Q&A for How to Open up Your Pores

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What causes the pores to open?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

Your skin relaxes when it encounters high temperatures to allow sweat and sebum to flow more freely.

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Question

Can you open your pores?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

You can relax the pores and liquify the sebum in them with wet heat, like steam.

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Question

How long should I steam my face to open pores?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

This depends on how clogged pores are, but generally, 10-15 minutes is sufficient.

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Question

How do you get clogged pores?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

A mixture of dead skin cells, sebum, and dirt build up in your pores. This can lead to blackheads or breakouts.

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Question

Will squeezing or popping pimples like whiteheads help unclog my pores?

Margareth Pierre-Louis, MD
Board Certified Dermatologist
Dr. Margareth Pierre-Louis is a board certified Dermatologist and Dermatopathologist, Physician Entrepreneur, and the Founder of Twin Cities Dermatology Center and Equation Skin Care in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Twin Cities Dermatology Center is a comprehensive dermatology clinic treating patients of all ages through clinical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, and telemedicine. Equation Skin Care was created to provide the best in evidence-based, natural skin care products. Dr. Pierre-Louis earned a BS in Biology and an MBA from Duke University, an MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed a residency in dermatology at the University of Minnesota, and completed a dermatopathology fellowship at Washington University in St Louis. Dr. Pierre-Louis is board certified in dermatology, cutaneous surgery, and dermatopathology by the American Boards of Dermatology and Pathology.

Margareth Pierre-Louis, MD

Board Certified Dermatologist

Expert Answer

Picking at your skin will further promote scarring. If that kind of injury happens in the deeper part of the skin, called the dermis, it could be irreversible. If you get whiteheads, try to use a chemical exfoliant or some kind of mechanical exfoliant instead.

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