Experience Constant Clogged Pores? You Might Be Doing These Unknowingly!

Do you notice having some little bumpy spots on your face while washing it? If yes, you might be having clogged pores! Clogged pores can happen to anyone, but most commonly this can be seen in adolescents or young adults during puberty. This is due to the gland that produces skin sebum (oil) being stimulated by hormones (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). There are multiple ways to prevent and “fight” these little annoying bumps such as skincare, diet, and beauty devices (which are offered by companies such as FOREO)

What Exactly Are Clogged Pores?

Clogged pores are made when dead skin cells are trapped in your skin without proper exfoliation. As oil and sweat are released by pores, together with dead skin cells, they clog the pores. This results in blackheads, whiteheads, and sometimes acne (Chertoff, 2020).

Symptoms of Clogged Pores

1. Whiteheads

Commonly known as zits. Whiteheads are white or flesh-colored tiny bumps on your skin that are caused by the clog in the opening of the pores.

2. Blackheads

Similar to whiteheads, however, the pores have been opened wider due to this clog. This leads to the mix of the pore’s content with oxygen which turn the opening of the pore into black.

3. Pimple

Too many dead cells and skin sebum trapped in the pores can irritate the skin, leading to redness and swelling.

Things that Lead to Clogged Pores

1. Too Much Products or Too Dense to Absorb

Double moisturizer, 10-step skincare routine, using extra-moisturizing facemask sheets, etc — You sure have heard people talking about this specifically more during the cold seasons. Yes, a colder climate does require a more suitable moisturizer compared to summer weather. However, doubling the layer of your moisturizer, or doing a complex skincare routine that does not suit your skin is signing up for clogged pores in the future. Too many product layers make it harder for your skin to absorb all the nutrients of each product. This makes the skin suffocate, leading to clogged pores.

2. Extra Dead Skin Cells

Not removing dead skin cells is the number one reason for clogged pores. Without exfoliation, leaving dead skin cells on your face for a period mixing with the skin sebum eventually clogs the pores opening.

3. Over-production of Skin Sebum

Skin sebum, commonly known as oil, is naturally created to maintain the hydration level of our skin. However, the different health conditions or lifestyles mentioned below could lead to the over-production of sebum:

• Stress/ Anxiety: A rise in stress level response triggers the production of cortisol (a type of stress hormone). This would lead to over-production of sebum, eventually clogging the pores.
• Lack of sleep: Less sleep has been proven to create higher stress levels, which directly links to an increase in skin oil production.
• Change in diet: Consuming a high level of dairy, oily food or sugar have been proven related to clogging pores. This could be explained as these foods highly contain refined carbohydrates, which leads to the rapid rise of blood sugar levels (American Heart Association, 2023). Insulin levels will rise as a result which increases hormones in the system. This contributes to the boosting of sebum and skin cell production to clog the pores.

How To Get Rid of Clogged Pores

1. Using Makeup Removal

Makeup removal is crucial in deep cleaning your skin. Not only does it help to remove the makeup along with impurities collected on your face after a long day, but it also does a great job of gently removing dead skin cells that have been on your skin for a long time.

2. Exfoliation

Clogged pores can be reduced by properly exfoliating your face. Physical and chemical exfoliations are currently the most common types of exfoliations for consumers.

Physical exfoliations are easy to find and can be made at home. However, this type of exfoliation is more suitable for healthy skin with no active ance. The application of pressure on the skin with abrasives could potentially worsen one’s skin conditions with active acne.

Chemical exfoliation — acids that help to get rid of dead skin cells. Besides alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), which are more familiar to consumers, polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) and enzymes are also becoming more adored by the skincare gurus.

This type of exfoliation is milder compared to physical exfoliation. However, it is crucial to choose products with suitable types of acid based on your skin condition. AHAs are the strongest and often used for skin tone improvement or discoloration. BHAs are ideal for oily and acne-prone skin as they help to unclog the skin pores. Highly sensitive skin would prefer PHAs as they are the less intrusive exfoliant (Sharkey, 2020).

3. Moisturize Your Skin

Enough moisturizer is crucial during all seasons. However, different weather might demand different hydrating care. Finding a suitable moisturizer not only helps to keep your skin hydrated but also prevents the overproduction of oil on the skin. As your skin is too dry, the system will automatically produce extra oil to reclaim the hydration balance. However, this could potentially lead to clogged pores and acne in the long term.

Key Takeaways

There are multiple options to help unclog your pores. Changes could be made from daily facial cleansers to skincare products. However, with severely clogged pores leading to heavy breakouts, it is recommended to work with certified dermatologists before trying new facial treatments.

4. Incorporating Beauty Devices

Using beauty devices could elevate your face washing process on another level. One of the most beloved devices is FOREO’s Facial Cleansing
LUNA range. Proper massage and a suitable level of pressure along with the T-SonicTM pulsations from the devices will help to gently remove your dead skin cells without hurting the skin barrier.

Reference

American Heart Association. (2023, December 18). Carbohydrates. www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/carbohydrates

Chertoff, J. (2020, August 12). How to unclog pores: Safe methods, what to avoid, and more. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/how-to-unclog-pores#_noHeaderPrefixedContent

Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Clogged pores: What they are, causes, treatment & prevention. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22773-clogged-pores

FOREO. (n.d.). Complete lineup of Foreo Devices. https://flip.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=4&aff_id=2114&url_id=809&source=contbtech

Sharkey, L. (2020). How to use chemical exfoliation — and why you should. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/chemical-exfoliation#how-to-pick