Joined
·
20 Posts
dOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS TO HELP WITH MY LARGE PORES. a PRODUCT OR ANY OTHER SUGGESTION, I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE
Large pores
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
Sun exposure is a major conributor to enlarged pores, as is the tendency towards oily skin. Very enlarged pores are usually attributed to loss of collagen, loss of elasticty. Keep your skin squeaky clean. Exfoliate at least twice a week. If your skin is naturally oily there's nothing you can do about it so be positive: you're less likely to develop lines and wrinkles early in life in comparison to a person with a less porous skin.
Joined
·
17 Posts
Ultherapy treatment by Ulthera reduces the pore size. You should try that!
Joined
·
15 Posts
Using a good facial serum.
Joined
·
15 Posts
I started using SkinCeuticals, "simply clean". I bought it for about $35cdn. I tried chemical peels blabla and nothing seemed to work for my huge pores...but I started using this cleanser and WOW they are ALOT smaller within a few days, it was crazy. I also used a bit of that salicylic acid too. If you wear makeup, its a good idea to use mineral makeup as the cheap goopy stuff makes it worse! But anything with the salicylic acid is great! Just becareful of the strength of it as it may dry your skin out. For moisturizer I use Environ AVST1 at night and its not greesy,works well. Day time I use a serum from SkinCeuticals. Its a little pricy but well worth it! Hope that helps
![]()
Joined
·
18 Posts
I'm a man, but I've found in my research that most people who have large pores because of how the sebaceous oil glands in the skin are enlarged by hormones. Men's skin typically is oily and has large pores (as well as lost hair) because of DHT (DiHydro-Testosterone). Women still have a bit of this hormone, but not nearly as much as men. However, there are times in women's lives where they have a sudden, dramatic and powerful hormonal change (which includes testosterone fluctuations) and causes agression, anger spells, etc. And this often causes acne and even enlarged pores.
In my recent online research I found some interesting things. There are what are called anti-androgen skin products. One that I discovered recently is an ingredient called "Ketoconazole" which is an anti-fungal and often used in some dandruff shampoos. Research has found that Ketoconazole is a powerful anti-androgen when it was obseved in clinical dandruff trials to shrink the sebaceous glands on the scalp.
I have been using this for 4 weeks and my pores have reduced in size along with one of my larger sebaceous hyperplasia. I was so happy I decided to join this forum to say the stuff works. It genuinely shrunk a sebaceous gland back to normal which had been oversized for a few years now.
So, I am now researching other alternative creams that might provide more anti-adrogen effects in addition to Ketoconazole. I really hope this helps. I'm using a shampoo that is meant to treat men's hair loss, but the ingredients are working wonders for shrinking the pores on my face so far!
In my recent online research I found some interesting things. There are what are called anti-androgen skin products. One that I discovered recently is an ingredient called "Ketoconazole" which is an anti-fungal and often used in some dandruff shampoos. Research has found that Ketoconazole is a powerful anti-androgen when it was obseved in clinical dandruff trials to shrink the sebaceous glands on the scalp.
I have been using this for 4 weeks and my pores have reduced in size along with one of my larger sebaceous hyperplasia. I was so happy I decided to join this forum to say the stuff works. It genuinely shrunk a sebaceous gland back to normal which had been oversized for a few years now.
So, I am now researching other alternative creams that might provide more anti-adrogen effects in addition to Ketoconazole. I really hope this helps. I'm using a shampoo that is meant to treat men's hair loss, but the ingredients are working wonders for shrinking the pores on my face so far!
Joined
·
2 Posts
I have been to a dermatologist and although he prescribed me with retin A, a face wash and cream my acne has improved but my pores are still quite large. He told me "Oh theres nothing we can do to shrink your pores just use cold water and moisturizer." I was appalled really? You say this works thats great I must try. I have oily to combination skin huge pores Have you experienced any side effects? What is your regimine how often do you use the product. What is the name is it in head and shoulders?
