So, I've thinking a lot about this. A lifetime of not caring for my face has managed to make look between 5 and 10 years older. Different colorations on the face, gigantic pores (mostly clogged), a nose looking like a strawberry and a sensation of aged skin.

A month ago I decided to adopt a routine of skin care (cleaner, exfoliant, toner and moisturizer twice a day), but it is not enough, since the pores's content is way too old and big to be cleaned easily. Since it looks like I'm going to need a bit of professional help, I've contacted with a few beauty centers than can do cleanings and chemical peelings, useful for readjusting the skin's uniform tone and reducing the pores.

Has anybody here tried them and know If the results are visible? Thanks.

Toner is nice to clean my face. To decrease pore size, I massage my face with ice everyday. Actually, it can not decrease pore size, but it helps decrease wrinkles. Yes. I sometimes use chemical peeling gels, too.

But the most important thing is to stop smoking, which I can not...

Barbie~~

Get some Retin A gel from your pharmacy, 0.05% or 0.1% concentration should do, use this for 2 months on your face overnight before undergoing any skin peel treatments as it will ensure better results and even tone. Always apply sunscreen before going out during this. Very superficial peels such as glycolic and salicylic acid can be done at home, however TCA peels should be done by an experienced professional.

Quote from: 8888 on August 11, 2012, 02:38:39 PM
Get some Retin A gel from your pharmacy, 0.05% or 0.1% concentration should do, use this for 2 months on your face overnight before undergoing any skin peel treatments as it will ensure better results and even tone. Always apply sunscreen before going out during this. Very superficial peels such as glycolic and salicylic acid can be done at home, however TCA peels should be done by an experienced professional.

I think it is not sold without a recipe, isn't it?

Looks like Retin-A is not for me. I though my T-zone had serious dehydration, but is has proved to be freaking sebhorreic eczema which can't be properly combined with that cream. I could try to use it avoiding that area, though.

Quote from: Apple Seed on August 10, 2012, 08:30:33 AM
So, I've thinking a lot about this. A lifetime of not caring for my face has managed to make look between 5 and 10 years older. Different colorations on the face, gigantic pores (mostly clogged), a nose looking like a strawberry and a sensation of aged skin.

A month ago I decided to adopt a routine of skin care (cleaner, exfoliant, toner and moisturizer twice a day), but it is not enough, since the pores's content is way too old and big to be cleaned easily. Since it looks like I'm going to need a bit of professional help, I've contacted with a few beauty centers than can do cleanings and chemical peelings, useful for readjusting the skin's uniform tone and reducing the pores.

Has anybody here tried them and know If the results are visible? Thanks.

Maybe I'm taking the word "cleaned" too literally. The skin completely renews itself every month. How on earth does a pore hold on to content for more than a few months old? What exactly is the pore holding on to? If you get a splinter buried deep in your skin, it will utlimately work its way out after a week.

Laser may do something for the nose by shrinking blood vessels, as in the case of rosacea.

Remember, HRT may alleviate many of these skin issues.

Not sure, my skin is a complete mess. I produce so much oil I could possibly sell it. I never managed to make my teen acne dissapear completely. Until this year I never depeloped a proper cleaning routine, and even like that, my nose can't be emptied, no matter how much I exfoliate. A lot of them are black dots that have been there since High School (always teased about). With time my facial skin got even worse. My pores have enlarged so much next to the nose, on the forehead that not even make up fits properly with them. And the coloration is so weir. Normal skin, yellowed, and incredibly pink in the nose, not to mention the dark circles, etc. I have never ever cared for my skin, and combined with the oilyness, It looks quite aged and wrinkled.

Same thing for my hair, although now with dutasteride is less oily, although I am having outburst of Acne. I asked about my skin at the clinic where I get my face lasered, and the answer was that no matter how much I exfoliate or if I ask them for a facial cleaning, that is not coming out, only with a peeling. My hopes were that with a massive removal of dead cells it would improve a bit. But I still have the problem of the oilyness. I do a complete cleaning in the morning and two hours later I'm already covered in in a mixture of oil. I have to dry it every time I go to the bathroom.


Makes me want to start spiro to see if it  can do something to reduce the acne and oily skin.

