katelyntan

There are many factors that can result in enlarged pores. High sebum excretion, clogged pores, hormones and decreased skin elasticity can all lead to enlarged facial pores. During my first pregnancy, I noticed my pores becoming bigger thanks to the hormones but I brushed it off thinking it might shrink back after giving birth. But no, recently I randomly stared at myself in the mirror and realised my pores are so enlarged!

Above is a photo of my skin in June 2022 and in January 2023, without any makeup base or filters. Wonder how I shrank my pores? I went searching for solutions to shrink my pores and here's what I did!

Having a good skin care regime that works is really important. I used to have very oily and acne-prone skin until I started using IDS Skincare more than 9 years ago! No matter how tired I am, I will minimally cleanse my face with a gentle cleanser and apply my C-plus (vitamin C), RS (rescue serum) and OM (oil-free moisturizer). Thankfully I've been using my trusty IDS Skincare throughout my pregnancy, so the hormones only managed to enlarge my pores and not give me a breakout.  

I think monthly facials should be a part of everyone's skin care regimes. I was pregnant during the covid lockdown period so there I couldn't do any facials at all, in addition to having crazy hormones. My pores must have been so blocked that they got enlarged. So trust me, go for monthly facials and have your pores cleaned thoroughly by the professionals.

My favourite go-to facial has to be IDS Aesthetics' Hydro Therapeutic Treatment Facial. It deep cleanses my skin and helps to hydrate my skin! If time an money permits, trust me, I would even go for weekly facials. There are so many different facial treatements at IDS Aesthetics to target different issues and yes, if the treatments are well recommended, you can do weekly facials. For instance, for my Taiwan trip, I did Hydro Facial a week plus before the trip for deep cleansing and Dew Mist Mi a few days before the trip for deep hydration. 

The fastest solution is to go for laser or micro-needling treatments. As I could no longer unsee the enlarged pores, I wanted them fixed as soon as possible, and so I went for Sylfirm X to regenerate the skin and tighten my pores! Sylfirm X is a radio frequency (RF) micro-needling treatment. What it does is the micro-needles puncture the outermost layer of the skin to trigger the natural healing process to promote the production of collagen and skin regrowth. The addition of radio frequency further stimulates collagen production to firm and tighten the skin, and for skin rejuvenation.

Sylfirm X can help to:

- lift and tightening skin,

- minimize pigmented lesions,

- treat melasma and redness,

- minimize wrinkles and pores,

- rejuvenate skin, and

- treat acne or acne scars.

PIH Micro needles may sound scary but the treatment actually doesn't have any downtime for most people, unlike CO2 lasers. Some people might experience some scabbing if they are new to the laser, but I didn't experience any, and no special care was required. It also wasn't that painful, probably thanks to the numbing cream. As I have very sensitive skin, my face was already slightly pinkish after the facial and it got a little more reddish pink after the laser. The good thing is, the pinkness subsided in a few hours. 

Now for the best part, I could see a difference in my pore size after 3 days of my first session! That said, I was told that effectiveness may vary from person to person e.g. for some it might work after one session and for others it might take a few sessions. But I am totally sold and immediately booked my second session.

Hopefully my pores can all disappear soon and hope this article helps all of you too!