Peace&Love
Peace&Love
Joined
·
23 Posts
I was prescribed a Ketoconazole shampoo from my derm for tinea versicolor on my arms, so I have plenty to try using it on my face to shrink my pores. How did you use it? Did you use it as a facewash? or did you leave it on for a period of time? or just rub it in and leave it?
Joined
·
18 Posts
How I have been using it:
Every morning with my shower, I wash my face with it, making sure I leave it on my face for a few minutes before rinsing it off. I apply an Aveeno 30spf moisturizer.
Every night I wash my face with it and rinse it off, then apply a moisturizer intended to even out skin tone.
Once a week =
1. I wash my face with a gentle cleanser.
2. I use 2 q-tips to squeeze sebum out of my large pores.
3. I apply a mint jalep mask (you can buy at walmart).
4. I use a hot washcloth to open my facial pores then work a small blob of the Ketoconazole shampoo into my face with the washcloth, then leave it on my face overnight with some moisturizer over it.
I do this routine to make sure the Ketoconazole gets as DEEP into the pores of my skin as possible to help halt the hormonal effects on my pores.
Over the weekend I bought some Topical Spironolactone S5 Cream.
*can't post links yet, it won't let me*
Spironolactone is an anti-androgen. So, this should work with the Ketoconazole.
The most important thing to do is clean out those pores and keep cleaning them. Get the medicine into open/clean pores and let that medicine really stay on the skin in as high a concentration as you can. I'm using 1% Ketoconazole. You 'might' be able to find a 2% Ketoconazole shampoo to increase the strength.
The 'hope' is that IF your pores are large BECAUSE of androgenic hormones (this is the the cause of the majority of large pores for men and even for many women as well), then it is 'possible' to reduce the pore size with consistent pore cleaning, medication and attempting to tighten them. I think caffeine is an important skin stimulant as is green tea.
There are no guantees that your pores with shrink, nor any guarantee they stay small. If you stop any part of the regimen then the pores will return to their normal size. The best you can hope for with Ketoconazole is a 20% reduction in pore size (during studies as a dandruff shampoo, a 20% sebaceous gland size reduction was noted), I got a slight bit more than that I think because of the total regimen of clearing the obstructions (black heads/sebum).
The medicine 'should' help reduce sebum production (during studies there was noted lowered scalp sebum production, a benefit to prevent acne, blackheads & further pore obstruction) and with stimulants and toners, the appearance of pores can be further shrunk.
With reduced sebum production, I'm hoping to not have to squeeze as many obstructions from my pores as when I started the treatment. Right now my skin still likes to make sebum and I'd say the reduction of the production of my sebum has been about 50%. My skin has always been super oily and in the past it only took 4 hours to get a sheen of oil on my forehead and T-zone area. Right now that has been reduced. I still have oily skin on my face, just not as bad.
Remember this is about MINIMIZING a curse to our skin. You won't completely reduce large pores or erase them. Just shrink them a bit and then use other tricks to shrink them a bit more, then for women, cosmetic covers help with the rest. For men, I'm testing out using a small puff of baby powder on my face moisturizer to see how well it hides my smaller pores. I also ordered a pore-minimizer with a bit of a 'matte' look to see if it's possible to hide them without too much trouble. This stuff seems to be a bit of a makeup trick that women use, but it's really just a tiny bit of powder. As a man I can find a little tiny bit of oil-absorbing powder an acceptable thing, as long as it's not obvious (and it doesn't look obvious with baby powder so far in very small amounts).
Women have it so much easier than men when it comes to obtaining a decent complexion and even having tons of makeup tricks to conceal it. Men have very little training on this stuff and makeup isn't socially acceptable. The little matte powder trick is subtle, doesn't work that well, but it's the only thing a man might be able to do to lightly diffuse the look of large pores without being identified as using makeup.
