Why Are My Pores So Big?

When looking in the mirror, you may ask yourself, “Why are my pores so big?”

First, know this a common question and problem. Many people, especially women, find themselves staring into their reflection and poking at pores with their fingertips.

Second, let us give you some sweet relief and share there are reasons why pores look huge. This is a common phenomenon we can absolutely walk you through.

That’s why, in this blog, we’re going to share:

Why pores look big
The controversy around facials helping with pores
What daily actions make pores BIGGER, that can be prevented
How to minimize pores (naturally)

After reading this blog, you’ll understand the specific reasons our pore may appear big, what habits may be surprisingly making pores look bigger and easy, straight forward ways to change the appearance of your pore size.

And yes, every piece of insight is vegan and affordable. No list of expensive salon or spa treatment facials here.

Why are the pores on my face so big?

Here’s the big question. Once you know the answer, knowing how to reduce the appearance of pores gets much easier. An important query to start.

First, what is a pore?

A pore is a small hole in the skin. Pores can be for releasing sweat and others are hair follicles. This follicle does something very important for your body: Produce oil.

While pores and “oils” have a negative connotation, they are truly vital for beauty. Your face needs sebum (oil) to maintain moisture and glow. Without any oil, the face would become like dry, rigid, unmoving ceramic! The pores deliver this sebum, keeping your skin hydrated and taken care of.

(Remember: Skin without necessary oil doesn’t look matte. Without proper hydration, the skin produces even MORE oil and skin issues. That’s why it’s so important to give skin deep nourishment.)

Why pores look big

There are a few main factors to why pores look big:

Your age: As humans mature, the skin elasticity begins to shift, and this can make pores appear bigger.
(If this is a concern, here’s How to Look Younger - Without Botox).
Hormones: Especially for women, that natural monthly cycle can affect the appearance of pores.
DNA: The truth is a lot of pore size is determined by your family genetics. When asking, “why are the pores on my face so big?” → DNA is a big culprit. *Even though that’s true, there are still steps to change how your pores look.
Skincare: How you treat your skin makes a substantial difference in the appearance of pores. We’ll show exactly why and what habits will transform the look of pores.

Can you close pores?

No, but it’s a good thing. While pores have a negative connotation, these holes an important purpose.

Can you shrink pores?

While pore size is mostly genetic, as shared above, there are ways to potentially shrink the appearance of pores. The pore size might not literally change but will LOOK smaller.

Here are potential large pore culprits and how to make pores look smaller.

How to make pores appear smaller (Problem + Solution)

Without knowing it, there may be habits making these frustrating spots grow. Here are the issues and, we have your back, the solution.

Makeup aggravates pores

Powder makeup especially can get absorbed and trapped by these holes. Across the day they get caught and, if not removed and treated properly? This powder stays in the pores overnight and expands the hole.

The solution:

At night: Cleanse your face thoroughly. Use a gentle cleanser that whisks away the powders. This can help you go from “why are the pores on my face so big?!” to being relieved at the minimized pore size.
In the morning: Make sure to apply a healing, nourishing moisturizer before applying makeup. A premium vegan cream will create a barrier between your pores and the enlarging makeup.

Does exfoliating help take off makeup and reduce pores?

While exfoliating can help release makeup, there are also concerns because many people are accidentally over-exfoliating. Here’s how often you should exfoliate your face.

Damage from the sun

UV rays affect the structure of your skin at a deep, lasting, cellular level. The more you can protect your skin and help heal it from sun damage, the smaller pores can appear.

The solution:

Wear a daily sunscreen, even on cloudy days
On especially sunny day, toss on a hat or cap that ideally has enough of a brim to protect from the sun
Replenish your skin and give your skin an after-sun boost with products with natural ingredients help fight sun damage

Not enough of THIS beverage

Water is a powerful resource for so many reasons to your body. Water is not only great for digestion, helping with acne, keeping down brain fog, helping flush out your systems and so much of our body’s health, drinking H2O helps with pore size.

Here’s why.

Pores tend to look bigger when they are clogged up. When properly hydrated with water, our body is able to better flush out toxins - including the gunk that can build up in pores. In addition, the more hydrated your skin is, the more plush and firm the skin becomes, making the size and gaps of pores appear smaller (instead of asking why are the pores on my face so big?)

Dry skin

Whether your face tends to get dry and flaky or appears oily, it’s likely your face needs more hydration. This may seem ironic: Oily skin must mean it’s already “too” hydrated, right? That is a myth. In fact, a lot of people who think skin is oily is actually dry and underhydrated.

(A big reason: Most modern skin products have a shocking level of additives that dry out skin. Here are The Chemicals in Everyday Skincare - to Remove from your Daily Routine.)

When skin is dry, the face produces even more oil to try self-hydrating. More oil means a greater chance for clogged pores.

That’s why the easiest way to combat big pores is to hydrate with a natural, plant-based moisturizer that will still let skin breathe.