I suffer from mild rosacea and I have large pores as well. (T-zone only) What can I do to minimize my pores?

First everyone has pores and in some these passages become dilated with oils and cellular debris making them wider. Thinking of a pore as a funnel that now is expanded. There are several things you can do simplest would be a good daily cleanser and exfoliation program coupled with sunscreen. Once the pores become unclogged so to speak their appearance improves.

Chemical peels may help as well and may also reduce your mild rosacea. I prefer the moderate to deeper peels for this.

Lasers can also help, laser genesis seems to reduce pores better than my spectra carbon peel system. Other more agressive laser therapy such as fractionated co2 can help but there is more downtime and risk plus pore reduction in general is not a perfect cure and in many cases an improvement is what is noted.

Pores in context of rosacea can be due to swelling of the skin due to inflammation of rosacea. I personally would treat the CAUSE of the pores by firstly targeting your rosacea. Rosacea is very complex and a tailored treatment program give the best results. This is because there are many types of rosacea (telengtctatic or capillaries, flushing and redness, acne like rosacea, ocular rosacea and even rhinophyma rosacea.)



To add to the complexity, everyone has different flare factors- Sunlight, stress, foods, chemical irritants, creams, changes in temperature, alcohol. The list goes on. 





A detailed history, together with a treatment tailored according to YOUR type of rosacea will give the best results. As a guide, I use a combination of -





1. Lasers ( to treat redness, broken capillaries, rhinophyma, flushing)- best laser is the V BEAM. IPL can be used, but usually not as effective. Laser toning using the long pulse Nd Yag at 1064 can help with background redness. 





2. Creams - anti inflammatory





3. Tablets -anti - inflammatory and sometimes low dose Vitamin A. 





4. For females- Mineral make up is recommend, over make up that contains parabens. 





For the best results, consult a dermatologist for both medical and laser treatment options. 





Kind regards.





Dr Davin S. Lim.



Laser Dermatologist.



Brisbane, Australia.