Right now I've got the look of about a 40% reduction in pore size. I'm hoping the Spironolactone cream can help shrink them a bit more. If I could just get a 60% (2/3rds) shrinkage (in overall appearance with all the tricks), it would be worth it. Reversing years of hormonal effects on skin (much like treating hair loss from hormonal attacks on men's scalp) could take years to achieve ultimate results. So, don't expect to have super results in just a month or two. It could take 6 months before the results start becoming noticeable. It may never happen. But the theory is sound. I'm already noticing a difference, but that could just be from proper skin regimen. The hormonal size reversal might take many months to be noticed.
Every morning with my shower, I wash my face with it, making sure I leave it on my face for a few minutes before rinsing it off. I apply an Aveeno 30spf moisturizer.
Every night I wash my face with it and rinse it off, then apply a moisturizer intended to even out skin tone.
Once a week =
1. I wash my face with a gentle cleanser.
2. I use 2 q-tips to squeeze sebum out of my large pores.
3. I apply a mint jalep mask (you can buy at walmart).
4. I use a hot washcloth to open my facial pores then work a small blob of the Ketoconazole shampoo into my face with the washcloth, then leave it on my face overnight with some moisturizer over it.
I do this routine to make sure the Ketoconazole gets as DEEP into the pores of my skin as possible to help halt the hormonal effects on my pores.
Over the weekend I bought some Topical Spironolactone S5 Cream.
*can't post links yet, it won't let me*
Spironolactone is an anti-androgen. So, this should work with the Ketoconazole.
The most important thing to do is clean out those pores and keep cleaning them. Get the medicine into open/clean pores and let that medicine really stay on the skin in as high a concentration as you can. I'm using 1% Ketoconazole. You 'might' be able to find a 2% Ketoconazole shampoo to increase the strength.
The 'hope' is that IF your pores are large BECAUSE of androgenic hormones (this is the the cause of the majority of large pores for men and even for many women as well), then it is 'possible' to reduce the pore size with consistent pore cleaning, medication and attempting to tighten them. I think caffeine is an important skin stimulant as is green tea.
There are no guantees that your pores with shrink, nor any guarantee they stay small. If you stop any part of the regimen then the pores will return to their normal size. The best you can hope for with Ketoconazole is a 20% reduction in pore size (during studies as a dandruff shampoo, a 20% sebaceous gland size reduction was noted), I got a slight bit more than that I think because of the total regimen of clearing the obstructions (black heads/sebum).
The medicine 'should' help reduce sebum production (during studies there was noted lowered scalp sebum production, a benefit to prevent acne, blackheads & further pore obstruction) and with stimulants and toners, the appearance of pores can be further shrunk.
With reduced sebum production, I'm hoping to not have to squeeze as many obstructions from my pores as when I started the treatment. Right now my skin still likes to make sebum and I'd say the reduction of the production of my sebum has been about 50%. My skin has always been super oily and in the past it only took 4 hours to get a sheen of oil on my forehead and T-zone area. Right now that has been reduced. I still have oily skin on my face, just not as bad.
Remember this is about MINIMIZING a curse to our skin. You won't completely reduce large pores or erase them. Just shrink them a bit and then use other tricks to shrink them a bit more, then for women, cosmetic covers help with the rest. For men, I'm testing out using a small puff of baby powder on my face moisturizer to see how well it hides my smaller pores. I also ordered a pore-minimizer with a bit of a 'matte' look to see if it's possible to hide them without too much trouble. This stuff seems to be a bit of a makeup trick that women use, but it's really just a tiny bit of powder. As a man I can find a little tiny bit of oil-absorbing powder an acceptable thing, as long as it's not obvious (and it doesn't look obvious with baby powder so far in very small amounts).
Women have it so much easier than men when it comes to obtaining a decent complexion and even having tons of makeup tricks to conceal it. Men have very little training on this stuff and makeup isn't socially acceptable. The little matte powder trick is subtle, doesn't work that well, but it's the only thing a man might be able to do to lightly diffuse the look of large pores without being identified as using makeup.
