Swollen pores in center of my face for many years

[britm]

Hi, ever since adolescence, I've had enlarged, swollen pores on my cheeks surrounding my nose.  The skin is pink, and, even though the rest of me is covered in freckles, I haven't even seen the freckles on my nose or 1 1/2 inch on either side, since childhood.  It isn't awful, and I cover it in make up, but I've never found something that worked.  It can be more or less swollen, but it's never like the skin on the outside area of my face.

I've tried exfoliation, pore minimizing creams, and simply washing with water (this seems to work best).

I have combination skin that's oily on my forehead, nose, near my nose, and chin, and also dry and flaky on my forehead.

Do you know if there's anything I can do to ever see my normal skin coloration there, again?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The problem of enlarged pores on face or facial pores is commonly associated with excessive oiliness and acne. The excessive oiliness of the skin is in turn triggered by the hormonal changes in the body.

Large pores can be easily dealt with proper cleansing and frequent toning and moisturizing of the skin. Other treatments to consider include microdermabrasion, skin resurfacing lasers and chemical skin peels.

In my opinion you should discuss these treatment options with a cosmetologist/dermatologist.

Hope it helps. Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.

[britm]

Hi -- thank you for the advice.  Most cleansers seem to irritate my face and make the swelling greater, but I do clean and moisturize every day.  Unfortunately, the skin flattens out a bit if I DON'T wash my face... but then, my pores get dirty.  I don't use a toner -- what kind would you recommend?  

It isn't so much the problem of large pores that bothers me (well, it does, but) it's the puffiness and pinkness that's the worst... I can't even see freckles through it, and it's weird how my skin goes from one quality to the next, near my eye bone.  It does seem hormonal, and I wonder if there is some kind of vitamin fix for it.  

I'll try a chemical peel... don't think I can afford microdermabrasion or a dermatologist at this point in my life, but those are good suggestions, of course.