Porexia. Okay, so it's a little made up, but it's the only word that can even hint at the utter, admittedly irrational, obsession that I have with the size of my pores. I think cosmonauts can see them from space. I'm convinced the eyes of friends and strangers are magnetically drawn to their sheer massiveness. I need to get a grip.

So enter Dr Gabrielle Caswell, dermatologist, skin doctor and general genius from the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia. She's my go-to girl for advice on all things complexion, so after a particularly long session staring my skin down in the mirror, I asked for her advice. I've tried everything in pursuit of pore perfection. Why am I still so porexic?

It comes down to knowing your myths, your must-haves and a few home truths, she explained. Facts for the war on pores:

Pores don't open or close
Annoying but true. Pores are just pouches of skin into which oil glands pump sebum; they have no muscle attachments to squeeze them open or shut. So what's with the cold splashes and steaming that people always recommend? Cold water can inhibit oil production and warmth can stimulate it - but that's it. Bummer.

Tighten, but don't tone
Devastatingly, there's no magic potion to make fat pores finer, but, because they look swollen when oil-logged, keeping them clear can help. Astringent toners remove sebum from the skin, causing it to look and feel tight, but Caswell's not a fan. "They are mostly based on alcohol, which is very drying to the skin," she warns. Instead, I've taken to purging my pores with a gentler clay mask (I love Alpha-H Purifying Clay Mask with Vitamin A and Bloom's Clean with Envy Green Clay Mask).

Exfoliation is essential
Dead cells snag in pores like hair in your favourite lip gloss, so de-clogging AHAs (like glycolic acid) are important and BHAs (like salicylic acid) are your best friends. On my shopping list: a glycolic hit from MD Formulations Face & Body Scrub and dead skin-sloughing salicylic via Garnier's Fresh Clean Feel Gel Wash.

Blame the sun, then mum
Some of your pore size is genetically programmed, but when it comes to sag-factor, it's all about the sun. UV exposure kills off the collagen that supports your skin structure, causing pores to droop, which is why they often look larger with age. "Collagen remediation, especially with script Vitamin A creams, will repair some of this damage, though it may take time," says Caswell. To save yourself some of it, never skimp on sunscreen and search out vitamin A- soaked skincare (met SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0 yet?).

But the most important step for we recovering porexics is to learn how to live with our pores. And how to apply primer like spackle. Completely poreless is just a pipedream...

Tracey Withers
Editor
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