Why are my pores so big, and can I make them look smaller?

Pores look big mainly because of oil, clogging, sun and age. Skin that makes more oil tends to have wider-looking pores; pores filled with oil and surface flakes look darker and larger; and skin that has lost some firmness lets them stretch into ovals. Pore size is largely inherited, so no routine will shrink or close them. If you are searching for how to minimise pores, the honest goal is what a routine can do: keep pores clear, keep shine down and keep the skin around them smooth, so they look less noticeable.

Why pores look bigger

Oil. The pores you can see are the openings where your skin’s oil reaches the surface. More oil means a wider-looking opening, which is why pores on the nose and forehead stand out first, and why they look bigger in humid heat.
Clogging. Oil and dead surface cells collect inside the pore and darken where they meet the air. Those grey or dark dots on the nose make each pore look larger than it is.
Sun and age. Over the years the skin around each pore loses some firmness and the pore starts to look stretched, often teardrop-shaped, especially on the cheeks.
A rough surface. Dry or flaky skin catches light unevenly, so pores sit in tiny shadows.
Squeezing. Picking and pressing stretches the opening and can leave marks that look like bigger pores.

What helps pores look less noticeable

Cleanse gently, twice a day. A gel cleanser suits oily skin in humid weather. On the nose and T-zone, our advisers suggest slow, light circles for a little longer rather than scrubbing hard, which leaves skin red and rough.
Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it works inside the pore and helps keep it clear. Start one evening a week and build to two or three. It suits the nose, forehead and chin best.
Niacinamide, as a daily serum, helps the look of pores and shine.
Retinol at night helps skin look smoother and firmer over months, which also makes pores look less obvious. Start with two nights a week, never on the same night as an acid, and go slowly if your skin flakes. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your doctor before using retinol.
A light moisturiser. Skipping it rarely makes skin less oily and often leaves it tight. A gel or light lotion is enough.
Daily sunscreen. Sun is one reason the skin around pores slackens over the years, so sunscreen belongs in a pore routine too.

What will not shrink pores

Nothing you put on your skin closes a pore. Pores are not doors. These are common, but disappointing:

Ice, cold water and “pore-tightening” toners. They give a brief tight feeling that is gone within the hour.
Pore strips. They pull out the top of a plug, which refills within days, and they can irritate the skin.
Clay masks every day. A clay mask soaks up oil and makes pores look cleaner for a day. Once a week is plenty.
Squeezing and home extraction tools. They stretch the pore, redden the skin and can leave marks.
Scrubbing harder. Redness and roughness make pores more visible, not less.

Makeup and shine through the day

Use blotting paper at midday instead of adding more powder; layers of powder settle into pores and make them stand out.
A smoothing primer pressed, not rubbed, into the nose and cheeks blurs the look of pores for the day. It is a cosmetic effect and washes off at night, but it is a useful one.
Keep foundation thin and build only where you need it.
Take makeup off fully every night, with a first cleanse to loosen it and a second to wash it away.

How long to give it

With salicylic acid, the nose and forehead may look clearer in three to four weeks. With retinol, smoother texture takes two to three months. These changes last only while you keep going; stop, and oil and clogging return. Take a close-up photo in the same daylight before you start, so you are comparing like with like.

In the first few weeks of salicylic acid or retinol, some people get a few extra small spots where they usually break out, or a little dryness. That is skin adjusting, and it usually settles within four to six weeks: use the product less often and keep moisturising. These are not adjustment, so stop using it: stinging or burning that does not fade within minutes, redness that spreads, itching, swelling, a rash, spots in places you do not usually get them, or skin that is still getting worse after six weeks.

What our advisers see

The stretch test. Before suggesting anything, our advisers often ask people to try this at a mirror in daylight: place two fingers either side of an area with visible pores and gently stretch the skin apart. If the pores are still easy to see, oil and clogging are the likelier reason. If they almost disappear, the skin around them has probably lost some firmness. The answer changes the routine:

Still visible when stretched: thorough but gentle cleansing, regular gentle exfoliating and a light moisturiser.
Almost gone when stretched: put the effort into hydration and a moisturiser that leaves skin looking firmer, with sunscreen every day.
More visible when your skin feels dry: dehydrated skin makes pores look bigger, so build up hydration first, with a hydrating sheet mask now and then.

Breakouts come first. If you are breaking out, our advisers look after the breakouts before adding anything aimed at pores. Acids and retinol on skin that is already red and sore tend to leave it redder and rougher, which makes pores more visible, so wait until your skin has settled.

This week, try

Do the stretch test in daylight, so you know which kind of pores you are dealing with.
Keep your hands off: no squeezing, no strips.
Swap any gritty scrub for a salicylic acid product on one or two evenings.
Blot at midday instead of adding powder.
Take a close-up daylight photo, to compare in a month.

If you have tender lumps, lots of red bumps, or your nose and cheeks stay red and bumpy for weeks, see a dermatologist rather than adding more products.