Right now I've got the look of about a 40% reduction in pore size. I'm hoping the Spironolactone cream can help shrink them a bit more. If I could just get a 60% (2/3rds) shrinkage (in overall appearance with all the tricks), it would be worth it. Reversing years of hormonal effects on skin (much like treating hair loss from hormonal attacks on men's scalp) could take years to achieve ultimate results. So, don't expect to have super results in just a month or two. It could take 6 months before the results start becoming noticeable. It may never happen. But the theory is sound. I'm already noticing a difference, but that could just be from proper skin regimen. The hormonal size reversal might take many months to be noticed.
Joined
·
23 Posts
I was actually prescribed the 2% strength, so maybe I should use less? Or will I maybe get results faster? Is there any burning or redness from using this?
Joined
·
18 Posts
Anti-androgens treat male hair loss by blocking DHT. DHT in male hair loss damages men's youthful hair folicles, forcing them to regress and shrink. There are hair folicles which act in the OPPOSITE fashion in the skin and are stimulated by androgens.
In the same fashion that Spironolactone and Ketoconazole block DHT effects on men's genetically weak head hair, it also acts to block DHT effects in promoting hair growth of those hairs that are generated by androgens.
Ever notice how men who have a lot of androgenic testosterone have bald heads, yet have excessive back hair and chest hair? That's no coincidence, the DHT in their bodies effects hair loss in some areas and hair growth in other areas.
In short, no, anti-androgenic creams will NOT promote facial hair growth. In fact, just the opposite. There are female body/face hair prevention creams called "Gorilla Warfare" which contain anti-androgens not dissimilar to Ketoconazole and Spironolactone. Check them out:
Underarm roller with hair growth prevention ingredients, a few ingredients specifically targeting hormones like testosterone (DHT):
ww.dermadoctorskincare.com/gorillawarfare.html
Here is the skin cream with a pdf giving an in-depth description of how the ingredients attempt to regress androgenic hair growth activity (facial hairs on women):
ttp://dermadoctorskincare.com/productsheets/ddgorillamoisturizer.pdf
The Gorilla Warfare products are "ok", but aren't prescription strength anti-androgens. Ketoconazole & Spironolactone are VERY VERY strong anti-androgens and yet they still take months before results are seen. When working with topical anti-androgens, you must be ready to wait 6-months to 1-year to see reversal effects (substantially shrunk pores, smaller androgenic hair size, or in the case of men it takes these DHT inhibitors up to 1-year to show hair re-growth results (if they happen at all). It's viewed more as a hair loss "prevention". Reversing the effects of androgenic hormones don't always happen. The best chance to reverse androgenic effects are if they have just recently occurred. This is why only limited hair regrowth happens for men with these products. If the hair follicle has been dead too long, it wont regenerate. Also, if a stubborn, strong facial hair has been around too long on a woman's face, it likely won't get eliminated, at best it's thickness will be reduced.
I'm hoping that my face pores work differently and respond better to treatment but I'm prepared to see only minimal change.
Joined
·
18 Posts
2% Ketoconazole should really increase your chances of it shutting off the oil/sebum production in your pores. The first thing you will notice after about 2 weeks is that your skin is getting dry and that your skin is not as oily. I made sure I used a moisturizer at all times, day & night because this stuff will lower your skin oil production. I used some of the Ketoconazole shampoo on my shoulders also for any acne prevention. My shoulders started to get really dry, so I'm moisturizing that area too.
The pore shrinking effect might not be noticed for up to 6 months. I presume this because that's how long it takes for the first hairs to start re-growing when treating men's hair loss with the stuff. If androgens are causing your pores to be large, and if the pore hasn't been permanently set that way, then it's logical to assume a minimum of 6-months and up to a 1-year before results are seen.
