Can pores be closed permanently?

No. Pores are functional openings that the skin needs. Treatment can reduce how visible they look — sometimes meaningfully — by rebuilding collagen around them, reducing sebum, hydrating the surrounding skin, and clearing trapped debris. The goal is refinement, not elimination.

Why are my pores getting bigger as I get older?

As collagen declines around each pore, the opening loses some of its tight structural support. Gravity and oil flow gradually stretch the opening, often making pores look more oval. Sun damage accelerates this. Radiofrequency microneedling specifically targets this collagen scaffolding.

Will scrubbing or pore strips help?

Generally, no — and they can make pores look worse. Aggressive scrubbing damages the skin barrier and triggers rebound oiliness. Pore strips remove the visible blackhead temporarily but do not change the pore itself. Gentle, consistent home care works better long-term.

How quickly will I see results?

Superficial muscle-relaxing micro-injections show effect within days, peaking at about two weeks, and lasting around 3–4 months. Radiofrequency microneedling and skinbooster results build over weeks to months. Daily skincare changes typically need 6–8 weeks to show visible difference.

Is treatment painful?

Most treatments involve mild discomfort. Topical numbing cream is used where appropriate. Downtime varies by treatment from no downtime for superficial muscle-relaxing micro-injections to a few days of mild redness for radiofrequency microneedling.

Do enlarged pores indicate a medical problem?

Generally no — they are a normal feature of skin anatomy. Severe enlargement with significant breakouts or other symptoms is worth assessing alongside any underlying acne or hormonal concern.

Enlarged Pore Treatment in London

Q: Will treatment work on darker skin types?

Yes, with appropriate device selection and conservative settings. Dr Garara has particular experience in aesthetic medicine for skin of colour and tailors the approach accordingly.

What it is

What Are Enlarged Pores?

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Pores are the openings of the pilosebaceous units — the hair-follicle-and-sebaceous-gland combinations that sit throughout the skin. Their visible size depends on the diameter of the opening, the structural support around the opening (collagen and elastin in the dermis), and the visual contrast against the surrounding skin (texture, hydration, light reflection).

Pores cannot be eliminated, and the language sometimes used in marketing (“poreless skin”) is misleading. They can, however, look smaller — the goal of treatment is to support the collagen scaffolding around each pore, balance any contributing oiliness, and improve the surrounding skin so individual pores stand out less.

Dr Bhavin Garara’s approach is to identify what is making each patient’s pores look enlarged — collagen, oil, dehydration, or a combination — and treat the underlying cause rather than chase a “poreless” result.

What causes it

What Causes Enlarged Pores?

1
Loss of collagen around the pore opening
The collagen scaffolding around each pore keeps the opening tight. With age and sun damage, this scaffolding weakens, and pores tend to look larger and more oval — gravity pulls them downward over time.
2
Sebum production and oil-pore stretching
Higher sebum output keeps more oil within the pore, and chronic congestion can stretch the opening over time. Sebum-filled pores also look larger because of the contrast in colour and reflectance. See the oily skin page.
3
Dehydration in the surrounding skin
When the dermis is dehydrated and deflated, the skin around each pore is less plump, so individual pores stand out more. Hydrating the surrounding skin often improves pore appearance without targeting the pore itself.
4
Sun damage
UV-driven collagen and elastin breakdown is a major contributor to pore enlargement with age. SPF is one of the most effective measures for keeping pore appearance stable.
5
Skin type
Some people are simply born with larger sebaceous glands and pores; this is genetic and not pathological. The goal is refinement, not change.

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Dr Garara's approach

How Dr Bhavin Garara Treats Enlarged Pores

At the clinics in London, Dr Garara assesses at consultation the pattern of pore visibility (T-zone, cheeks, all-over), the contribution of oiliness, dehydration, sun damage, and collagen loss, and your current skincare routine. The plan usually combines tailored home-care advice with in-clinic treatments — radiofrequency microneedling as a long-term foundation, with superficial muscle-relaxing micro-injections, skinboosters, or laser added depending on what is driving the appearance for you specifically.

Anatomy-led assessmentTreatment plans built around your unique facial structure and movement.
Personalised planCombinations chosen for your skin, goals, and lifestyle — not a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Natural resultsA refreshed, well-rested version of you — never a frozen or over-treated look.

Prevention

Home Care for Enlarged Pores

Consistent daily ingredients and gentle technique work better than aggressive scrubbing.

Prevention

Home Care for Enlarged Pores

Consistent daily ingredients and gentle technique work better than aggressive scrubbing.

Features

Treatment Options for Enlarged Pores

Radiofrequency microneedling, superficial muscle-relaxing micro-injections, balancing skinboosters, laser resurfacing, polynucleotides, and medical-grade skincare.

Radiofrequency microneedling

Sylfirm X delivers controlled radiofrequency energy through fine needles into the dermis to encourage collagen remodelling around each pore.

See SkinPen microneedling →

Superficial muscle-relaxing micro-injections

Very small, very superficial doses of muscle-relaxing injection can reduce sebum production and the size of pore openings for several months.

Balancing skinboosters

Multi-ingredient skinboosters (klardie, NCTF, Profhilo, Sunekos) deliver HA and balanced nutrients to plump and condition the skin around pores.

Laser resurfacing

MultiFrax or UltraClear can refine surface texture and clear oxidised oil from open pore openings (often called “blackheads”).

Polynucleotides

Polynucleotides such as Rejuran® can also support the collagen scaffolding around pores over a course of treatments, particularly where the skin is also thin or photoaged.

See Polynucleotides →

Medical-grade skincare

Daily niacinamide, salicylic acid, retinoid, and SPF use is the foundation. Most patients benefit from a tailored regimen built around their skin type.

Treatment is layered — radiofrequency microneedling as the long-term foundation, with superficial muscle-relaxing micro-injections, balancing skinboosters, laser, and polynucleotides added depending on the dominant driver.