Will Toner Make My Pores Look Smaller?

Toners are often touted as the solution to enlarged pores. Back when toning products first hit beauty shelves, they were accompanied by promises of tightened, even invisible, pores.

Now, everybody knows better. A toner can't shrink pores. Your understanding of this is apparent in your original question. you want your pores to LOOK smaller, not BE smaller.

So even though toners can't physically change pore size, are toners effective at reducing the visibility of your pores? We'll give you the answer by investigating a couple of other FAQs about pores and pore refining.

Why are my pores enlarged/visible?

Anyone can have large pores, but they're most common on an oily or combination complexion. Skin with an oily nature plays perfectly into the causes of enlarged pores because:

• Increased sebum production traps dead skin and impurities.
• Cells tend to slough more slowly, leading to a build-up of dead skin.
• Spot-causing bacteria thrive and can weaken the walls of pores.

If you can see a pore, it's usually because trapped impurities have made it visible. An extreme example of this is a blackhead.

But pores that are clogged with oil, impurities, and makeup for a long time can stretch permanently. Eventually, even a thorough deep-pore cleansing won't help to minimise visible pores. Moreover, stretched pores tend to be more obvious on mature skin, which has lost firmness and elasticity.

It's critical to act upon visible pores as soon as you notice them. The longer pores are left untreated, the weaker the pore walls are likely to become.

How can I reduce enlarged pores?

Enlarged pores are made less visible through products that effectively cleanse and exfoliate skin. Cleansing works by removing dead skin cells and impurities to prevent build-up and pore enlargement. Exfoliation helps to treat what build-up already exists.

Toners provide three key benefits. One of these is exfoliation, which can reduce the appearance of visible pores. Certain toners contain one or more skincare acids, which speed up the natural exfoliation rate of your skin.

The best toners to use on visible pores contain salicylic acid. Oil-soluble salicylic acid is able to penetrate the trapped sebum and impurities within your pores. A toner that contains this acid can effectively deep-clean pores, thereby giving younger, more elastic skin an opportunity to tighten on its own.

Some of our favourite toners with salicylic acid include:

• SkinCeuticals LHA Solution Priming Toner
• Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing All Over Toner
• Cosmedix Purity Balance Exfoliating Prep

Once the active ingredients in these toners penetrate your pores, they'll help to remove the oxidised build-up and, in doing so, reduce the pores' apparent size.

If you'd like to contact a member of our skincare team for further product recommendations, we're always available by email on service@adorebeauty.com.au or by telephone on 03 9486 7179.