I think my recent pore size reduction has come mostly from doing a proper cleansing, pore extraction, skin exfoliation & moisturizing regimen. The reversal of the hormonal effects, *IF* they happen, will take time to see.
Joined
·
79 Posts
Try something with Renovage as an ingredient...good for redness, rosacea and shrinks large pores successfully.
Joined
·
18 Posts
I have now been using Spironolactone 5% cream since Wednesday night (3 nights now). Thursday I did the following steps:
My regular Morning routine for the last week now:
1. Shower, wash face with Ketoconazole shampoo, leave in for several minutes before rinsing off.
2. Neutrogena alcohol-free toner.
3. Put on the Johnson and Johnson "Clean & Clear" oil-free moisturizer with 2% Salicylic Acid. (I didn't mention this product because I just started taking it 4 days before my recent posts on this site and didn't know what results it would have for me yet, so I left it out when reporting my regimen before.)
4. Dab small 'dots' of Spironolactone cream to the sebaceous hyper plasia spots.
5. Aveeno face moisturizer (I love the smell of Aveeno it's awesome)
Evening weekly routine:
1. Washing off the face oil with Aveeno face cleanser.
2. Heating face with hot tap water for 3 minutes to open pores.
3. I used Biore pore strips then Q-tips to try and extract any sebum I could from the pores. (Not really very much sebum at all this week, YAY! The combo of the Ketoconazole & Salicylic Acid moisturizer seems to be working over the last week to reduce sebum. My nose still had the most sebum production but it's greatly reduced compared to normal!)
4. Rinse with hot water to reopen pores then apply the Mint Julep Mask. (Why do I love this stuff so much? You ladies have a nice thing going with some of these facial masks, they feel real good!)
5. Wait for it to dry to a crusty consistency then rinse off with hot water completely and to re-open the pores again.
6. I then spread on the Ketoconazole shampoo and letting it dry on my face and stay for 10 minutes then rinse off lightly, intending to leave a small residue behind on the skin.
7. I spread on a lavish amount of the Spironolactone cream, putting some pressure on the rub so that I can push it as deep into the skin & pores as I can. My face remains very moist from the cream all night while I sleep.
The next day my face was a tad irritated, but no rash or anything, just a bit of increase redness (which happens the day after my sebum extraction as my skin has always been reactionary to physical squeezing and manipulations).
Then Friday, the same morning routine.
In the evening I wash, then apply only the Clean & Clear stuff with dabs of the Spironolactone cream to give my face a rest from the medicine for a night and only dab the cream on the sebaceous hyperplasia spots.
This morning one prominent sebaceous hyperplasia on my forehead (which I worked on Thursday with the q-tips hard to extract oil) looks to be closing up! I'm hoping it keeps shrinking and it's looking like it's going away!
I'm so encouraged by my recent decision to try these things on my skin over the past 6 weeks. I'm really thinking all my research, shopping for products and waiting thru acne breakouts and skin reactions to the new routine is paying off. Yes, initially when I did this stuff for the first couple of weeks, my face broke out with acne and was irritated. I just got thru it with patience and now things are looking better at the 6-week mark.
Also, my shoulders, which used to produce so much sebum that every week when I scratched my shoulders I would get little blackhead in my fingernails from the junk, I'm now finding that it's almost non-existent! The ketoconazole shampoo and salicylic acid moisturizer combination has obliterated the sebum that constantly clogged the pores on my shoulders and upper back region!
My shoulders have never looked and felt so smooth and clean and healthy! I've also been working out on P90X lately, so, with my new nice looking skin on my shoulders and emerging muscles I'm actually feeling 'sexy' for the first time in ages. (I'm 38 years old and single, so this is so awesome!)
![]()
I don't know if there are many guys on this forum that can relate but I've had bad skin all my life and it's always been a confidence thing with me, so feeling sexy about my shoulders is more than just an improvement. It's an awesome, awesome feeling.
