Guide to Getting Rid of Pores and Dark Circles

Most people long for perfect skin and the ability to age beautifully. However, life, genetics, and poor habits can get in the way of those goals. Thankfully, there are many ways you can reverse the cycle and get the poreless skin and bright eyes you desire. Consider the following tips.

Pores

While you can’t get rid of your pores, there are plenty of ways you can minimize their appearance. It’s also essential to consider your particular skin type. If you have naturally oily skin, chances are you’ll have larger pores. In the humidity of the summer, your pores might be on full display. However, if you implement a few key tips consistently, you can minimize your pores effectively.

1. Gentle Touch

When your pores get clogged, this is what makes them look larger. In addition to cleansing techniques, it's good to steam your skin and perform extractions. Most professionals will encourage you to get extractions done by a skin care professional. However, if you don't have the funds to do that all the time, you can simply steam your skin to get the process started. Once you've steamed your skin, gently push out any sebum with q-tips. You can also use a hot compress to gently push the sebum out. Don't force anything because this can irritate your pores and leave scars. For the best results, try not to do this process more than twice a week.

2. SPF

Your skin directly comes in contact with the sun daily. Whether you're sitting by a window on a cloudy day or driving in traffic, your skin needs protection. Consistently use SPF every day of the year to keep the free radicals from causing harm to your skin cells. One of the major ways the sun damages the skin is by causing it to sag. When it sags and becomes looser, you'll be able to notice the pores much more. SPF helps the skin remain more taut and firm, which helps to minimize the look of pores.

3. Cleasing Practices and Products

If you have oily, acne-prone skin, you need to begin using a clay-based mask. Oily, acneic skin tends to highlight pores in ways that most don't desire. Clay is effective because it draws out the sebum and oil that clogs the pores. In turn, this makes the pores look smaller. In addition to using clay-based masks, it's wise to avoid hot water. While steam is great for cleansing, don't apply hot water directly to the skin. This will dry and irritate your skin even further. When your skin is irritated, your pores might look a lot more pronounced.

Dark Circles

While many women love to employ makeup techniques to brighten and conceal the dark circles underneath their eyes, it's always nice to figure out ways to naturally brighten those pesky dark circles. Thankfully, these tips can get the job done.

1. More Rest

Rest is essential. In many cases, dark undereye circles are hereditary. However, a lot of people make matters worse by skipping rest. It's so important to get at least seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night. Invest in your sleep routine to sleep peacefully and deeply throughout the night.

2. Chemical Peels

With chemical peels, you'll need to be extremely careful because you're applying treatments directly underneath your eyes. Chemical peels and exfoliating treatments can help because they encourage the skin cell turnover rate to happen rapidly. As your skin produces new skin cells, the deeply pigmented skin cells will fall off. Using products like Estala Revitalizing dark spot remover can help to slough off dead skin cells to produce new ones. This process takes time so give yourself at least six months with a product before you see transformative results.

3. Cold Compresses

For many people, dark circles also come with swelling or puffiness. To treat the irritation and visible swelling, use cooling methods to treat the area. Some people like to dunk their entire face in a bowl of ice. This can be an excellent way to wake the skin up. Cucumber slices, cold green tea bags, and undereye caffeine patches are dynamic treatments as well.

As you begin to cultivate a routine to heal your pores and dark circles, take pictures of your progress. When you're treating an area, it's easy to fall off or feel discouraged when you don't see any progress. By tracking your progress and giving it time, you'll be able to achieve the results you desire.