This may seem obvious but have you tried any of the brands of pore strips.  I had a nose that was so full of blackheads that I thought I would need professional intervention to clean it all out.  But after a few weeks of exfoliating scrubs and a pore strip now and then I was able to clean everything out.  Also once I started full HRT much of the oil went away, granted I still have oily skin but it's a bit more manageable.   I also have been trying a product from Proactive which is a chemical peel type thing.. burns like hell if you shave the day you use it, so i suggest you use it at night but it does seem to be tightening up the pores.  Good luck with everything!

Quote from: Penny Gurl on November 24, 2012, 08:24:35 AM
This may seem obvious but have you tried any of the brands of pore strips.

I've been looking for them everywhere, but every shop redirected me to another one thinking that "they may still have them". The strips were the first thing I tried to find, but they don't seem to be sold around here anymore.. Saw them on TV like 15 years ago, but... Nothing.




Something like this, I guess. I may need to restart my search again... Although the ideal would be a peeling / professional deep cleaning now and the strips to keep it controlled later.


Pd: Yes, I tried to push them out using two fingers, with the obvious infection results: Now I even have black hairs growing on the pores... Urgh. I never go out without pliers.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=pore+strips&_sacat=0&_from=R40

It sounds like you need to see a dermatologist, if you haven't already. I'm skeptical that nose strips and such will do much beyond a temporary oil reduction of a few hours. Seems like your sebaceous glands are in overdrive.

I had some depressing skin discolouration issues that had been getting worse over the last 10 years. I only resolved it this year after I found the courage to see a cosmetic surgeon, who explained what it was.  I say courage, because I thought I was being overly vain complaining about it. I then discovered other women complaining about the same thing and that there was a remedy. Handing the responsibility over to a professional to sort it out instead of spending further years guessing and getting more depressed about it was an incredible relief.

Quote from: Tesla on November 24, 2012, 03:28:27 PM
Seems like your sebaceous glands are in overdrive.

Basically, even my dandruff came back during the last years. My hair has always been so oily that I needed almost daily shampooing to keep it in an acceptable state.

I'd rather take on a single thing at a time. Too many problems and that's how the depression started. For the time being, my facial skin is a minor problem compared to the damn eye and eyelid. After I check that, I will think about the skin. BTW, those eyelids are even greasier... And that's how I practically can't use any make-up. Too much oil for it to stick.

I tried all sorts of pore reducing things, toners with hydroxy, scrubs, masks, strips etc and while it helped, it didn't seem to do a whole lot. The only place my pores are big are on my nose.

Then I discovered "Picture porefect" by dermadoctor. This stuff is freaking amazing. You will see a reduction in pore size the next morning! After a few weeks they are very visibly even smaller and don't clog up with that white goop anymore. HIGHLY recommend this product!

http://www.dermadoctor.com/picture-porefect-pore-minimizing-solution.html] [url]http://www.dermadoctor.com/picture-porefect-pore-minimizing-solution.html[/url]

I still use clinique scrub and toner + a mud mask 2X a week but this stuff 2X daily before my SPF day creme made a huge different.

Try steam.  Boil water.  Remove from heat.  Cover your head with a towel and hold it over to pan.  Let the steam open your pours for about 5 minutes.

Afterwards cleans face with a little scrub.  Rinse with cool water and moisturize.

Works great if you shave with a razor and shaving creme.

Quote from: Ms. OBrien on November 24, 2012, 06:09:17 PM
Try steam.  Boil water.  Remove from heat.  Cover your head with a towel and hold it over to pan.  Let the steam open your pours for about 5 minutes.

Afterwards cleans face with a little scrub.  Rinse with cool water and moisturize.

Works great if you shave with a razor and shaving creme.

Already tried, sadly with no luck.


They have offered to do it it for 120€ at the place where I get my face lasered, when I am healed from today's session.

I never actually tried any of this until I was done with my electrolysis. I had some oil problems in my nose area, although at this point with years of hormone therapy it is pretty drasticaly reduced but not gone entirely. I ended up consulting a dermatologist and went with dermabrasion. I did 6 treatments that were spaced out something like one a month for 6 months, with a specific regimen in between. It ended up making the difference in getting to a nice even facial tone. I did one chemical peel years later, but it didn't do much. At that point I was really good at keeping a good complexion.