Also, on the nutritional front, I've started taking some anti-oxidant supplements (Glisoden, N-Acetyl Cystein & Tocotrienols). Just added those Thursday night to my normal supplements and I have slept so well the past few nights. I have to think good nutrition could also be a factor in my improving skin. So, I feel I should mention that as well.
My regular Morning routine for the last week now:
1. Shower, wash face with Ketoconazole shampoo, leave in for several minutes before rinsing off.
2. Neutrogena alcohol-free toner.
3. Put on the Johnson and Johnson "Clean & Clear" oil-free moisturizer with 2% Salicylic Acid. (I didn't mention this product because I just started taking it 4 days before my recent posts on this site and didn't know what results it would have for me yet, so I left it out when reporting my regimen before.)
4. Dab small 'dots' of Spironolactone cream to the sebaceous hyper plasia spots.
5. Aveeno face moisturizer (I love the smell of Aveeno it's awesome)
Evening weekly routine:
1. Washing off the face oil with Aveeno face cleanser.
2. Heating face with hot tap water for 3 minutes to open pores.
3. I used Biore pore strips then Q-tips to try and extract any sebum I could from the pores. (Not really very much sebum at all this week, YAY! The combo of the Ketoconazole & Salicylic Acid moisturizer seems to be working over the last week to reduce sebum. My nose still had the most sebum production but it's greatly reduced compared to normal!)
4. Rinse with hot water to reopen pores then apply the Mint Julep Mask. (Why do I love this stuff so much? You ladies have a nice thing going with some of these facial masks, they feel real good!)
5. Wait for it to dry to a crusty consistency then rinse off with hot water completely and to re-open the pores again.
6. I then spread on the Ketoconazole shampoo and letting it dry on my face and stay for 10 minutes then rinse off lightly, intending to leave a small residue behind on the skin.
7. I spread on a lavish amount of the Spironolactone cream, putting some pressure on the rub so that I can push it as deep into the skin & pores as I can. My face remains very moist from the cream all night while I sleep.
The next day my face was a tad irritated, but no rash or anything, just a bit of increase redness (which happens the day after my sebum extraction as my skin has always been reactionary to physical squeezing and manipulations).
Then Friday, the same morning routine.
In the evening I wash, then apply only the Clean & Clear stuff with dabs of the Spironolactone cream to give my face a rest from the medicine for a night and only dab the cream on the sebaceous hyperplasia spots.
This morning one prominent sebaceous hyperplasia on my forehead (which I worked on Thursday with the q-tips hard to extract oil) looks to be closing up! I'm hoping it keeps shrinking and it's looking like it's going away!
I'm so encouraged by my recent decision to try these things on my skin over the past 6 weeks. I'm really thinking all my research, shopping for products and waiting thru acne breakouts and skin reactions to the new routine is paying off. Yes, initially when I did this stuff for the first couple of weeks, my face broke out with acne and was irritated. I just got thru it with patience and now things are looking better at the 6-week mark.
Also, my shoulders, which used to produce so much sebum that every week when I scratched my shoulders I would get little blackhead in my fingernails from the junk, I'm now finding that it's almost non-existent! The ketoconazole shampoo and salicylic acid moisturizer combination has obliterated the sebum that constantly clogged the pores on my shoulders and upper back region!
My shoulders have never looked and felt so smooth and clean and healthy! I've also been working out on P90X lately, so, with my new nice looking skin on my shoulders and emerging muscles I'm actually feeling 'sexy' for the first time in ages. (I'm 38 years old and single, so this is so awesome!)
Also, on the nutritional front, I've started taking some anti-oxidant supplements (Glisoden, N-Acetyl Cystein & Tocotrienols). Just added those Thursday night to my normal supplements and I have slept so well the past few nights. I have to think good nutrition could also be a factor in my improving skin. So, I feel I should mention that as well.
Joined
·
1,215 Posts
Hi do u still use the shampoo?
how is your skin doing now?
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
