Why a clogged pore looks larger than a clear one

The size of a pore is mostly set by your genes, but how large it looks from day to day is not - and that gap is exactly where a considered routine does its work.

What makes a pore look bigger

A pore filled with oil and a build-up of dead surface skin sits open and catches shadow, so it reads as larger than it really is. Clear the same pore and light falls across it more evenly, so it looks finer - even though its actual size has not changed. This is why congestion and enlarged-looking pores so often turn up together: the build-up is doing a lot of the work of making pores stand out.

Two levers, at two depths

Refining how pores look comes down to two separate things.

• Keeping the surface clear. Regular resurfacing facials - our hydrodermabrasion and microdermabrasion facials - gently lift away the build-up that fills a pore and exaggerates its size.
• Smoothing the texture around it. Fractional RF resurfacing gently warms the deeper layers to support smoother-looking texture over time, so light sits more evenly across the skin rather than pooling in uneven spots.

The two are often used together rather than one instead of the other.

What we will not promise

Pore size is largely down to genetics, so we do not claim to shrink or remove pores - and anyone who does is overselling it. What regular resurfacing can genuinely do is refine how pores look by keeping the skin clear and smooth. Results are gradual, and they vary from person to person.

If enlarged-looking pores and congestion are your concern, the honest first step is a proper look at your skin in person.