function more normally.

No.

Pores don’t have muscles that allow them to open and close. What people perceive as “smaller pores” is actually healthier skin with less obstruction and less dilation of the pore opening.

After nearly thirty years of treating facial aging, I believe the most effective long-term approach is improving the overall health of the skin. Gentle cleansing, consistent exfoliation, retinoids, proper hydration, barrier repair, daily sunscreen, and long-term consistency work together to create healthier skin—and healthier skin naturally develops fewer enlarged, noticeable pores.