Almost every inch of your body is covered in pores, exception of the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. You may have enlarged pores, thinking to yourself how much you wish they’d go away, but pores provide a major function in our day-to-day lives.

For every hair on your body, there is a pore. Pores provide a number of functions that regulate your body and there are millions on them found on the skin. Each and every living creature has pores and though, they are typically talked about in the sense of shrinking them, many people don’t really seem to know what they are.

Pores are small openings in the skin, responsible for helping to regulate the body’s temperature and assists with lubricating the body’s skin. Pores are way to small to be seen by the naked eye, but they show their presence in how our skin absorbs products, makes us feel cool on a hot summer day when we sweat and even how fresh we feel after an invigorating bath or shower.

So now that you know the importance of the role pores plays in the grand scheme of things, lets discuss how to open them up so that your skin can look and feel beautiful.

Why Open Pores?

Whenever your skin gets clogged or doesn’t seem to absorb a product, you may hear that you need to “open up your pores”. This is true because our skin can greatly benefit from this simple action.

The size of pores are predetermined by birth and they can actually stretch with age, which can result in uneven looking skin. Pores also don’t open and close either, but what they can do is soften debris, such as blackheads, so that it becomes easy to remove. It’s this action that determines the amount of sebum that produces on the skin and how readily available our skin is to receive cleansers, serums and creams.

There are actually two types of pores. Once which holds sebum, the oil that we naturally produce and the kind that allows us to sweat. Both of these actions lubricate and moisturize the skin, as well as removes toxins from the body.

So why open the pores at all? It’s simple -o allow for better penetration of product. Pores don’t open like our mouths, but they can readily absorb treatment better when they are soft.

Ways To Open The Pores

Steaming is tone of the most common means of opening the pores, which can be executed a number of ways. One way of doing so is to dip a washcloth into hot water, wring it out and place it onto your face until your skin softens. This will allow any debris within the skin to dislodge and make for better cleansing.

As an acne spot removal treatment, fill a pot with water and boil it on top of a stove. Place a towel over your head, while leaning over the water. With this method, clean skin will give you a deeper cleanse, especially if you are steaming with an essential oil.

Since pores respond to cold or hot water, you can still alternately rinse your face with cold water, which will help produce a more even complexion. As with any pore opening method, it is advisable to not over wash or over steam your face, as this method can dry your delicate skin out.

Sometimes a steam isn’t enough and pores may be blocked by debris and dead skin. This is when an exfoliation is necessary. Exfoliation can be from a facial brush, a scrub, a peel and even shaving(not advised on the face). These methods gently remove dead layers of skin to make way for the new layer of skin underneath. Be careful not to over-exfoliate, as this can cause irritation.

Though pores don’t open and close, a splash of cold water helps skin to appear smooth, so if you have enlarged pores and you want to alleviate unevenness in the skin, a splash of cold water may do the trick.

Hot and cold water don’t directly affect the size of the pores, but can make the skin swell and tighten, thus affecting the appearance of pores.

Pores can be tricky to handle, but they are necessary in the proper function of our skin. There’s nothing you can do to change their size but with these tips in mind, you’ll have clearer looking skin.