The Best Ceramides Skincare to Minimize Large Pores

Large pores are often genetic—but you can use ingredients like ceramides to treat them.

When talking about skin texture, we often focus on blemishes and bumps or fine lines and wrinkles, but texture also includes pores—specifically, enlarged pores. For some, this is a non-issue, but for others, large pores are right at the top of their skincare-concern list. And, unfortunately, whether you have large pores or not is largely genetically determined. Luckily, there are ways to minimize the appearance of large pores and the skincare ingredient leading the way is ceramides. We unpack everything you need to know about large pores—such as their causes and how to treat them—including ceramide cream benefits that are important for anyone looking to minimize the appearance of large pores.

What causes large pores?
Having large pores is chiefly determined by genetic factors. Everyone has pores—they’re the openings in your skin at the top of your hair follicles that produce sebum (oil), which helps to maintain healthy, moisturized skin. Some of us have larger pores than others, and this is determined mostly by DNA. But the size of your pores is also affected by how oily your skin is, your age, the amount of sun damage you have and how clogged your pores are.

Oily Skin: As we age, our skin loses elasticity, and this results in pores appearing larger as the skin stretches and sags.

Age: If you have oily skin, your pores likely get clogged with sebum and dead skin cells more easily. When your pores are clogged, they appear larger.

Sun damage: Excessive exposure to the sun can cause your skin to thicken and become damaged, resulting in dehydration, sagging and a lack of collagen and elastin, all of which can make your pores look bigger.

Can you shrink large pores?
Unfortunately, you can’t shrink the size of the pores you were born with. However, you can make sure you’re not contributing to them getting or appearing larger, and you can help to minimize the appearance of large pores with certain skincare practices and ingredients, including ceramides.

Ceramides: the best ingredient to help large pores
Ceramides are fatty acids and lipids (oils) that help to form your skin barrier and keep it healthy. They do this by helping to moisturize and strengthen the barrier and protect it from outside forces of damage, like the sun and pollution. A popular metaphor to explain ceramides compares them to glue: If skin cells are the bricks, then ceramides are the mortar—the glue that holds those skin cells together, creating a strong protective barrier.

Are ceramides anti-aging?
Ceramides have proven anti-aging benefits. Because they strengthen the skin barrier, they protect the skin from outside aggressors—like pollution, the weather and sun exposure—that weaken it and can accelerate signs of aging. They also help to moisturize the skin, an important step in minimizing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Ceramides naturally exist in the skin but are lost as we age, so adding them back with the aid of effective ceramide skincare helps to restore this loss and keep skin moisturized and smooth.

Ceramide cream benefits for large pores
How does ceramide skincare help large pores? Because ceramides mainly boost the skin barrier, they offer protective qualities to the pores. This helps to prevent inflammation and dead skin cells and sebum from becoming trapped in the pores, which causes them to appear larger. Ceramides also help keep the skin moisturized, which is key to slowing the effects of aging—and we know that as skin stretches and sags due to age and gravity, pores appear larger.

Spotlight: SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore, the best ceramide cream
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 is the best ceramide cream and an anti-aging powerhouse. It contains a patented lipid ratio of 2% pure ceramides, which nourishes dry skin and reverses the signs of aging—all incredibly important when you’re considering how to treat large pores and visibly reduce the appearance of them.

Ceramides are not the only way to minimize the appearance of large pores

Manage surface oil and minimize breakouts
Managing the surface oil on your skin is also a great way to reduce the appearance of large pores. Adding an oil-free moisturizer that clarifies and includes ingredients like azelaic acid (which reduces clogged pores and excess oil) will ensure that your skin stays balanced and clear.

Exfoliants and peels
Exfoliating is an important step is sloughing away dead skin cells and keeps pores clear—important for minimizing breakouts and improving the look of large pores. Look for an oil-free skin resurfacing serum to reinforce the skin’s barrier, and use a gentle acid (like glycolic acid) to retexturize the skin.

Retinol
Retinol is another game-changing ingredient that can help refine the appearance of pores. Pick a formula that contains concentrated pure retinol to further complement your ceramides skincare.

Sunscreen
As always, protection is key when it comes to your skin. While ceramides will strengthen and protect, an SPF will specifically protect your skin from harmful UV rays and heat stress, both of which can cause damage.