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What Are the Best Tips to Tighten Nose Pores?

Rebecca Harkin
Rebecca Harkin

There are many professional and at-home treatments that will tighten nose pores. At-home tips for shrinking pores on the nose include the use of creams and solutions that control oily skin, exfoliating products, and pore-cleansing face masks. Professional treatments for tightening pores on the nose include chemical peels, laser resurfacing, and microdemabrasion. Vitamin A treatments and the use of the chemicals alpha and beta hydroxyl acids may also be effective.

Nose pores on the face are outlets that release dirt, skin-lubricating oils, and impurities that seep into the skin. There are two ways to tighten pores. First, keep these openings in the skin clean and clear and, second, remove the loose, superficial dead skin and expose the tight underlying layer of skin. There are many natural and professional products that can be used at home to cleanse pores. Lemon juice is a strong astringent that cleans, disinfects, and reduces pore size. Most cosmetic companies also manufacture cleansing creams or solutions that deeply cleanse and shrink pores.

Pore strips may be used to remove clogs from pores.
Pore strips may be used to remove clogs from pores.

Exfoliating is one of the methods that can be used to remove the superficial layer of skin. At-home exfoliating can be done using one of many different products. For example, exfoliating pads or adhesive pore strips can be used to buff or pull dirt from clogged pores as well as extract the top layer of skin. Pore-cleansing facial masks also clean pores and pull away the thin layer of superficial dead skin.

Clay face masks can be applied to help tighten skin and reduce the size of pores.
Clay face masks can be applied to help tighten skin and reduce the size of pores.

Professional treatments that destroy and remove the superficial layers of the skin, promoting tightening of the underlying dermis, include chemical peels, laser resurfacing, and microdermabrasion. During a standard chemical peel for enlarged nose pores, trichloreacetic acid is applied to cleansed skin for a predetermined time period, and then the acid is neutralized to reduce the pH or acidity of the chemical. Laser resurfacing uses a laser to remove the superficial layer of skin and promote compression of the collagen fibers in the underlying skin, tightening the skin and nose pores. In a microdermabrasion treatment, tiny crystallized beads are sprayed over the surface of the skin to etch off the superficial layer and tighten nose pores.

Receiving a chemical peel from a professional is one way to tighten nose pores.
Receiving a chemical peel from a professional is one way to tighten nose pores.

Some additional professional treatments that are effective at shrinking nose pores include vitamin A and alpha and beta hydroxyl acid. Vitamin A treatments include such products as Retin A®, Avage®, and Renova®. All of these drugs as well as alpha and beta hydroxyl acids work to diminish pores by unclogging these tiny holes in the skin and by removing superficial dead skin.

Discussion Comments

Kristee

I used to mash all of the stuff out of my nose pores by pushing my fingernail against one side of them and jamming it down deep until the stuff came out. This left my nose red and the pores swollen and more noticeable than before.

I finally just quit freaking out about having clogged pores. I started using a gentle face cleanser and exfoliating once a week, and the condition of my nose improved.

Sometimes, just leaving your nose alone and using gentle treatments is the best option for reducing pore size. The more you mash around on your nose, the more irritated your pores will become.

DylanB

@giddion – My favorite thing to use on my face is an at-home chemical peel. It's gentle enough that it won't dry your skin out too much, but it's powerful enough to do some serious pore cleansing.

I buy a jar of pads that are saturated with the chemical peel. I take one out and shut the lid to keep the others wet.

I rub it across my face, concentrating on my nose, where the pores are the largest. I rub around several times to get plenty of product on my skin.

I don't even have to rinse it off. I just let it do its thing. I can feel it tingling for several minutes, and once it dries, my skin looks so much fresher and tighter.

giddion

I tried using a pore cleansing mask that dried on my face and hardened. I felt like I was wearing a clay mask, and my skin was so dry when I took it off!

My whole face was bright red and itchy. I've got to try something different to tighten my pores. What is something I can use that won't suck all the moisture out of my skin?

kylee07drg

I remember using a blackhead remover tool when I was a teenager. It looked like a syringe, and I would position it over the top of a blackhead on my nose and push it down to force the junk out of my pore.

It worked on some of them, but on many of them, it did not. The blackheads were just in too deep, and the pores insisted on hanging onto them.

I also tried nose strips. They worked better than the syringe, but it really hurt to rip them off!

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    • Pore strips may be used to remove clogs from pores.
      By: ia_64
      Pore strips may be used to remove clogs from pores.
    • Clay face masks can be applied to help tighten skin and reduce the size of pores.
      By: Darren Baker
      Clay face masks can be applied to help tighten skin and reduce the size of pores.
    • Receiving a chemical peel from a professional is one way to tighten nose pores.
      By: belahoche
      Receiving a chemical peel from a professional is one way to tighten nose pores.
    • Some cleansers are designed to shrink pores.
      By: ipag
      Some cleansers are designed to shrink pores.
    • Creams that control oily skin can help tighten nose pores.
      By: Picture-Factory
      Creams that control oily skin can help tighten nose pores.
    • Laser resurfacing treatments destroy and remove the superficial layers of skin.
      By: danr13
      Laser resurfacing treatments destroy and remove the superficial layers of skin.
    • Laser ablation treatments are very effective, but require several weeks of recovery.
      By: spotmatikphoto
      Laser ablation treatments are very effective, but require several weeks of recovery.
    • Applying a cold towel to the face may help tighten nose pores.
      By: miya227
      Applying a cold towel to the face may help tighten nose pores.